Unpacking

What this game does, it does perfectly. First of all graphics and sound design are spot on, thoroughly enjoyable and give life to a game that could have been bland. But instead it is colorful, calm, and full of nostalgia. The game leads you through the coming of age story of a female protagonist told through the items she takes with her when she moves from one place to another. It touches upon elements like trying to fit your life (and belongings) into another person's place. Finding your place professionally. Finding love. Or not. Hanging on to things from your childhood. Discovering new interests as you grow as a person. Additionally there are some funny achievements you can unlock by placing or interacting with items. It took me five hours to finish the game and I got all but 4 of the achievements. For me the game ended after exactly the right amount of time when emotions were still high and before the game play could become tedious. And then it rewarded me with a song. A surprisingly emotional journey. More an experience than a game.

This game tells a cute story about a person's journey through life with a mix of joyful and sad emotions without making you read any text. It's not overly complex, but still manages to make you feel for the game's unseen protagonist in a totally relatable manner, and even throws a few surprises at you! In terms of gameplay, the game is exactly like you can see in the videos. You're moving from one house to another. You have boxes of stuff. The stuff must go somewhere in the house. That's it! But there's an awesome attention to detail and you can tell this game was made with love. It's really in the little things, like finding items in your boxes that you've been carrying through the years, or finding new items you didn't have in the previous house but go with items you were already familiar with. Unfortunately it's all over too soon, it's quite a short game for $20. When I was selecting an "album" at the start, I thought maybe the three albums would be different "campaigns" but in the end they're only save slots. So that was disappointing for $20, especially as I'd been anticipating this game for over a year ever since I saw a gif of it somewhere (I forget how I came across it but I was instantly enthused). Of course you can replay the game endlessly, there are "achievements" in the form of stickers that you get when you do certain things, some people will enjoy figuring out how to get all the stickers, but it's not for me. So having finished every "level", I'm probably not going to replay the game. But it was great while it lasted!

I played less than a half-hour before asking for a refund. I wanted a very simple, relaxing game and I liked the concept. Unfortunately, when you are done putting things away, you are told that you have put things in the wrong place. I want the freedom to put things that make sense to me. It is logical to me to put the pajamas next to the bed. I agree with the person who said that toothbrushes shouldn't be next to the toilet. For me, being corrected in putting things away and arranging in my home is stressful instead of relaxing. In the time that I played, I did not encounter any program problems and the visual was appealing.

This game is so wonderful and cute, telling the story of someone's life through the evolving nature of their possessions. It is relatable, cute, and really well made. My only caveat is that the relative lack of content for a 20$ game might turn some people off. There are 8 relatively short levels, and that's neither here nor there but if that doesn't appeal to you then maybe wait for a sale if you're otherwise interested. I personally played it on gamepass and probably wouldn't have played it otherwise. However, if you're the kind of person that loves building dioramas and playing around with photo-modes there is certainly more than enough on offer here. Overall a well made, polished game that I seriously recommend to any who enjoy cuter, more chill, story-based indie games.