Unpacking 2007 series#
Unpacking takes you through a series of homes representing an invisible protagonist’s life from 1997 to 2018, and as it turns out, you can tell a lot about a person by the things they take with them. In Unpacking, described by its creators as a “zen puzzle game,” settling into a new place is surprisingly comforting. It’s playable as part of Xbox Game Pass.In real life, moving is the worst. Unpacking is available now on Xbox, Switch and PC. Rarely does such a simple concept have such an impact, but Witch Beam has absolutely nailed it. For me, it was over far too soon, and I hope Unpacking gets more content. It tells stories many of us can relate to, and it’ll undoubtedly bring about our own memories, both happy and sad, of moves and changes in our lives.īut even on a more shallow level, there’s something incredibly relaxing and meditative about organising a home, finding the right place for everything to live. Without words, and without ever seeing the characters whose stories it tells, Unpacking manages to be deeply meaningful and moving in the narrative it portrays. (Though having rocked up in a Transit van rented by my parents, I had a lot more boxes to unpack.) My next move after that, the same as the protagonist of Unpacking, was to my university dorm. 1997 was the year I first moved too, to a new house at the age of nine with my parents. The game’s first move in 1997 sees you unpack a youngster’s room, labelled “finally my own room!”. For me, several of the moves in Unpacking aligned with my own life. We’ve all moved several times in our lives, presumably, and likely for a variety of reasons. But you’ll be warned that its placement is wrong – it actually belongs in a cupboard, where you don’t have to look at it every day. You’ll probably not know what it is, other than a happy photo with friends, so you’ll put it on the noticeboard, along with several others. There are some really poignant touches here, like unpacking a photograph of an ex. You’ll also learn about love interests and family changes in later moves – both happy and sad. From moving to a university dorm to a house share, you’ll start to see some inklings of a career taking shape. Each move tells a story, and through witnessing each big life change, you’ll get an understanding of who the person is. Unpacking isn’t just a game about finding a home for someone’s belongings, though. Witch Beam’s artists are clearly big Nintendo fans. You’ll also spot a GameCube, a Wii and a DS, and matching game cases to go with them. DVDs, despite being tiny, are recognisable by their cover film buffs will have fun trying to work out what they are (I spotted at least Ghost World and Donnie Darko). There’s a fantastic attention to detail here for a game made up of pixel art. Back to rearranging everything to make room for something new. But a box in the kitchen may reveal a key item you need to make space for.
You might think you’re done with the bedroom boxes, having made perfect use of all shelves in that room already. While you may question why a pair of shoes have been thrown haphazardly into two different boxes, one amongst pots and pans, there’s a thrill in Unpacking of not knowing what you’re going to pull out of a box next. But no, Unpacking forces you to have them in a downstairs space. If I want to store board games in my office, I should be able to. When you have a whole family home to move around in, it can be a bit annoying. Other items must go somewhere specific, however. Does a stuffed pig belong on the bed of a university student, or should it be stored away somewhere a little more inconspicuous?įor some items, there’s no right or wrong simply putting them in a logical place is enough to appease Unpacking.
Other items, such as stuffed toys or obscure trinkets, might require a bit more thought. Sometimes it’s obvious books go on the shelf, underwear goes in a drawer. Each time, the number of possessions they own grows, and the amount of space you have to organise in grows too (well, most of the time).Ĭlicking on a box will reveal an item, which you’ll be then tasked with finding a home for. Starting with the room of a young child, you’ll follow one person move several times over the course of two decades from university dorms to house shares to their own place.
On the contrary, Unpacking from Witch Beam and Humble Games is exactly that, yet it’s a joyous, meditative experience that I simply can’t get enough of. Surely the idea of moving into a new house, forced with the arduous task of unpacking never-ending piles of boxes, fills anyone with dread.Īnd so a game where you do nothing but unpack boxes should be quite a hard sell.
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