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The emotional hit indie game Unpacking will finally be making its Sony debut on May 10, 2022.
Announcing the release date in a new PS Blog (opens in new tab), artist and programmer Tim Dawson talked about the real-life origins behind some of the game’s most cherished in-game items, including the alarm clock, a dragon plush toy, color pencils, climbing shoes and chalk bag, and a desktop PC with a CRT monitor.
“The items are personal to our main character, and let you learn about her and watch her develop over the course of the game,” Dawson explained.
“The items often have a personal connection to you, the player, as you encounter things that remind you of your own life or those people you know. And the items are personal to us, the developers, because part of making this game involved drawing on our own experiences and finding ways to add small details where we could.”
Kicking off in 1997, Unpacking takes the main character through time, so players can “journey to the distant past where people still used cathode ray monitors without being a retro game enthusiast, and bought and used cool mouse mats”.
I remember those days well myself, but many younger players seemingly didn’t recognize the Nintendo GameCube (opens in new tab)-type console in the game when it first released and struggled to know where they should place it in the home.
Have you tried Unpacking (opens in new tab) yet? “There are lots of little touches and details to appreciate in Unpacking,” Heather wrote in her feature. “Sometimes, for example, you’ll come across something in a box that belongs in another room entirely, like finding a kettle in the boxes for the bathroom.
“With all of the stresses that come with moving and trying to get everything together, I’ve lost count of the number of times over the years that I’ve just chucked any old thing in a box just to get everything ready in time for the moving day. Thanks to the way it delivers such an effective narrative experience through its detailed objects and puzzles, WitchBeam’s wonderful indie will stay on my mind for a long time to come.”
Have you tried the relaxing rhythm of organizing possessions in Unpacking? (opens in new tab) – read our coverage of the indie hit to find out if it’s worth your time.
