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Trailer Review - Unpacking

"Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home."

This is a great one sentence description of the game, and it translates wonderfully into this simple trailer which I find utterly captivating. The trailer does a great job of fulfilling the promise of this message, and it has good trailer structure even in its quiet simplicity. This is a great example of how a trailer can have a story arc without bombast, exposition or action scenes.

The trailer starts with the year 1997 drawing onto the screen. The pixel font clues us into the art style, and the the handwritten look and sound effect conveys a slice-of-life feel and tone. This is a good example of how much can be said with the choice of typeface and sound design! We haven't seen a single frame of game footage, and already we're part way into the world of this game.

According to the description on the store page, the game will span multiple time periods and rooms. I think it works to stay in one time for the announce, and maybe in a launch trailer show multiple to give a sense of scope.

According to the description on the store page, the game will span multiple time periods and rooms. I think it works to stay in one time for the announce, and maybe in a launch trailer show multiple to give a sense of scope.

The next shot is a bedroom with furniture and cardboard boxes. A mouse cursor clicks on a box, and pulls out some objects: a soccer ball, a backpack and a soccer trophy. Every click and placement has its own realistic sound; we can feel what it's like to remove objects and place them in the room. You can also rotate each object before placing it. 

From this one shot we already understand what the game is; it's unpacking stuff and finding a place for it to be. It also tells a subtle story based on the possessions being unpacked; this looks like the belongings of a young person who is still in school. The only small thing I would change is to not include the HUD/UI buttons on the top left and right, but in this game they're rather unobtrusive, so it's just a minor nitpick.

The transition to the next shot is nice and smooth because the mouse cursor has continuity across the cut to the next room. In the next room they unpack T-shirts which are placed in a closet, and when the empty box is clicked it disappears in a delightful animation with an airy puff sound. This box disappearing is such a low key power fantasy I might've put it into the first shot to really grab people, but here it serves as an "escalation" of sorts by showing something new in the second shot.

Why yes, I WOULD like to know more about this game where cardboard moving boxes magically disappear in a delightful puff of smoke.

Why yes, I WOULD like to know more about this game where cardboard moving boxes magically disappear in a delightful puff of smoke.

The pace of play in these shots is very well done; it's befitting of the message of a relaxing zen game. Each shot not only demonstrates the gameplay, but the sheer variety of ways you can arrange a room shows us the wide possibility space available to express ourselves as a person. Someone watching might not like how the trailer unpacks items and feel compelled to get the game to do it how they like (I know I certainly felt that impulse)

The chip tune music has a nice arc which is deceptively simple because it's not typical bombastic trailer music. The goal seems to lead us in gently, build up in the middle, and then slow down at the end to leave us feeling more relaxed. Sort of like breathing in deeply, holding it, and then letting it out slowly. 

After showing the bathroom, a kitchenette and kitchen the trailer comes back to the first two bedrooms which are just about finished. We see a much fuller picture of who their occupants are. When the last object is placed there's a star animation and sound effect indicating completion of the room. This tells us a room can be "finished" and we'll receive this minor reward when we do. I like this inclusion because I think there are some games in which there is no "ending" and for some people it might be unsatisfying to not know when something is "finished."

If there is some sort of end goal or win state, it's good to give a sense of what that looks like. That is, only if the game looks like it might not have an expected ending like in a game which ends when you defeat the final boss.

If there is some sort of end goal or win state, it's good to give a sense of what that looks like. That is, only if the game looks like it might not have an expected ending like in a game which ends when you defeat the final boss.

My last critique is there is no call to action on the end slate. I don't know if this game is available on Steam, Itch.io or some other page (here's the Steam link) or any other means of following the game. Other than this I think this is a great trailer.

A lot of what makes this great is the core design of the game which is something immediately familiar with a subtle and personal means of telling a story. The sound design does a phenomenal job of immersing me in the game, and helping me imagine myself playing it and receiving that audio feedback as I click and place objects into the scenes.

This trailer is very much chronological and tutorial-like. Not all games can sustain this sort of pace and presentation, but here it's appropriate and effective. Just because editing gives you the capability of changing the order of events and skipping forward and backward in time doesn't mean it's necessary or even good to do so. By just showing the game at its simplest, and giving a sense of the possibility space and end goals, it successfully sums up the game, but leaves me wanting more.

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