Unpacking

To make a process that is usually so mundane into something so magical makes Unpacking a must play.

I started Unpacking mostly expecting an interesting puzzle game about item placement and ended up with a story and protagonist I cared about. The art is beautiful, the world detailed, and the ambient sound of simple things, like a refrigerator running, put you in the world. Beyond minor woes, Unpacking does everything you’d want in a puzzle game and then some.

Unpacking manages to do several things very well, all at the same time. It’s a touching story told through interaction, it provides the creative play space of a great dollhouse game, and it deftly applies established game design ideas from completely different genres. Its only real shortcoming is the repetition that is a necessary byproduct of landing its message. Effort has gone into making the controls satisfying on Switch, and the visual and sound design are delightful throughout, making Unpacking, like any sane person’s cutlery, absolutely top-drawer.

When Animal Crossing: New Horizons released around the time people were going into lockdowns across the globe, a lot of people praised the way it helped people. Unpacking is exactly that for me right now with so many long games and deadlines. It has been a perfect game to dip into as a break from longer and more stressful games. While the gameplay might be too simple for some, Unpacking has managed to make something as mundane as arranging furniture and items be a lot of fun. It also helps that Unpacking on Nintendo Switch makes great use of the system’s features.

That's what makes Unpacking such a treat. I peered into the life of someone else and saw myself. It compelled me to look back on my own experiences, the good and the bad, through the simple act of unpacking the contents of their life. Unpacking may be a zen puzzle game that's just relaxing for some, but for me it was a more profound experience that I'll never forget. Sometimes we put our past into proverbial boxes; ripping off the tape and rediscovering what we hid away can be cathartic and illuminating.

Whenever the protagonist of Unpacking moves to a new home, it is the player's task to open cardboard boxes and decide where her belongings should be placed. While this can be a tedious experience when you’re just putting socks into a drawer, whenever an item that conveys something about her life comes out of the box, Unpacking becomes a unique storytelling experience.

If this review has sounded a little contemplative, it’s a testament to some clever design that invites you into that headspace. Arranging the protagonist’s collection of belongings is a subtle but thoughtful way of telling a person’s life story without saying a word, and the act of doing so, as well as how you choose to do it, might just end up saying a bit about yourself. Unpacking is a calming, enjoyable journey through time that is as satisfying as it is self-reflective. Much like every object you unpack, this game itself is simple and unassuming at face value. The sentimentality you choose to attach to it, however, is up to you.