PC Gamer - UK (2022-01)

W

hy am I struggling to
keep my eyes dry over
a missing mug? After
several levels of
Unpacking, I had
become accustomed to seeing this
tiny, pixelated little item hop from
house to house. First, it was a
reliable holder of coffee and then of
toothbrushes, when a chip became
visible. But in one move, it vanishes.
Thanks to this puzzler’s subtle
storytelling, I care more about this
little cup’s disappearance than I do
about most of the characters I’ve
played this year.

Unpacking is an apt title on multiple
levels. While the game is primarily
focused on you rummaging through
cardboard boxes and finding homes
for the various items, trinkets, and
accoutrement the main character has,
it also describes the way you piece
together the story as you play
through, each finished level
becoming a photo in an album.
While the calming, Tetris-esque
loop of making order out of chaos
appears to be the main attraction, it

becomes clear that the game’s real

aim is to let us see a life unfurl in

front of our eyes, the main character’s

story told through the items she takes

with her, how they change, and how

they fit (or don’t) into the

environments she lives in.

The game’s first major storytelling

accomplishment is that those items

give us a sense of who she is without

any dialogue. For instance, we see

how a pig plushie has a gouge in one

level and is patched up the next. An

easy-to-miss moment, but one that

“One of the finest examples in recent

memory of showing instead of telling”

shows the endearing qualities of the

character I’m playing as. The places

are just as important as the items in

this regard. While the first childhood

bedroom you unpack brims with

possibility in the opening level, it’s

borderline unrecognisable when you

return halfway through.

SHOW TIME

The experience is one of the finest

examples in recent memory of

showing instead of telling. With no

dialogue, it allows you to lose yourself

within the story, giving you enough

time to create connections with the

items you store away and experience

the central character’s life through

your own eyes, rather than being

spoon fed what is happening.

Maybe that’s why that mug has

me blubbing. Watching it travel

between rooms and shared houses

over the years reminded me of the

items that I’ve carted across the

country. To see it vanish is the game’s

reminder that moving through life’s

different phases means the things we

love get left behind. But that doesn’t

mean the memories disappear.

UNPACKINGis hiding one of this year’s best stories

THE MAIN CHARACTER’S

STORY TOLD THROUGH THE

ITEMS SHE TAKES WITH HER

BEN TYRER

THIS MONTH

Put away virtual clothes instead

of real ones.

ALSO PLAYED

ForzaHorizon 5 , Marvel’s

Guardians of the Galaxy

EXTRA LIFE

NOW PLAYING (^) IUPDATE (^) IMOD SPOTLIGHT (^) IHOW TO (^) I DIARY (^) I WHY I LOVE (^) IREINSTALL (^) IMUST PLAY
Who knew a game
about moving house
could be relaxing?