My 100 Video Game Challenge (2024) #3: Unpacking

Played on: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

Unpacking is one of those dark horse indie games that seemed to capture quite a bit of interest during its initial release in 2021. This is despite the entire game being built around one very passive, seemingly mundane mechanic; Unpacking and arranging your possessions, upon moving into a new home.

I was recently introduced to Unpacking via a special someone. A self-professed lover of, "Cozy games", she happened to own Unpacking on her Nintendo Switch, and eagerly showed me the gameplay during a recent visit. Soon after, I ironically received the PC version of Unpacking as a free reward via Humble Choice. After some poking around, I also discovered that Unpacking is currently offered for free on both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium to boot, giving me lots of options to experience Unpacking myself, without spending a dime!

Since Unpacking is very simple and can be fully completed in just a few hours, if you know how to play it effectively, I decided to undertake four very different playthroughs across four different platforms. My proper playthrough, and my first one, was done on PC, since that's the version I actually own. I played the game as intended on my laptop, and finished the last bit of it on my Steam Deck, with no accessibility options enabled (these remove the puzzle element, and allow you to place objects wherever you want), solving every placement puzzle, and earning every achievement organically. After this was done, I decided to have some fun experimenting with the accessibility options, subsequently playing with no accessibility options activated, but trying to go entirely from memory when playing the Xbox One version (it took a little while, but I succeeded!), enabling accessibility options and arranging the living space however I wanted it arranged during a PS5 playthrough, and then enabling accessibility options before going out of my way to place objects in the wrong spot, thus making the living spaces as chaotic and deranged as possible, during a PS4 playthrough.

The fact that I was able to derive so much simple enjoyment from four varied ways to experience and complete Unpacking is a great testament to how surprisingly fun and well-designed the game is. Assuming the role of an unnamed woman, players arrange rooms and homes between the woman's life during 1997 to 2018, with about eight or so stages broken between those years. The gameplay never really evolves beyond just picking up and placing objects out of boxes, yet even then, Unpacking finds so many interesting ways to keep its mechanics interesting, from introducing multiple rooms, to placing items in boxes within rooms where they don't belong, and eventually to manipulating its puzzle elements to help tell an emotionally gratifying story, with a couple of heart-wrenching chapters.

That storytelling is another major draw in Unpacking. Despite never truly seeing your protagonist, the player seemingly learns so much about her life, simply through the possessions she chooses to keep over the years, and how each possession comes to be placed across each new living space. By the end of the game, you'll feel like you've truly watched this woman grow into an independent adult, and that's impressive for a character with no name, and virtually no discernible appearance, outside of a back shot during the final post-credits sequence.

Discovering the little secrets and achievements in Unpacking is also an astonishing amount of fun. By using an action button, players can interact with some of their character's objects, which can sometimes be the key to earning achievements/trophies. Even in the Switch version of Unpacking, which has no achievement system on offer, you'll still earn stickers to commemorate discovering fun secrets, and encountering some goofy snafus. My experience with Unpacking's Switch version may have been entirely limited to its first '1997' stage, but even then, I pretty much know this entire game back-to-front now, seeing as I got lots of playtime across four other platforms.

As for how Unpacking stacks up between each platform I played on, I can say that there is a slight, but noticeable difference in appeal between certain versions of the game. The Switch version obviously grants the advantage of easy portability and touch controls, if you're playing in Handheld Mode, without a discernible downgrade to the graphics or sound, considering Unpacking is built around simple pixel art. That being said, the PC version of Unpacking is 'Verified' and excellently playable on the Steam Deck, giving you another strong portable option, if you're fortunate enough to own a pocket PC. Even then though, the PC version of Unpacking feels most comfortable and at home on an actual computer, where you can easily play it with a mouse, dragging and dropping everything in a remarkably intuitive manner. Between every version of Unpacking, I feel that the game's PC version is overall its best and most enjoyable to play, so that's the one I recommend the most.

If you're an Xbox Game Pass member however, or a PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium member, you can save some money with the console versions, which are currently offered for free on those subscription services, like I said. On that note, the Xbox One version and PS4 version of Unpacking are fairly boilerplate renditions of the game, with no extra features of note to speak of. Hell, the PS4 version of Unpacking even feels a little bit unfinished to me, since it's missing sound effects, has longer load times, and seems slightly less responsive to navigate as you move between rooms especially. At the very least, Unpacking's Xbox One version doesn't suffer from finicky controls, and doesn't take too long to load, at least not when you play it on an Xbox Series X, like I did. For reference, Unpacking doesn't have a native Xbox Series X|S version, likely because the game is too technically simple, and an upgraded Xbox build would have been redundant, particularly when you can just play the Xbox One version on a current-gen Xbox with no compromise.

Unpacking does have a PS5 version however, which cuts out most of the loading present in the PS4 build, features sound effects from the controller speaker when you place and arrange objects (why is this feature absent in the PS4 version?), and, best of all, it contains some surprisingly excellent use of the PS5's DualSense controller. The haptic feedback offered on PS5 transmits authentic-feeling weight to each object you arrange, along with each box you open up, and eventually collapse, which, when paired with the sound effects from the controller speaker, creates a version of Unpacking that even gives the intuitive nature of the PC version a run for its money!

Between all of Unpacking's console builds, the PS5 version is easily the best, especially when it stands as an unexpected technical showcase for the DualSense controller. This is especially evident when you consider that Unpacking isn't an action-oriented game, thus allowing its standout DualSense feedback to feel wholly unique and memorable within the PS5 library. So, while I recommend the PC version of Unpacking the most, especially since it can be played on virtually any semi-modern PC, I think that PlayStation Plus members with higher-tier subscriptions should also make it a priority to play Unpacking's PS5 version, if for no other reason than to enjoy its lovable use of the DualSense controller (and a very easy Platinum Trophy, which the lesser PS4 version also offers).

That point of my recommending Unpacking is important as well. It doesn't sound like it would be a fun game, but it surprisingly is. The fact that the game is very well-presented, featuring nostalgic pixel art and wholesome chiptune music, is icing on the cake, particularly when it also throws in a surprisingly innovative way of telling its heartfelt story. I can see why Unpacking turned heads upon its release, because it truly is one of the most interesting, experimental indie games that I've played in a while, even with virtually no challenge on offer, and a mundane domestic activity serving as its core mechanic.

It's true that Unpacking can naturally be a bit repetitive (I mean, it's exclusively about unpacking a new house!), and I'm glad that it has accessibility options, because some of the object placement can feel very arbitrary within certain stages. Outside of some of those passing issues though, Unpacking is a triumph of the modern 'cozy game' movement, delivering a legitimately unique use of the gaming medium, even without any urgency, fail state, or action component to speak of. Being equal parts nostalgic, innovative and sweet, it's a game that's bound to warm your heart, exceptionally maximizing its otherwise simple hook.

IF I HAD TO SCORE IT: 9/10