Cute Vibes in Unpacking

Every once in awhile an unlikely indie comes along and becomes an internet darling.  Unpacking is one of those games...and dammit if I'm not a total sucker for indie darling gossip!  Luckily though, the hype over this cute game that takes on the monumentally un-fun real-life task of unpacking your stuff after a move, is totally warranted.

Pros:

+ Gameplay is very straightforward--you simply click on moving boxes to pull out a random item.  The next task is figuring out where to place the item within the room.  It's oddly enjoyable to test out different locations and try to find just the right one.  The basic goal is to unpack all the items and place them where they belong (just like in real life, sometimes items wind up in the wrong box).

+ The soundtrack fits the gameplay perfectly--it provides a soothing, melodic background while you focus on placing things just right.

+ Hidden achievements.  You can receive special "stickers" for placing items a certain way.  There's very little description on these achievements, so you can try to get them by puzzling out the meaning.  (*I would recommend NOT looking up any guides).

+ It has a photomode with lots of fun features like frames and stickers.

+ Every time you complete a home (think of it like a "level") you can watch a high speed re-play of all your actions.  While this might sound ridiculous...it's strangely engaging.  You can also opt to save your re-play as a GIF for future enjoyment.

+ The way that story and character has been built into the game is unique.  There's no real explicit storytelling and the only clues you get are short captions on photographs taken at the end of each move.  My personal take on the story is that it's reflective of life's ups and downs and all the major events and changes represented by the act of moving and starting anew.  As you unpack items you learn more about the characters in the game--even though they're nameless and faceless, you have a general idea about who they are and what they are interested in.

Cons:

- It's really short.  I finished it in 3.6 hours.

- Sometimes it can be difficult to tell exactly what an item is (I actually read a funny article about how many players kept placing the Nintendo Gamecube in the kitchen because they thought it was a kitchen gadget).

Recommendation:

Even though the short length is a bit of a downer, I found Unpacking to be a cute little game that's worth playing.  Perfectly positioning items is way more entertaining than it has any right to be.  Plus, the story has a happy ending...and who doesn't want one of those these days?