A couple of years ago, we found a quiet achiever at PAX Aus 2019 that blew our minds away. It went on to receive a stack of awards, including Australia’s Game of the Year in 2021. And to be fair, it is definitely not your usual ‘Game of the Year’ but it is absolutely worth the accolades and then some. Why? Because it meets every expectation in narrative, art, music, development, and the feels. Unpacking is still one of my absolute favourite video games and it’s now available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
To celebrate the release of Unpacking on new platforms, I’m revisiting my review of the game for GeekMom back in 2021, checking if anything has been updated or changed and looking at the things I still love.
What is Unpacking?
Birthdays are no longer birthdays. We “Level Up”. Various milestones in life are now ‘boss battles’, recovery rooms, and healing shrines. There are plenty of ways to gamify our lives but rarely do we find a game that really connects with the mundane and makes it … beautiful. Unpacking is exactly that. It is a simple click-and-drag puzzle game filled with clues to unfold into a mesmerising narrative. I have moved enough times in my life to hate the idea of unpacking, and yet Unpacking (the video game) has revealed a hidden pleasure. I’m not the only one to see it: since PAX Aus 2019, loads of players around the world have raved about the simplicity and ingenious creativity behind the game Unpacking.
Each level is represented by a different location; the first level is a child’s bedroom, the next is a college dormitory or share-house apartment, and so on. With a simple point-and-click movement, you cut the tape on the box and unpack, one item at a time. You can move and place the item almost anywhere in the room, allowing a bit of freedom to dress it up as you like. Should the tape deck go on the shelf or the floor? Do you sort your books by colour or height? And which favourite toy takes the prize position on the bed? Unpacking is slow and contemplative yet deeply enchanting to the point of wanting to play over and over again.
How Do You Gamify “unpacking”?
The idea for Unpacking came from the real-life experience when developers Wren Brier and Tim Dawson moved in together. Brier was unpacking the gazillionth box and noticed the game-like elements in unpacking: unlocking the next box after emptying the one on top. Unpacking can be game-like? Sounds all very Mary Poppins-esque, with a teaspoon of sugar to make the unpacking less painful. But Brier was on to something.
The task of unpacking is something we can all relate to. It can be boring and monotonous but it needs to be done (or you will never find that favourite mug for your next cup of coffee). Gamification is the process where you turn a task into a game as motivation to complete. Unpacking has done this both literally and figuratively. After playing the video game, my entire view of ‘unpacking’ was changed. I started to think more about the things we collect, protect, and even the stuff we throw away.
The smartest element of Unpacking is the mechanics: each item must be taken out of the box one at a time. You can’t look ahead or choose something different. In fact, you start to see a personality unfold from the layers in the box. You think you have unpacked all the books, and then one more turns up in the last box. Why was this book separate? There are certain toys packed more carefully than others. Clothes are thrown in random boxes at the last minute. This is where the narrative unfolds gently, drawing you into the game. Each item is revealing something about the character, and each placement is revealing something about you.
The game works brilliantly as a complete package. Each of the items is easily recognizable and relatable. This is not an easy task when you consider there are over 1000 unique items with 35 separate rooms to consider. While the images are kept simple, there is enough detail to recognise each item and recognise the emotional connection. This is potentially the most important part; because we all know how much sentimentality is invested in both packing and unpacking our lives.
Australian Game Developer Awards
In 2021, Unpacking won Game of the Year and Excellence in Accessibility at the Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDA). Not a big surprise in light of both the game development and its easy playability. The award for Excellence in Accessibility is one of the specialty awards recognised by the AGDA and highlights how far the industry has come to produce games for all. Game of the Year is pretty cool, but Excellence in Accessibility is definitely an achievement worth raving about.
The awards are part of the annual Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW). Every year, game developers from around Australia and the world gather to celebrate, work, and promote gaming in every form. It features a range of workshops, conferences, and special events, including the AGDA Awards Night and 3-days of PAX Australia. The finalists for 2023 have been announced on the AGDA website, and the official award ceremony is scheduled for 4 October 2023.
Unpacking is available on Steam, Switch, and Xbox for around AUD$28.95/USD$19.99. It is also available in the App Store and Google Play for around AUD$14.99/USD$9.99. To be honest, I haven’t noticed much difference between the two different styles of platform but that could be because I am so blissed out when I play OR I need to revisit the Switch. Either way, I find it a very relaxing game to pass the time and soothing for the spawnlings when they need a distraction (like blood tests). Also, I love supporting our indie developers: Witchbeam is a small indie studio based in Brisbane, Australia. The next upcoming game is Tempopo, which was exhibited at PAX Aus 2022.
Categories: video games
Evil Genius Mum
Evil Genius Mum
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