Stacking

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 109 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 109
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 109
  3. Negative: 8 out of 109

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  1. tech-noir
    Sep 5, 2013
    6
    The mechanics, environments, and art design are imaginative and beautifully realized, but the gameplay fails to keep the player entertained and intrigued for very long. Collecting all the dolls, finding all the solutions, and completing all the hi-jinks may be enough for some, but will easily bore others.
  2. ghostrider90
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Charming,beautiful,challenging and revolutionary at the same time! Stacking is truly a piece of art and a classic! Long live Tim Schafer! Such adventures and characters deserve all my respect!
  3. Mcintosh
    Apr 27, 2012
    9
    Tim Schafer has always been one of my favorite game designers since Psychonauts. But i never let my criticism get clouded by past work of someone i respect since we never know how much a person is really involved in a multidisciplinary task. I must then say.... this game is not a surprise, it is a great game. It is a puzzle game that its medium is 3rd person, but the mechanics are unique.Tim Schafer has always been one of my favorite game designers since Psychonauts. But i never let my criticism get clouded by past work of someone i respect since we never know how much a person is really involved in a multidisciplinary task. I must then say.... this game is not a surprise, it is a great game. It is a puzzle game that its medium is 3rd person, but the mechanics are unique. It is smart, innovating, creative and charming. The approach of the style is refreshing and all in all a great idea. Great job and great vision to the people doing it. To me Double Fine understands what a game should be and experiments on the approach of games as games and not games as sport (which i also like). I recommend Stacking and also keeping your eyes opened to new thing from this company.… Expand
  4. Mykwon
    Dec 8, 2012
    10
    Incredibly original and fun to play. A great game with a lot of potential and a great dose of humor. Really refreshing in a gaming world ruled by FPSs, TPSs and RPGs that all look a-like. Bravo!
  5. metacriticFAN
    Jan 26, 2013
    10
    [Stacking / Steam PC / Perfect 10] Run around as little Charlie Blackmore and solve the adventure: Free the Children from the Evil Baron. This Unique non linear game rewards exploration and experimentation using Russian stacking dolls with cut scenes telling Us the plot through 1920s style Silent Film: Dramatic Scenes + Great Music and Story Cards. If you enjoyed any game from Tim Schafer[Stacking / Steam PC / Perfect 10] Run around as little Charlie Blackmore and solve the adventure: Free the Children from the Evil Baron. This Unique non linear game rewards exploration and experimentation using Russian stacking dolls with cut scenes telling Us the plot through 1920s style Silent Film: Dramatic Scenes + Great Music and Story Cards. If you enjoyed any game from Tim Schafer (Full Throttle, Psychonauts, Brutal Legend) buy Stacking because it is outstanding. Released March 6, 2012 by DoubleFine and played about 6 months later. [DRM] Steam only. Thank goodness there is no GamesForWindowsLive on this title!

    [Challenges and Mechanics] are outstanding; jump into different Russian stacking dolls and assume their abilities to find alternative pathways to complete the quests. Combine multiple dolls to get things done! There is no time pressure element to this game and with the beautiful piano music - this is a very relaxing game - perfect to play before going to bed, the kind of game that you play between FPS games to cleanse the palate. [Save] game system is automatic. Forget about this part and just enjoy the story and the puzzles !
    [Keys] are easy to remap in-game and show up correctly during the in-game instructions
    [Bugs] There are none.
    [Game time] 40 hrs if your wish to figure out all the puzzles yourself but probably 10 hours if you skip all the optional puzzles [ : (o) nooooo - don    … Expand
  6. AWG
    Jul 26, 2013
    7
    Quite a surprise. I was expecting a lame indie conceptual game but I got an original and surely well-tuned adventure instead. There's lots of things to do, and the graphics are really interesting.
  7. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    4
    first 20minutes turned me off good .
  8. esocid
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Such a fun game, and very well done. The graphics are nice, story well thought out, and the interludes are cute. It's such a creative little game, and very enjoyable. It's nice to get a change of pace once in a while. If you haven't watched a trailer, it's a world of Matryoshka dolls, with different little abilities, and you have to solve little puzzles to progress.
  9. StylixDS
    Aug 14, 2012
    8
    Gotta love finding those obscure games with stupid titles that are actually really fun. Its almost like the marketing teams are trying to play a sick joke on the company by allowing use of such generic titles that guarantee a product to be overlooked or forgotten.

    What would you think if you saw a game called "Stacking"? It doesn't exactly inspire the imagination to think of anything    Gotta love finding those obscure games with stupid titles that are actually really fun. Its almost like the marketing teams are trying to play a sick joke on the company by allowing use of such generic titles that guarantee a product to be overlooked or forgotten.

    What would you think if you saw a game called "Stacking"? It doesn't exactly inspire the imagination to think of anything interesting. All it does is make you expect the game will have something to do with stacking, which could really be almost anything. Admittedly you'd probably think of some kind of puzzle game since most involve moving objects and stacking them.

    It -is- a semi puzzle game, so I guess the title does have that going for it. Still though, that sounds incredibly boring considering how generic the title is. Just think of all those terrible tetris and bejeweled clones out there.

    The game is actually an action puzzler with a story set in the early 20th century. The reason it is called stacking, is because rather than using people the game uses Matryoshka dolls as characters (or more commonly known as stacking Russian dolls.) Your objectives require you to go around stacking inside other dolls and using their abilities to solve various puzzles.

    It probably doesn't sound that challenging or exciting, but its easy to come to that conclusion if you strip away all the atmosphere this game has. It is definitely one of those type of games where the environments and story drive it. The puzzles are interesting and can require a bit of thought, but you'll probably find yourself spending more time taking in the beautiful scenery. That isn't to say the gameplay lacks fun, but just that the game's surroundings are a work of art and are a big reason to play the game.

    I don't really have a better suggestion on hand for a title, but I can say that calling it "Stacking" was not the best business move. Had it not been mentioned on a daily sale through steam I would have easily overlooked it. The only time generic titles work is when it is something so absurd like "English Country Tune". (Another puzzle game that, Ill be honest, I don't understand but the name alone made me look because its just such a random and odd choice.)

    I would recommend this game if you like to play stuff that is very casual and laid back. It won't have huge replay value once you've beaten it, but it does offer several extra ways to clear objectives and other optional content. In other words, you will still have things to go back and do after your first completion, but like most action puzzle games there won't be much reason to come back after you've cleared everything unless you just want to revisit an area.

    This is also one of those games that just about anyone can pick up and play regardless of skill level since the game doesn't rely much on reaction as it does with reading and finding clues to solve the task at hand. For being as simple as it is, the game has a lot of life. and is fun to just go around exploring.    … Expand
  10. JimCorbett
    Aug 2, 2012
    6
    I have always loved Double Fine since Psychonauts... but I really didn't enjoy this game. I can tell it's a really well done puzzle game - unique, innovative, and tricky in certain parts . I just didn't have fun playing it. It may be because puzzle games aren't exactly my cup of tea, but it still didn't do much to try and grab my attention. If you're a puzzle game fan, then by all meansI have always loved Double Fine since Psychonauts... but I really didn't enjoy this game. I can tell it's a really well done puzzle game - unique, innovative, and tricky in certain parts . I just didn't have fun playing it. It may be because puzzle games aren't exactly my cup of tea, but it still didn't do much to try and grab my attention. If you're a puzzle game fan, then by all means check this out. If you aren't though, stay away.… Expand
  11. whitespider999
    Mar 12, 2012
    7
    Stacking is an intelligent and charming puzzle game with adventure elements. It has semi-open-ended solutions - not entirely dissimilar to deus ex. The visuals are charming except for the framerate which is capped at 30fps - this causes me to experience eye strain. Double fine know charm and wit, what they need is an understanding of what pc gamers need. Score open to change based onStacking is an intelligent and charming puzzle game with adventure elements. It has semi-open-ended solutions - not entirely dissimilar to deus ex. The visuals are charming except for the framerate which is capped at 30fps - this causes me to experience eye strain. Double fine know charm and wit, what they need is an understanding of what pc gamers need. Score open to change based on future patches. Score when issues are fixed = 8/10.… Expand
  12. dajhorn
    Sep 22, 2014
    9
    Stacking is cute and absurd and something totally different. Perfect for kids, but balanced for adults. Some of the extended puzzles are a stretch if you are trying for achievements, but the hint system is helpful.
  13. frederik1478
    Sep 4, 2023
    7
    An amazing game to play while you're sick just the most comfortable thing you can play.

    The game is about family and getting your family back which is very fun when you have to go inside all the people and control them to get what you want in a not creepy way, of course. This is a very fun and sincere game. One of the things I liked was that there were hints on all of the puzzles. So    An amazing game to play while you're sick just the most comfortable thing you can play.

    The game is about family and getting your family back which is very fun when you have to go inside all the people and control them to get what you want in a not creepy way, of course. This is a very fun and sincere game.

    One of the things I liked was that there were hints on all of the puzzles. So every time I got stuck I could look op what to do .

    The game still looks amazing the art style hopes up so well and the sound effects and music are just kind of there, but it is very nice to look at.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Best PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 28, 2012
    80
    Effortlessly enchanting, deviously creative and stacks of inventive puzzle solutions make this a game worth getting into.
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  2. PC Master (Greece)
    May 28, 2012
    82
    Well-designed, brimming with beautiful and intelligent puzzles, a simple yet smoothed-out plot and of course, Tim's wackiness. [June 2012]
  3. Absolute Games
    May 24, 2012
    75
    Stacking is a great "sandbox" game for kids and adults alike. It tests your patience rather than wit, though, and after defeating The Baron, there is no reason to come back to it.
    Read full review
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