Unpacking: The Story Explained

Unpacking is a lo fi Australian puzzle game that tells the story of our character through the items she unpacks at various stages of her life.

It is available through Steam and is currently on Xbox Game Pass.

All gameplay shown was captured by me on Xbox.

[charlenemichelle]

I also think that her back issues could've been because of a rock climbing incident, because you stop unpacking her rock climbing shoes and chalk.

[hollymaha]

the main character in this game is a disabled lgbt jewish woman and they also make sure to note that her partner at the end is asian with her rice cooker, dumpling steamers and what appears to be traditional red and gold chinese items in their room, and her friend form uni is a muslim woman. so much hidden representation in such a beautiful and emotional game.

[MichellaneousMe]

A simple thing I enjoyed seeing was how many baby chicks the mother hen was going to have. It was a cute little detail I looked forward to in every move

[wanderingsoul]

One little detail that I loved about the game is that our character starts out packing really haphazardly. Some things needing to be brought into another room after being unpacked. But the way her girlfriend packs is neat and efficient. When they move in together in the new house, our character's boxes are a lot less chaotic, probably due to her girlfriend's either influence, or supervision lmao

[NaruCale]

I honestly think that the reason why there were no recent family picture was because MC's parents are against their current relationship, and MC kept the picture in hopes that they will be accepted by the family someday.

[Sunflowers]

I totally missed that the main character was sick/disabled. I thought the heating pad was for periods and the pills were birth control/allergy meds. The cane...don't ask how that one went over my head lol.

[petrapalovcikova]

I noticed that everytime the main character moved, the number of chick plushies increased and at the end they were 10 or something. super adorable <3

[havianhnguyen]

Seeing the comments about the girlfriend, i actually think she's Thai. There're Thailand temple, elephant souvenirs, the tiger toy, her collection of spices (with fish sauce), the snake statue and some incense sticks.

[rotgutz]

i always felt like they used the radios to talk to eachother and the little note pad and pen was for a dream journal! i love how everyone interprets this game

[vlanjos]

i hope theyll have more stories in the future, this game was surprisingly therepeutic but it was so short

[LUckygem]

I spent so long trying to find room for my diploma in the boyfriends apartment, the guy has got 4 dam posters!!!! Who knew a organization game could make me feel so much emotion, it actually hurt my heart when the little star came up as I placed it under the bed 😭 oof

[Gogoglovitch]

The baby hasn't been born yet as of the unpacking of the final house -- if you finish the unpacking in the nursery, the caption will indicate that she and her partner are 'looking forward to meeting' the baby. We can be sure that it's one or the other of them having the baby (rather than, say, adopting) by the baby books, one of which is clearly 'What to Expect When You're Expecting, ' which is all about the effects of pregnancy and how to cope with them.

The miniatures and a painting in the roommate apartment indicate the characters she and her roommates have in their RPG campaign, including the protagonist's bard and a beetle-riding warrior. The Muslim roommate's archer also has a headscarf. One of the roommates (probably the man, given his beetle-riding character) is evidently raising a stick insect at the time she moves in, and by the time she moves into her boyfriend's place, she has a beetle of her own. This survives to her return to her family home, but by the time she has her own apartment, it is gone and she has a painting of a beetle with a halo over it, indicating it has probably died by then. The Muslim roommate appears to be a cosplayer, given the incomplete Sailor Venus costume on a dress form in the living room, and the dummy heads elsewhere, one of which has a wig.

The protagonist's girlfriend appears to have a passion for gardening, bringing a selection of tabletop houseplants (mostly succulents) with her, along with some potting soil and other gardening tools. She also has an award of some sort of her own, so she's accomplished in her own right.

[malekelsady]

all i could think while playing is "wow she really put a kitchen knife, two bras, a potted plant with soil, and a poster in the same box?!?!" like she does not know how to pack at all. there should be a sequel called packing where we teach her how to do that lol

[emzyscorner]

another detail i really liked is the fact that the pig stuffed animal gets a tear in it as soon as the main character gets with her boyfriend. she's not happy with him and it's a sign she's not. she moves back to her parents house, now heartbroken and even the caption "this room used to seem bigger" tells us she was unhappy. the pig still has a tear. when she moves to her own place, she meets the girlfriend and the big is now stiched up. i thought that was a super sweet detail!

[alixxoxo]

i find it such an amazing detail how when the mc moved in with her boyfriend, she was sticking out like a sore thumb and didn't have her own space, but when her girlfriend moved in, it was like they understood each other on a deeper level, and both of them had the space they needed. i just thought it was a nice indication of the signs of a forever partner

[saturnsings]

i really think it would be amazing if they’d add the story from the other woman who she ends up with. i finished the game and got pretty bummed because i really wanna see more & play more.

[hannahomp]

The game manages to accomplish a pretty complex story in such a simple way. Her art and characters for her book going back for years as she developed them, her gaining new interests from her roommates (ie the stag beetle she has afterwards), the progression of her medical issues shown through the medication, cane, and brace. You can see her being proud of her Jewish culture as a child, having it hidden away for a few years, and then being reembraced when she moves in on her own. And the simple yet emotional design of the boyfriend’s apartment, you as the player genuinely struggling to find space for your items, her colorful and fun possessions clashing with his very sleek and simple apartment, her having no room for her art supplies and having to work at the kitchen or couch for her art, and the sadness you feel when you realize the ONLY place you can fit your diploma is hidden away under the bed or in the closet. It hits so many points so well and in such a gorgeous and simple manner, genuinely one of my favorite games to date.

[Sierra]

With the medication and walking stick suddenly I honestly thought the route the game was gonna take was to unpack for the last time in a hospital room or something

[XXImTheNewCancerXX]

I love all the tiny details the game provides, but the sinking feeling I got in my chest when I realized there was NOWHERE to put the diploma other than to stuff it under the bed in the boyfriend's apartment. And as someone who keeps my collection of canes in the umbrella stand, I initially put her cane there as a sort of 'haha, me' moment, and considering how persnickety the game can be about where some things are or aren't allowed to go, I had the most unattractive laugh when it turned out the umbrella stand was, in fact, where the cane was supposed to go.

I agree with what a couple other people have said about her getting hurt while rock climbing. The game makes it pretty clear that when she finds a hobby, she takes it with both hands and holds onto it, so for her to have what seems to be a back injury and for rock climbing to be the only hobby to conspicuously disappear seems like too big of a coincidence.

[jade.meowspector]

One thing I noticed is that she took an interest in baking (measuring cups) once she moved with her first boyfriend and she kept expanding on it through the years (by adding more and more baking tools like cookie cutters).
Also, she keeps her ex's dishrag until 2015, getting rid of it in 2018. Good riddance!