Stacking
Game Review | January 5, 2012 3:58 pm
By Brandon
Stacking is a puzzle based game that takes place in a 1920's Industrial-era world populated by Russian dolls. You play as Charlie Blackmore, the youngest of a large family of chimney-sweeps, set out to rescue your family from the evil "Baron" who uses them for free labor.
Stacking is not your average puzzle based game. Through Charlies adventure you have to solve puzzles by simply stacking into other dolls and use their abilities to pass any obstacles in your way. Each doll has a unique ability that may range from fixing mechanical objects to farting potpourri! I once found myself side tracked from a puzzle just to throw some uppercuts on other dolls for a quirky reaction. The cutscenes are just as fun to watch as the game is to play. The story is told entirely like a silent movie, complete with a dramatic piano playing in the background and title cards for dialogue.
Stacking consists of four major areas to explore, each with a few puzzles to solve. Each puzzle has at least three different solutions, some even six. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, the puzzles become a bit less varied in number of solutions and usually stick to the minimum of three. If at any time you find yourself helpless in solving a puzzle, the game offers a hint system that disappointingly doesn't penalize you. Each area also has "Hi-Jinks" to complete, where you take a specific doll and use its ability several times on other specific dolls for a humorous outcome. Once you complete the Hi-Jink for a doll, the game rewards you with some type of "bling" for your doll.
Stacking itself is a short game and only took me about three hours to beat. Take four levels of puzzles each with several ways to finish them, "Hi-Jinks" on each level, and finding all the unique dolls on each level and stack all that together, then the game has some replay value.
Stacking is right up there in my top arcade games of all time. With its unique visuals and gameplay added with tons of humor, its hard not to enjoy it. If you think puzzle based games these days are brain-dead, try Stacking, it will change your mind.
For all you achievement junkies, the game is a pretty easy completion. All achievements are for finishing the level, finding all solutions to the puzzles, finding all unique dolls, and completing all Hi-Jinks. If you want the full completion you'll have to pony up 400msp for the Lost Hobo King DLC which adds four achievements under the same categories.
(Source: Irish!)
Rating: 9.0 of 10
Reviewed: Stacking
Keywords: stacking review, stack it to me baby
