Unpacking (video game)
A wordless puzzle game about unpacking a life.
Unpacking is a puzzle video game released in 2021, created by the Australian independent studio Witch Beam and published by Humble Bundle. It earned generally favorable reviews and collected several accolades, including two BAFTA Games Awards, a D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game, and Eurogamer’s Game of the Year.
The gameplay is structured around stages labeled by years: 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. In each stage, the player unpacks a female character’s belongings from boxes into a new home, fitting each item into the living space. The story of the unseen, unnamed protagonist is told entirely through her possessions and the places she lives, without dialogue. Some items must be placed in specific spots to complete a stage. Across all dwellings, there are 8 levels and 13 rooms in total.
Witch Beam, founded in 2013 in Brisbane, Queensland, previously released the twin-stick shooter *Assault Android Cactus* in 2015. The idea for *Unpacking* came from Wren Brier when she moved in with her partner, Witch Beam co-director Tim Dawson, in early 2018. She realized that unpacking unlabeled boxes—not knowing what was inside—could become a video game. The two participated in Sweden’s Stugan games accelerator program, and full production began in early 2019. The game is mostly wordless, with the narrative conveyed through objects the player unpacks. Its sound design includes over 14,000 foley effects, with unique pickup and placement sounds for each item.
Witch Beam handled most of the game’s social media, but recruited Victoria Tran, community director of *Among Us*, to manage the Discord server and TikTok account. The team initially expected development to take about a year and a half, but it took twice as long. *Unpacking* launched on personal computers, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on 2 November 2021. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions followed on 10 May 2022. Physical editions, published by Limited Run Games, were available for preorder from 29 March to 1 May 2022. The game was ported to iOS and Android on 24 August 2023.
According to Metacritic, *Unpacking* received “generally favorable” reviews. Positive coverage came from Rock Paper Shotgun, GameSpot, Eurogamer, Nintendo Life, IGN, Kotaku, and TouchArcade. It sold over 100,000 copies across all platforms in its first ten days. GamesRadar+ praised
- developer
- Witch Beam
- publisher
- Humble Bundle
- release_date
- 2 November 2021
- genre
- Puzzle video game
- platforms
- Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- awards
- Two BAFTA Games Awards, D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game, Eurogamer Game of the Year
Lore & Background
Unpacking was developed by Witch Beam, an independent game studio based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, founded in 2013. The game was first conceptualised by Wren Brier when she moved in with her partner, Witch Beam co-director Tim Dawson, in early 2018. Brier found that unpacking unlabelled boxes, not knowing what is stored inside, was an experience that could be translated into a video game. The two participated in the Stugan games accelerator program in Sweden, and the game entered full production in early 2019. The team initially expected development to take about a year and a half, though actual production took twice as long.
Reader's Guide
Unpacking is divided into stages named by the years 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. In each stage, the player unpacks a female character's possessions from boxes into a new dwelling, learning her life story through her possessions and the places she lives. The game is mostly wordless, with narrative told through objects. Sound design includes over 14,000 foley effects. The game received generally favorable reviews and sold over 100,000 copies across all platforms in its first ten days. It won multiple awards and was named one of the best video games of 2021 by several publications. In January 2022, a clone called Unpacking Master was released on iOS and Android, which was criticized for copying mechanics and room layouts; Apple removed the app from the App Store, and the Google Play version was delisted by its publisher. In December 2024, Wren Brier reported numerous clones on the Nintendo eShop deceptively marketed as DLC for the original game.
Did You Know?
- Unpacking was developed by Witch Beam, an Australian studio that previously released the twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus in 2015.
- The game's sound design includes over 14,000 foley effects, with unique pick-up and placement sounds for each item.
- A clone called Unpacking Master was released in January 2022 and was removed from the App Store after backlash.
- The game won two BAFTA Games Awards and a D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game.
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