Unpacking is a zen puzzle game from Witch Beam in which you unpack an unseen character’s belongings across a series of house moves. Being a zen game, the gameplay is simple and relaxing. You click on a box to pull out an item, then pick a place you think that item would fit, and do it again. Once all the boxes are empty, the game will highlight in red any items that are in the wrong places. Most items are required to not be on the ground — a computer mouse and keyboard have to be on the desk in front of the screen, clothes belong in the closet, and so on.
This game is for a particular kind of player. It’s not challenging, the storytelling is subtle and not particularly deep, and the gameplay stays more or less the same the whole way through. If that sounds miserable to you, it probably will be. But if you like the sound of doing a repetitive, pleasing task for a couple of hours while uncovering a sweet story about a person’s life delivered through their belongings, this game delivers exactly that in a polished, delightful box just waiting to be unpacked.
Unpacking releases on November 2 on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, including Game Pass, for $19.99.
Watch our full Review in 3 Minutes for Unpacking.
Published: Nov 1, 2021 05:42 pm