In a 1930s inspired world full of Russian stacking dolls, it is your duty to stop an evil baron from enslaving all of your fellow children. That is the premise of Double Fine's latest game, Stacking, which is available on both XBOX Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. However, there is a lot more to it than that. Players control Charlie Blackmore, a pint-sized boy and the youngest of the Blackmore family, who are all chimney sweepers by trade. When your father goes missing after leaving for a new job and your brothers and sisters are taken away as debt repayment, ending up in the child workforce in very dangerous and dirty positions, it is your responsibility to set out into the world to save them and put an end to child slavery once and for all.
What sets this game apart from its peers is its unique gameplay mechanics, which primarily involve stacking into other dolls, in order to use their unique abilities or to conceal your identity from guards. Each area you visit (whether it's the game's main hub, which is an old-fashioned train station or one of its other four levels,) is filled with tons of different types of dolls, each with their own abilities. These abilities are very diverse and some examples include a doll with key on its head that can be used to open locks, bird dolls that can fly to their nests to help solve puzzles, as well as dolls who have comic abilities such as terrible flatulence. It is Charlie's job to use these fellow dolls to solve puzzles and complete tasks, in order to save his brothers and sisters. But there is also the opportunity to use some of the comical abilities to cause mischief, which is pretty fun in itself.
If I was to lump Stacking into one genre, I would describe it as being a puzzle game. However, it has some action elements as well, which mainly come to fruition when you use some of the unique abilities that some of the dolls possess. As I mentioned prior, the core gameplay mechanics force you to utilize said abilities to help you complete tasks and puzzles that help you progress towards your goal of saving your family and stopping child labor.
Each level has its own different puzzles you must complete - each having three or more different solutions available. A good example of this is a section where you have to save one of your family members from a large guard. This can be done a few different ways, including combining a doll dressed as a fireman (complete with a water pump) and a doll with frigid breath to freeze him, or by making him sick as a result of feeding him rotten food. The game allows players to utilize their creativity in an attempt to find fun ways to solve the dilemmas and puzzles presented as you progress through the 5 level campaign. However, if you focus solely on these challenges then the game will be somewhat brief (between 3-4 hours or so.)
In addition to the story challenges/dilemmas, there are a lot of side challenges available within each level. Players are provided with a bullet point list of different hijinx that they can get up to, allowing for experimentation and creativity, due to the fact that the dolls required are never listed. Causing chaos by slapping different dolls or delivering justice upon various dolls with a judge and his gavel can be quite amusing, but I found that searching for each level's unique dolls was the most interesting side quest available.
Hidden throughout each area are over 20 different unique dolls to find. Some factor into the storyline and quests, but others require a lot of searching and work to find. I was able to find most of them without much of an issue, but there are a few that are still eluding me. I'm determined to find them all. Searching for all of these dolls adds a lot of length to the experience, and allows you to take a break from the main storyline whenever need be.
Charlie is controlled with the left joystick, while the right joystick controls the camera. He can stack into different dolls with ease, allowing for a very simple control scheme that works quite well. By pressing the Y button, players can stack into a doll one size larger than the one they're in, so long as they approach the doll from the back. It is also very easy to de-stack from dolls, just by pressing B at any time. A blue hue will surround a doll that you can stack into, when you're in range. As you make your way through the campaign, larger dolls become available to be stacked into. Sometimes they will help you complete tasks, but they also usually add into the unique dolls total. So, this forces players to revisit previous levels, where larger dolls also show up. Each different doll's abilities are available through the use of the A button and the right shoulder button will bring up a blue trail that will lead you to your next objective.
Tim Schafer and his team at Double Fine did a very good job with the presentation. From the menus to the early 1900s styling, the game looks and sounds very good. The menu system is easy enough to navigate, allowing for players to cycle between different menus (including one for tips, a menu showing unique dolls collected and a hijinx list,) with ease, just by pressing the shoulder buttons. The thing that impressed me the most about the menus, however, was the main menu, which features stacking dolls that stack from left to right as you move the cursor through the different options. That was a really nice touch, and it really sets you up for what the game will deliver right from the start. Additionally, a homeless man that Charlie befriends at the beginning of the game creates murals of the locations you've visited, as well as replicas of all of the unique dolls you've found in a train station storage room. This allows you to visit them to easily see what you found and try to figure out what you're missing.
Visually, Stacking is a game that stands out from anything else I've played. Since its stars are little Russian stacking dolls, it's not hard to imagine that it looks different from just about any other game out there, which it does. Its visuals are colourful, well-detailed and very polished, allowing for it to pop in high-definition. Each different size of doll provides a subtle change in movement (waddling,) and movement speed, so that allows for a change in animation each time you switch to a new doll. There aren't a lot of diverse character animations within, other than the odd ability, but Double Fine did a good job animating the dolls and their world. The dolls look like the Russian stacking dolls you would find a child playing with in real life, and they move around in a manner that makes it look natural. The animations can be quite comical at times, especially during the cutscenes which take place on a theatre stage and are animated with digital noise and reel edges, making them look like old film being played on a projector.
Instead of going with voice acting, the developers decided to stay true to the game's early 1900s era, by giving the game's cutscenes and dialogue the silent film treatment. Because of this, the game features no voice work whatsoever. Although it does have a well-done original score that fits the time period well. Additionally, most dolls have their own unique sound effects, which sound great and really add to the game's charm and immersion. The writing is well-done and the main characters are fleshed out pretty well.
The game runs quite well, although I did notice an occasional hiccup when I would move the camera quickly, especially when I was using a larger doll. However this issue didn't affect the gameplay much at all. In general, the game is quite well-made, but the camera isn't perfect. Luckily, you can control it freely using the right joystick. I also encountered a glitch where I fell through a railing at one point.
Additionally the challenges can sometimes be obscure, allowing for some trial and error, but the hint system helps quite a bit. You can get hints by pressing X while having the specific task highlighted in the objectives menu, but you must wait approximately thirty seconds before getting a new hint. There are three hints per puzzle. Other than that, the only other relatively large issue is that there just isn't a lot of variety to the gameplay. Though, considering how unique the experience is in many ways, I found that relatively easy to overlook.
Overall, I enjoyed Stacking quite a bit. It's a well-made game that is different from almost every other gaming experience I've had in the past, and it provided a nice change. In addition to being creative and featuring a colourful cast of characters, it is also very stylish, elegant and well-made. Not to mention the fact that it's easy to jump into for gamers of any age group, providing great appeal to younger gamers who will enjoy being able to play with the dolls and their abilities, as well as core gamers and older adults. It's a game that the whole family can enjoy. Despite some minor issues and a brief campaign, Stacking is definitely worth checking out, especially considering how charming and creative the experience it offers is.
Rating: 8/10
Stacking was released this week for both XBOX Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. It is 1200 Microsoft Points or $15. It is free (for a limited time) for PlayStation Plus members.
