The childhood bedroom level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPhoto mode brings even more personalization to the game with tons of gradients, borders and stickers to decorate and show off your layout. Stickers are unlocked as you progress through the game. Some have hidden requirements—try placing items next to each other and see what happens! I’m a firm believer in photo modes: add them to your games!<\/span><\/p>\nThe sound design is wonderful and snappy. Placing on different surfaces makes a fitting noise for the material. For example, putting a plate on a table VS stacking it on other plates. Stacked items can be moved as one unit. Posters are either rolled up or displayed on the walls. Clothing can be either folded and put into drawers or placed on hangers. Don’t forget to close the drawers before closing the closet door—or else it will get stuck! I laughed the first time this happened. It’s cool seeing how the objects interact with each other when the general idea is that pixel-art games are “flat”. You can even put items under your pillow! I placed an MP3 player there because that\u2019s what I did when I was younger. It’s very nostalgic and comforting. The character must be around my age (early 30s) because the times match up to things from when I was a teen. It really brought back a lot of memories.<\/span><\/p>\nOur belongings tell a story. What items the unseen protagonist takes with her to college clearly have sentimental value. Plushies that have followed her through the many moves now have wear-and-tear, and a budding collection of world landmarks (The Tower of Pisa, Dutch windmill) has grown to need its own shelf. There is a story here, told through the environment and objects. I don\u2019t want to spoil anything but I found this really engaging with very little dialogue. A sentence here and thereafter a level completes is about all you get. But you can tell what\u2019s happening in her life, and filling in the blanks and coming up with details while you sort through boxes is rewarding. Games don’t need to\u00a0tell<\/em> you what’s happening for you to pick up the narrative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAn example of photo mode with stickers and effects<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe video games and toys fit the year of each level. 1997 has virtual pets, a GameBoy and Rubix cube. The early 2000s have a suspiciously cube-shaped console and if you look closely you might recognize some of the box art! The level of detail in these tiny pixelated rooms is incredible. Don\u2019t forget to zoom in and out to check every inch. Since I played the Nintendo Switch version, using the touchscreen was also an option. Tapping an item lets you spin it and the menu icons are all easy to use with a finger or stylus.<\/span><\/p>\nMany times I decided \u201coh, actually that works better over here!\u201d and moved everything around. Toothbrushes on the counter? What about placed in a cup? Should I set the table or put all the dishes away? How will I organize my bookshelf? These little choices are fun and make your playthrough unique. You could redo a level and have a completely different layout if you want! I will definitely be replaying and trying things out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor accessibility options, the font size can be increased, the item highlight colour can be changed (default is red) and you can \u201cAllow Items Anywhere\u201d if that fits your style more.<\/span><\/p>\nThis is a deeply relaxing game. Like a bowl of warm soup or a pair of fuzzy socks, it just makes you feel happy. If you need to unwind at the end of the day, why not try Unpacking<\/em> some boxes. I promise it’s not as boring as it sounds.<\/p>\nUnpacking is now available on PC (Steam and the Humble Store), Nintendo Switch, & Xbox One.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nA Nintendo Switch key of Unpacking was provided for review purposes.<\/span><\/i> \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I admit freely Unpacking has been my most anticipated game of the year. The cozy, chill vibes of the trailer hooked me instantly, and when the demo was available on Steam I played through it several times. So when Humble Games reached out to me with a key I was ecstatic. Made by Australian developer […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":230164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5300],"tags":[3754,5298,97,5311],"yoast_head":"\nUnpacking Makes Tedium Comforting | 25YL<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n