Creativity is one major component to making sure a game stands out amongst the rest that copy and paste accepted formulas as often as possible. Double Fine doesn’t seem to have an issue avoiding the imitators as its games tend to be filled with characters and worlds unfamiliar to all gamers. Many should have no problem recalling the unique styles of Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. The team is doing what they do best once again and have brought us Stacking. This adventure/puzzle game revolves around a world of living Russian nesting dolls. Just like their real life counterparts these dolls come in a variety of sizes each containing highly detailed characteristics. This refreshing concept comes to life through the journey of Stacking’s smallest inhabitant.
Charlie Blackmore is not only the smallest doll in his universe, but he is the youngest within the Blackmore family. After the family falls into debt after the father’s disappearance, they are visited by the Baron’s men and each child is taken away to be used for labor. Everyone except Charlie that is. From here Charlie ventures out to sway the decisions of the adult world and stop the Baron’s evil plans in order to reunite his family. Will creating a unique setting and cast of characters be enough to make this game as memorable as Double Fine’s previous works?
HOT
Visuals
Double Fine couldn’t have chosen a better background for its nesting dolls. Each level is well crafted and filled with trains, race tracks, ships, and so on. All of these are filled to the brim with bustling dolls going about their business. What makes each new area memorable are the variety of items filling them. These Russian nesting dolls are not big and for this reason the developers have scaled the world around them to match appropriately. In the train area you’ll notice that the luggage scattered about are matchboxes. Later on, once you’ve reached the race track there are golf balls accenting the outside rim of the track. These may be small characteristics of the game, but they sure do add a whole lot of personality to the engaging environments.
Another visually pleasing aspect of the game comes out during the cutscenes. Each one is portrayed on a crudely laid out stage much like a diorama. From here all dialogue and interaction is done through the forgotten style of the silent films. Characters’ mid-sections flop apart and after they’ve finished moving the screen changes to the text to tell what has been said. All of this is done through effects of rolling film with grainy filters.
Puzzles
At the heart of Stacking are the puzzles which are solved by, you guessed it, Stacking! Being the smallest Russian doll has its advantages. The other dolls occupying each level are hollow shells for you to control so that you may progress. For example, in the opening level you are tasked with rounding up important members to talk to those that are on strike so that you may use the train. The only problem is that the 3 dolls you need to stack into are in a private room behind a closed door which is watched by a guard. Pop Charlie into a blonde doll walking nearby and seduce the guard. Once his attention has been grabbed you can use the keymaster you gained earlier to open the door and go into the recently exclusive room to obtain your 3 dolls. Problem solved! The great thing about Stacking is that each problem has more than one solution and you’ll be rewarded for finding them all. The unique dolls you collect will be added to your hideout courtesy of the friendly hobo, Levi, and the puzzle pieces will be completed for each puzzle solved in every possible way. It adds a lot of depth to the game as it challenges the player to get extremely creative in finding ways to lure specific characters out of unreachable areas or just getting them to move out of the way.
Hi-Jinks
The dolls have uses beyond problem solving. Each type of doll has a unique ability tailored specifically to that doll’s style. A larger boxer character uses the action “A Proper Uppercut” while a beer-bellied balding man in a wife beater can fart on command. These abilities can be used in each level for what the game calls Hi-Jinks. This is mainly a fun distraction for those that wish to take a break and explore. Farting on so many different people in a certain level may be part of the challenge which can be done relatively easily. The execution of the Hi-Jinks are very entertaining, but it is within the discovery of the character that can complete them that makes it addicting. Early on a unique doll was modeled after a judge and could “Deliver Justice”. This led to the discovery of the Hi-Jinks “Rule of Law” which required that the player perform this action on 5 dolls. It is easy to become side tracked with this feature as you scour the areas for more dolls to annoy everyone with as their dialogue and reactions are priceless.
NOT
Length
Stacking has a lot to offer in the puzzle department, but not much can be said about the story. The game can be completed in a couple hours easily. Now that is assuming that you didn’t go out of your way to find all the solutions to each puzzle. Or that you left the Hi-Jinks lists mostly empty. The game only requires that one solution be found per problem in order to proceed through Charlie’s story. Hi-Jinks aren’t even required at all and are, at most, short side quests to dabble in for fun. So if you are one to get every ounce out of your game this won’t be an issue, but the more story-focused players will find themselves completing the game not too long after starting it up.
Verdict
Double Fine has, once again, crafted a unique title that is sure to sit proudly in their portfolio of creative games. Stacking brings the world of Russian nesting dolls to life through their diverse and detailed characteristics. Each environment contains major set pieces which, most of the time, are small things laying around our houses in real life. Combine this breathtaking world with the perfectly executed puzzles that will have you racking your brain for the final solution and the hilarious Hi-Jinks options and you have a game that will be sure to please any gamer. The only cautionary advice there is to give is to those who tend to plow through story modes without much exploration because you might find yourself watching the credits sooner than expected. But who could resist everything the game has to offer you anyways?
[Editor’s Note: Stacking was reviewed on the Xbox 360 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
