Picking up where we left off on yesterday’s Community Review, let’s talk about Unpacking. The little game from Brisbane that makes a big impression, Unpacking took over social media feeds and turned heads with its art, music, and clever environmental storytelling.
Unpacking is a game about moving home, and how that process evolves over the course of a person’s life. Players learn little things about who the game’s protagonist is with each new level. The sum of this accrued knowledge is a surprisingly clear and intimate portrait of a person’s life. Throughout the game, you perform a single routine — opening boxes, removing their contents, and finding somewhere for each item to live. It’s all very calming and therapeutic. I also appreciate the lengths the sound team went to to ensure that each item made the correct sound when placed on different surfaces.
It’s also quite short and sweet, with each playthrough clocking in between 4-6 hours. As a player in his mid-t0-late 30’s, shorter playtimes like these appeal to me greatly. Sprawl is for games from the 2010’s. I need them to get to the point now, and Unpacking does.
My own Kotaku Australia review was very complimentary. I loved the way it approached hard concepts with a delicate hand, small flourishes that would bowl you over at the point of connection. I think it’s beautiful and that developer Witch Beam has an awful lot to be proud of.
Critically, Unpacking has been a resounding success. Currently sitting at a Metacritic rating of 85, and a community score of 7.5, the zen puzzler seems to have found its mark with players and reviewers alike.
But this is Community Review! You’ve read our thoughts and now we want to hear what you think. Have you played Unpacking yet? If so, what did you think? Give us your review in the comments below.
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