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Unpacking
Released On: Nov 2, 2021
83
7.5
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
83
82% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
83
82% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Unpacking captured and recalled that messy abundance of emotions precisely. It’s a special game. It drew me in, it pushed me away. It was a chore at times. But its thematic strength and effectiveness in conveying that is incredible. Unpacking is a remarkable piece of work that elegantly evokes the ebbs and flows of life. A game that evokes a very special brand of nostalgia that is yours, and no-one else’s.
Captivating, relaxing, cathartic, Unpacking turns a strenuous exercise in real life into a magnificent experience. Undoing the boxes at each stage of the main character's life provides a nice sense of accomplishment. Not in the layout itself, although it's always rewarding to pull off a Tetris with your possessions, but in understanding where the developers of Witch Beam are taking us and how. Without saying a word, delicately, with devastating attention to detail and a sublime atmosphere, the game tells us a very true story, which we easily cling to. The story of an invisible and mute virtual person whom we are happy to accompany and who, in the end, perhaps knows a lot more than we think about our own life.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 114 User Ratings
7.5
59% Positive
67 Ratings
67 Ratings
35% Mixed
40 Ratings
40 Ratings
6% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 114 User Ratings
7.5
59% Positive
67 Ratings
67 Ratings
35% Mixed
40 Ratings
40 Ratings
6% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
A wonderfully chill and meditative experience. Finding more about the main character as you organize their belongings provided just enough interest to keep you engaged throughout its short play time without overwhelming the relaxed atmosphere.
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PC
This indie gem guides through an emotional-nostalgic trip of personal
history, relaxed and with a few small puzzles.
I liked Unpacking very much. It’s complicated, but it’s as simple as a peanut butter sandwich, toasted in the sandwich press that you got three apartments ago.
Unpacking is an incredibly chill game. It’s exactly what you want to play when you need to decompress. There’s a place for everything, and it’s up to you to put it in that place. There’s no rush. Enjoy looking at what the person accumulated. Think about what certain items mean. Hope that they find happiness in each new place. Then, if you feel like you need to calm down or want to enjoy the art again, head back and do things different next time.
Unpacking is something I play when other games are too stressful or busy to suit my mood. It's a concept I'd never have thought would make for such a rewarding experience, but beyond its simple premise is a story of interesting people and gameplay that inventively combines the homemaking of The Sims with the light-puzzling of a point-and-click.
Do you remember what you saw in this game? The unboxing will be no less for me than the last superhero movie I watched. Maybe I'll remember her the next time I move, or maybe even grin. I enjoyed the short time I spent with Unpacking and hope there will be more in the future.
One of my favourite games from 2021, it doesn't become boring as other relaxing games and i think that making us guess what's happening in the life of the protagonist only by showing us her stuff is amazing! The final actually made me tear up! It really is wholesome. Its doesnt last more than 6 hours so you can pass it in just one day.
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PC
Pleasant enough little indie game that is original, relaxing, and manages to offer a clever little heartwarming story in the background. Like real life unpacking however, it becomes tedious towards the end and the desire to just cram things in any available drawer rather than where they belong quickly takes over.
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PC
Unpacking is a Indie game that makes chores fun a game that makes one of the boring jobs fun. Unpacking!
The vibrant colours through out each level really brought the game to life. The objects that you unpack really brought nostalgia back to me like unboxing a PS2 or Gamecube really shows the little deatils that can put a smile on someones face.
The story is really nothing special but what makes me impress is that every object you unpack tells the story. From seeing the different rooms to unpack you tell the character is getting older to levels where she finally meets a partner and creates a life together really is a beautifull thing to see and play
The chracters life is told in such a way from trying to find herself and what she wants to do with her life. To figuring it all out at the end and starting a life with her partner.
Unpacking is a well put together indie game from a small developer and I am so impress it made want to fold my socks and put my clothes away that were lying on my floor for 2 weeks.
If you are looking for a short but well put together game than this will do it for you.
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PC
Unpacking is a casual game where you unpack boxes and put items from them into rooms in houses. It is a very basic puzzle game, insofar that you have to put the items in logical places and make sure they all fit in there, but the game is pretty much trivial in terms of difficulty – if you complete unpacking a house and have items in the wrong places, the game will tell you which items are in the wrong places, and you can easily just move them around and put them in the right places. You start out with one room, but some of the later levels have far more than that, with the final level being an entire, full-sized house.
The game is very simplistic, and almost all of the satisfaction you’ll get out of it is from this act of unpacking the boxes and seeing what the person has with them at this chapter in their life.
The game uses environmental storytelling to tell a story, about a child who grows up to be an adult and starts their own life. Each chapter in the game represents a significant change in their life, and as you go through, you learn the person’s interests, as well as see what they’re going through at that point in their life.
It’s fairly cute, and well-done, but it isn’t really enough if you aren’t into the core gameplay of unpacking and arranging things – and honestly, it’s not that interesting of a core mechanic, as it is very simplistic and it is mostly just kind of mindless and a little bit tedious.
Fortunately, the game is quite short (less than 5 hours long to 100%), so you won’t be stuck playing it for overly long.
All in all, it’s hard to recommend this game; it is kind of mediocre, and the clever environmental storytelling isn’t worth unpacking all eight levels of the game.
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PC
Summary Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking.
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 5
- PlayStation 4
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date: Nov 2, 2021
Developer:
- Witch Beam
Publisher: Witch Beam
Genres:
