Stacking

I'm not usually a puzzle gamer, but this tiny gem won my heart. It's pretty, it runs on a potato, it has a unique mechanic, and it's FUN! It is also completely appropriate for younger players (or older gamers who want a break from dystopias, graphic violence, and zombies). Let me get the negatives out of the way. Cons: -It's short. About four hours for a normal playthrough, maybe double that for a completionist. -It's designed for a controller. If you are a K+M purist, you'll hate it. The keyboard controls suck. -No voice acting. This is a big disappointment since Double Fine games usually have excellent voicing. -It's easy. Like...REALLY easy. Even for a non-puzzler like me, the first solution is usually blazingly obvious. The three-tier hint system means you've basically got a walkthrough at your side if you choose to abuse it. Now the goods: +Unique. I've never seen a basic game mechanic like this, and it works brilliantly. +Charm. I'm an old fart who doesn't like cute. Most JRPG's creep me out. This one hooked me quick and hard. The animation, the writing, the dark but not doomy storyline. This made me feel good while I played. +Graphics. This will run on a potato, but still looks gorgeous and runs smooth. When you consider that ever character is an inanimate version of a Russian doll, the variety and liveliness +Writing. While I'm disappointed this wasn't voiced, the writing is up to snuff. I found myself laughing out loud, getting a little weepy, and pondering some big questions. +Multiple solutions (that make sense). Do you want to get that guard away from the door by slapping him, seducing him with a sex doll, or farting into an air vent to drive him away? Just delightful paths to the solution. +Sound. No voicing, but sound and music are beautiful and immersive. +Non-violence. I have no problem with violent or sexy games. But sometimes it's really nice to play a game where the most extreme act is a slap or a fart. A small delight, worth your coin.

I really liked stacking's old-fashioned vibes and charm. The puzzles themselves are decent and probably not always that fun, but it has a nice hints system that allows you to continue the game and keep the immersion. The game is a bit childish and I liked it for that reason. However, its not a 5/5 groundbreaking game, so go in with that expectations - the puzzles might get repetitive, story is ok and might not be fun for everyone. I personally loved the no voice acting with text on screen movie style presentation. I definitely did not regret getting this game.

Probably the best game Double Fine has made since they made Brütal Legend That, unfortunately, is not that high of a bar. This however, is an excellent puzzle game, full of atmosphere and victorian ambience. Just remember, it's a middle tier game so curb your expectations.

Fun short creative puzzle game .

Game is fun with plenty of funny puzzles. Only two gripes were that it doesn't play nice with my controller (either mostly working but lacking ability to control camera and tab to other menus in the pause screen, or all of the controller's inputs are read at once constantly, without any actually being pressed) and the achievements are entirely missing even though the menu option for them. Looking past those, I very much recommend checking it out!