
The goal was now to find spots for these wayward items, but there was often no room left to place anything, which meant something else had to be moved.

So, for me, the relaxation basically stopped, because now the whole thing turned into a frustration exercise. This is where I note that I'm prone to panic attacks. That's the game basically saying, "No, no, no, this cannot go here." That should naturally be the end of it, but suddenly, objects start glowing red. Eventually, the boxes eventually become empty and everything is laid out just as you want it. While I enjoyed Unpacking's main concept, a few things started to make the overall experience feel awry. It's a nice touch that injects some extra personality and a greater sense of continuity into what's otherwise a pretty basic puzzle game. More details about her life are gradually revealed through a soft-spoken voiceover. It's a small feature, but one that feels rewarding.Īs the moving days wrap up, players learn more about the unnamed protagonist. Once all of the boxes are gone and the freedom's there to just sort things out and make it more to your liking, it starts to feel more like your personal space.

It's a "learn as you go" kind of process, one that lets you further soak in the game's atmosphere.Īs you go, you can turn the whole area into a picturesque landscape, one that you can later share with friends. And, for the most part, it can, but the frames seem to be meant more for walls. For example, I'd frequently find picture frames that I assume can be laid on a desk. It's not always obvious where certain objects can go. Simply sit back, listen to the soothing music in the background, and place objects wherever you'd like. That's because it's meant to be a relaxation exercise. There aren't a lot of restrictions in Unpacking. The common factor is that each of these places have giant boxes filled with necessities and knick-knacks, all of which must be sorted and placed onto different areas. It starts from her childhood, where she moves into her first house, and ventures forward into adulthood.

Unpacking puts players in the role of a mysterious person across various phases of her life. And, while it mostly works, it ultimately proves impossible to remove all of the stress. Developer Witch Beam is looking to take a lot of the torture out of the practice of moving into a new home with its latest game, Unpacking. Packing everything into boxes, making sure everything fits, making sure nothing breaks, making sure the whole thing isn't too heavy, it all adds up to a blistering headache. Having gone through this myself a few months ago, there are few things more stressful than moving out.
