I just finished a very tiring and stressful move in the past week. After all the chaos of packing and then putting everything away, I needed a cozy game to relax and destress. So naturally, I landed on “Unpacking.” Okay, the timing was just a coincidence, but I thought it was very fitting. I played through to the end in one sitting – not intentionally, by the way. I just got so into the game that before I knew it, four hours had passed and I was watching the end credits. Anyway, let’s unpack this game together! Get it? Okay, sorry. Moving on.
Gameplay
“Unpacking” is an adorable puzzle game where you, well, unpack a whole bunch of stuff. The game takes you through twenty years of one woman’s life, with some conditions: you’re only there when she’s moving, and you never actually see her – or anyone, really. You’re given boxes full of items and have to figure out where everything goes. Many of the items even follow you from location to location. Once you finish a level, a picture of the final room is added to a cute little scrapbook and you move on to the next place.
The game’s judgment with object placement is a lot more forgiving than I expected, thankfully. There are a lot of items, and a lot of places they could go, so I was a bit worried at first. Except for a few picky objects, though, I didn’t have many problems with setting up the rooms. I’ve since watched someone else’s playthrough, and there are actually a lot of creative spots to place some of the items!
As I mentioned, some of the objects span several levels, which means I got oddly invested in specific items. I got attached to a particular mug early on for no reason other than seeing a chip in it at some point, and when I eventually didn’t unpack it, I genuinely got a bit sad. A few items are carried through all the way to the end of the game, though, which is just adorable.
Characterization
You can learn a surprising amount about a person from their belongings. I learned that I really, really love whoever this main character is. The first room features an almost never-ending collection of figurines and stuffed animals, but that’s to be expected with a kid. Later on, though, the nerdy possessions just keep multiplying. Book series, geeky posters, D&D figurines, and so many movies and video games slowly sneak their way into the boxes as the years progress. There’s even a fictional TV show with various merchandise thrown into the mix. She is so clearly a fangirl, and I feel so seen. It’s all just so perfectly nerdy and I absolutely adore it.
Storytelling
Getting invested in this random person’s life through her belongings is actually a common theme throughout the game. “Unpacking” is honestly kind of genius because, for a game that doesn’t really include people, there’s an awful lot of story involved. It’s environmental storytelling in its purest form, and it’s executed very sneakily.
The game specifies the year in which each level takes place, but it also shows time passing in other ways. Some objects get more worn down with each level, until they eventually disappear altogether, like the chipped mug (R.I.P.). You watch as the main character replaces her belongings, maturing and growing over time. Some things stay the same, though – like her love of art, and her geekiness.
There’s also a tiny dash of relationship developments, which I did not expect – all played out through the environment. For most of the game, you can put things wherever they make sense, and it’ll probably be fine. If you ever get it wrong, though, the game will alert you that an item is in the incorrect spot. At some point, the main character moves in with what’s likely a boyfriend. In this boyfriend level, as I call it, a specific sentimental item has to be put in a completely unexpected spot. I won’t spoil what it is, but that simple detail developed the relationship with the boyfriend in an impressively succinct way. The game continues from there with even more intentional storytelling moments that genuinely made me tear up at some point.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I know I’m about four and a half years late to this game. Honestly, I don’t have any real excuse for why I waited so long to play it, but I’m really glad I finally did. I genuinely did not expect to get as sucked into this person’s life and relationship drama as I did. I know I missed quite a few details, and I’m tempted to play it again just to catch all the game’s fun features. So if you’re like me and you’ve been meaning to play “Unpacking,” take this as your sign to finally do it! I hope you find your own chipped mug to get weirdly attached to.
Download and play “Unpacking” for yourself on Steam!
Check out Jordan’s latest article about “Devil May Cry”!
