Unpacking

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. COGconnected
    May 23, 2022
    89
    For such a small game, the meaning and intent behind it is large. It made me think of all the things I’d had to leave behind between moves, especially after moving from a small town to a big city. As you progress, you’ll note some stuff that isn’t there in the later moves despite being there for the first couple. There’s also something inherently intimate about moving someone’s belongings around. It’s not just general things like clothing, cookware and more, but also toiletries and undergarments, it just feels more real. If you’ve had a long day and just want to play a fun laidback game or if you like organizing things or if you need a moment of self-reflection, Unpacking is a wonderful game that really needs more recognition and love.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. PteNovember
    Feb 21, 2023
    8
    A short and simple game, but unique and enjoyable if you like this sort of experience.

    The concept is simple: you unpack the main    A short and simple game, but unique and enjoyable if you like this sort of experience.

    The concept is simple: you unpack the main character's stuff everytime they move to a new place and arrange it into the appropriate spot. If you enjoy tidying up and arranging things, you will probably enjoy this game. If that sounds boring to you, you will probably not enjoy this game.

    The gameplay has a kind of zen quality to it. There's no real challenge other than you sometimes have limited storage space and arranging things neatly and efficiently will allow you to fit everything in more easily.

    Once everything is unpacked the game will highlight the items you have placed incorrectly and you have to find the correct spot for them before you can move on to the next level. It's generally fairly logical where everything goes (no electronics in the bath or sink, no items on the floor,..) and sometimes there's a story reason why an item can't be in a certain place (a photo of an ex needing to be out of sight for instance).

    The only frustration comes from the fact that you can't always tell what an item is exactly and the game doesn't give a hint besides the sprite artwork. For example, I unpacked a bathtowel in the living room and mistook it for a blanket.

    Despite not always being the clearest way to render an item, the pixel art is brightly coloured and a joy to look at.

    There isn't really any traditional story-telling in this game, but from the items you're unpacking, the items already present and the occasional journal entry from the main character, you can distil what's going on in their life at that moment. You'll encounter events like them moving out on their own for the first time, moving in with a partner or a partner moving in with them. There are 8 of these levels/events in the game, each involving more and more items as the character's life expands.

    It was nice to watch this character evolve and see what they value through their stuff. You see what they keep over the years and what gets left behind and it made me feel kind of melancholy and happy at the same time. I was swept up in te main character's life more than I was anticipating. I felt for them when they moved back in with their parents after a failed relationship, was thrilled for them when a relationship bloomed and elated every time I unpacked their favourite childhood toy with every move.

    Two minor points of critisism:
    -Even though I enjoyed the gameplay, the final moving event had so many rooms and so many items that even I was getting a bit bored. So it was just a teensy bit too long. Though I wouldn't have minded maybe more events with less space and less stuff in its place.
    -The game sometimes chugged a little on my PS4 slim during that final event despite it not being a very taxing game. Was it because of all the little items? I don't know. But it was noticible and the game even crashed at one point. Luckily, it had saved all of my progress and I could simply carry on.

    All in all, a sweet little game more than worthy of the time it takes to finish.

    PS: Yes, the main character has a gay relationship at one point and that's the one that ends up working out. If you can't handle that, you might want to stay away. Though, it is a pity that you would let something like that upset you. You're not being forced into anything; you're just a bystander, a witness. It is simply a fact in this characters life, just like it is for some real life people. If that stops you from empathizing with a person or story, you need to reevaluate your values, I think.    … Full Review »
  2. RuriGokou
    Jun 17, 2022
    3
    Unpacking has nice pixel art and nice music but that's about all it has going for it. You know, that seems to be the trend in a lot of indieUnpacking has nice pixel art and nice music but that's about all it has going for it. You know, that seems to be the trend in a lot of indie games too. They have a nice aesthetic but when it comes to anything resembling gameplay it's bad. Unpacking is no different.

    The game has an option to allow you to put the items where ever you want. So you can move to the next stage easily, but I didn't use that option at first. I wanted to play normally. I got through the first two stages and I was done with this game. After that the game just gets so boring because it's the same thing. Unpack objects and put them in a place. The only thing that changes is they had more rooms with more stuff to unpack!

    I don't know why it's labeled as a puzzle game because there really isn't any puzzle to it. The only puzzle was trying to figure out just what the hell some items were. A kind of description box or label as you hover over something would have been great. For example, in stage two you open a box with some art supplies. There is one item that I thought was a tube of paint since it was with a bunch of art supplies. Turns out it was toothpaste!

    I read a lot of the negative Steam reviews and I agree the price is WAY too high for the amount of content. There hardly is any! I would even argue the game is just too long for this kind of theme. Maybe they should have had three seperate stories instead of one long woke one? There is nothing fun about unpacking in real life, and they didn't make it fun in any way for this game.

    And from what little I could get of a "story" is that this woman, who is bad at unpacking her things by herself, has one bad relationship with a guy so she becomes a lesbian, and she raises a kid with her partner. I wish I knew this was a woke game first. I wouldn't have bought it. A family consists of a man and a woman.

    I'm tired of reading reviews about indie games. Saying something like, "I can see a lot of heart was put into the game, but..." or "It's got a lot of good things about it but..." You can dress up a turd with sugar and chocolate but it still doesn't change the fact it's still a turd.    … Full Review »
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