Unpacking, the surprise hit puzzle game, is making its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 10.
Unpacking is a game about taking a person's belongings out of a box over a number of years as they move into a new space. Each unpacked item must be put into a space, where the player learns more about the protagonist's life. The game focuses on the small details, how certain items hold personal value to the main character.
Artist and programmer Tim Dawson explained in a PlayStation blog how the items in the game hold a very personal value to the developers, too. "Part of making this game involved drawing on our own experiences and finding ways to add small details where we could."
One example the dev talks about is the Climbing Shoes and Chalk Bag. "A while back a friend introduced me to bouldering, and I found indoor rock climbing really fun and interesting until I injured myself," he said. "Still, I thought it was a great hobby for the protagonist of Unpacking to have picked up while she was studying, and it lent itself to some distinctive itemsâclimbing shoes and the chalk bag."
Unpacking begins in 1997, meaning that not only do players get to experience the protagonist's journey over the years, but also relive a number of technological changes that they themselves might have gone through.
Unpacking was initially released for PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on November 2, 2021. Tomorrow, May 10, the game makes its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.