Unpacking is a light puzzle game where the gameplay revolves around unpacking boxes and putting the items away. This sounds boring, and in a way… it is, but it is also quite relaxing and the game has a soothing comfort feel to it. It helps with the chill music and the colorful pixel art. The camera angle is fixed, presented in an isometric view, but you can zoom in and out, as well as scroll up and down to check out the rooms.
In each level, you play as someone who has moved into a new place and need to unpack the boxes. In the earlier levels, you unpack from scratch, although all the furniture is there. While in later levels, there will already be other items, which is on purpose and has a meaning to it. While playable with a controller, the mouse is definitely the better of the two to use as it’s much more intuitive.
You use the mouse to click on a box, which will unpack the next item. You then find a place to put it. Depending on the item, this can be on the shelf, or in a cabinet, underneath the bed, on a table etc, there are many options. To aid this aspect, you can click to easily open up drawers or doors. There are also various rooms in the houses or apartments, from the kitchen to the bedroom to the lounge room. Traversing between these different rooms are easy, you can either pull up the map or use the quick access buttons on either side. You’ll need to do this given you’ll unpack items that goes to another room.
You cannot just randomly put stuff anywhere you like. While there are places that you know the items cannot be placed upon, given it doesn’t automatically snap into place, once you’ve unpacked all the boxes, some items will be highlighted red. This means that the items are not supposed to go there and you need to pick it up and find where it needs to go. This can be frustrating as you cannot finish the level without doing this. It’s annoying in that there are sometimes items which you don’t actually know what it is, and so it can be trial and error as you find a place for it. Plus, in later levels there’ll be a lack of space, so you’re forced to shuffle things around.
There isn’t an involved story, and it takes a backseat in its storytelling. However, it’s one of those where it tells more by not being too involved in telling it. You effectively play a character as they progress in life, moving to a new house, which signifies a new chapter in their life. You get to see them growing up, change in their tastes and interests, or moving in with their partner, and all this is based on the items you’re unpacking.
While you can spend a long time making everything perfect, just the way you like it, if you aren’t that picky, each level isn’t too long. They take around 10 to 20 mins each for the shorter ones. There are eight levels in total, and the final one is the longest one, which also means it is the most annoying one once you’ve finally unpacked everything and need to figure out why some items are highlighted red, being incompatible with where you’ve put them. However, finishing the game and watching the ending is worthwhile, since it’ll put a smile on your face as you definitely feel that despite there being no dialogue in the game, nor have you ever seen the characters or interacted with them in anyway, you still feel that you know them really well.
Overall, Unpacking is a chill and relaxing game. The pixel art coupled with bright colors and an easy gameplay loop means that it’s the perfect game to play to unwind. Taking items out of boxes and putting them away may sound boring, and in actuality, there will be times where it will be in the game given the monotony of that being all that you are doing; there is still a weird sense of self-satisfaction once you’ve completed the task. The game is short, taking only three to four hours but any longer and it would have start to outstay its welcome.
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