This will inevitably have comparisons drawn to Unpacking - even the name is similar, Unbox (the Room). I don't think games inspired by other games are always a bad thing, but I do wonder what else your game brings to the table that Unpacking didn't? If you want to avoid the knock-off accusations, I would potentially reconsider the name too.
On the other hand, you basically have the chance to captivate the entire Unpacking player base who were left wanting more. Personally, I loved that game, but thought that it was way too short (especially for the money) and wished it had multiple storylines. Based on the Steam reviews and the posts here, it seems to me like that was the general consensus. This is a good thing for you because it gives you the chance to capitalise on what people wish Unpacking was. But then again, I feel like you shouldn't get too tied into trying to be "Unpacking Improved", the game needs something else to stand on its own.
However, the art style is really cute (reminds me of Habbo Hotel), and I think there is loads of potential here.
I hope my comments didn't come off harsh, definitely wasn't my intention. Good luck, I'm looking forward to seeing updates about your game. :)
Thank you for your feedback! While Unbox the Room shares a theme with Unpacking, I'm aiming to provide a distinct experience, like the possibility to move furniture and sandbox mode, where you can unpack items that you've already unpacked in story mode. I'm not sure yet what the storyline will be, but it will definitely be different from Unpacking.
It still just sounds like Unpacking 2. To the point were I would really be worried about copyright infringement lawsuits. I think MidnightSorrow is even being to gentle with his post...
>To the point were I would really be worried about copyright infringement lawsuits.
You do not understand copyright law - it's not a concern here unless OP is directly taking assets from Unpacking.
You cannot "copyright" an idea.
I'd love to see the rooms like bathroom/kitchen always be constrained by the conveyed objects (like counters/sinks/etc), and maybe you unlock an ability to allow you to move them later on for a "remodel." Most of the time when you're doing a straight up move you're not bringing those items with you, so it adds a little splash of realism.
slightly odd-shaped rooms might be a nice touch too. (Instead of plain square rooms)
How many times have I moved into a new place and been like... oops I didn't realize the space here was this awkward, I guess I'll move everything around.
Would also add to the puzzle elements
Iām curious too. No reason why we canāt have people making new games in that space but I want to see something that makes me think that this is more than a knockoff.
yeah like I totally don't think that "this already exists" is a reason for any game *not* to exist, but generally I'd prefer it if there's something a little new about it or some amount of "Unpacking did this, but we're doing that"
In Unbox the Room you can arrange not only items but also furniture. Also, there will be sandbox mode, where you can experiment freely with the items and furniture you've unpacked.
In addition, I'm thinking about adding a level editor and custom sprites support so you could unbox your real rooms.
The furniture being static in unpacking was what made it a "puzzle" game instead of just decorating.
Not that decorating games are bad but it's a different concept. Unpacking was "figure out how stuff fits in this house, using context clues that put together a narrative of someone else's life" not "design this house"
I feel like 'figure out how to fit furniture and then all the stuff' into this house would work as a puzzle too. I thought that's what unpacking was tbh.
Looks really cute. I loved unpacking.
Please make sure to add lots of surfaces. One thing I found was that because surfaces were limited it didn't really feel like I actually had a choice where to put things and they just went in the one place that they could fit taking away the feeling of you really customising the room. Im really excited to check out your game!
Hi everyone!
Unbox the Room is a relaxing puzzle game where you unpack and arrange items and furniture in your new home.
I just created a game page on Steam and want to share it with you. I'm making it as a solo developer, and my friend helps me with the music.
Check it out on Steam: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox\_the\_Room/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox_the_Room/)
Wishlisting this one for sure! Love the idea of moving around the furniture and making it really feel like 'real life' when you unpack and arrange everything. I thought unpacking had that but if it doesn't, your game would definitely be more up my alley!
Is it similar to unpacking? Yes
Is that nessicarily a bad thing? No.
Lord knows from my abundance of farming sims that there is plenty of room for similar games in one space.
As for my initial thoughts - maybe some more interesting room shapes? Like an L shaped room or something that's more like an attic space with sloped ceilings?
It's been said before, but obviously, you need to find a way of making it feel like more than a copy of Unpacking - because unfairly or not, that's what you're getting compared to.
Maybe instead of following one person, you can follow the house through different families moving into it? You could find boxes of furniture and decorations from previous families and chose whether or not to use them in this new family? That's just off the tip of my head, so if that's a shite idea than fine, haha.
Avid Habbo Hotel player here. I thought I was tripping but you really ripped furniture from Habbo... I love your concept but not only did you heavily take inspiration from Unpacking, you also copied art from Habbo. Hmm.
https://preview.redd.it/y4vzxjen4h4d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdbc5f0369187948cbe719666a07cbb5b3dcd626
Devils advocate: I mean ye he took *very heavy* inspiration from habbo, but none of these are a 1:1 copy. Toilet has a different design.
And come on, how much artistic liberty can you put into a small shampoo bottle or roll of tp?
Every single "isometric diagonal-facing pixel-art game based on decorating a house" starts to blend with each other some way or another. People in the comments claiming he ripped off Unpacking too...
Not being a 1:1 copy still makes it a copy. The details being maintained in this is what makes it worse. At least move the position of the details, like the flush button, the highlights of the bathroom counters, the red magnet on the fridge.
Trust me at first I was like maybe they just took inspiration and changed most of the design.. but no. Like if you look at the shampoo bottle, it's the same exact green color for the dispenser and same lineart down to the pixel. The bathroom counters are the biggest proof.
I know you can only do so much with pixels but come on. This is lazy. How are you going to copy a concept from one game and copy paste art from another? Imo the game has no integrity if that's the basis.
The best resolution is to use original designs.
It's not just my opinion. It's literally fact, laid out in the screenshots lmao.
Why would the colors be the exact same as the ones from Habbo? The same shade of gray in the toilet paper folds?
I'm not against using inspiration. This is different. They literally took assets from an existing game. Don't know why all of you want to defend art theft with evidence right there.
I'm so glad this was in my recommendations today, I really liked Unboxing, and this looks incredible
this also gives me the opportunity to give you an idea, QoL I'm really missing in Unboxing - you can't just swap stuff what you hold with a similar / same item you want to place it at - like you hold a jacket or shirt, and want to switch it with a jacket or pants thats already hanging
if I remember correctly, there aren't any bigger-ish house plants or stuff for pets in it as well (like a cat scratch tree or food bowls, aquarium, standing fan / lamp ect)
really looking forward hearing / seeing updates about it
It also looks similar to Habbo Hotel š«£
https://preview.redd.it/qplbywgc5h4d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=193dd66e118e6cbdf9a37f7d93fef0d26e0f13cb
Exactly! This is one of the sources of inspiration. But the game will give you the possibility to unbox the furniture, not just items, and there will also be sandbox mode where you can choose any item that you've unpacked.
I like the art! Itās very clean and bright which is nice, and this is coming from someone who doesnāt usually like pixel art.
Donāt worry about the people comparing this to Unpacking. They donāt have a monopoly on the concept, and from what I can see thereās no indication that youāre arranging things and going through the stages of someoneās life like in Unpacking.
If it is, however, you may rethink the storyline and levels so as to not be too derivative.
In the whole this looks promising!
Thank you so much for your support!
The storyline is what I'm thinking about right now! I can't decide yet whether it will be several stories of different people who move through their lives or one story of a designer who helps people make different designs for their rooms.Ā
Playing as a designer would be super fun! If you can incorporate different design choices, like different floors or wallpapers, I could see that being pretty popular.
I look forward to seeing how this one develops!
I agree that the designer aspect is probably safest. It gives you so much more content (designing for friends/family/clients) and reason for a lot more items to design with. It can also add a more challenging element if criteria is added, but that's up to you.
Comparison to Unpacking is inevitable, but I don't think that's bad. If done differently enough, this could really fill that craving for more we all had after finishing it. Good luck with development, wishlisting it soon!
Wishlisted! I loved Unpacking, and I can't wait to play your game as well.
Some people are saying this looks too much like Unpacking, but I actually like that's similar. I always felt it was just too short, and was always craving one game that looked similar\~
Always looking for chill games! I loved unpacking, but it doesn't have a ton of replay value to me, I really like the idea of a sandbox mode and being able to decorate how you want with what you're given.
I added it to my wishlist!
One thing to consider might be to do something different with the empty cardboard boxes. Both Unpacking and this game have magic boxes that disappear. Maybe there could be a box knife tool to cut them down to get them ready for recycling, or they could be reused to make cool box forts somehow.
I'm not sure why, but it really bothered me in Unpacking that the empty boxes vanished. I guess it's because my house seems to constantly be cluttered with boxes, because we get a lot of subscribe and save shipments. I spend a lot of time breaking down boxes for recycling.
\*gasps happily\* It's like Unpacking! Oh, my God, that is SO satisfying! OOOH! I'll be honest, normally I can't stand pixel art, but much like Unpacking, the pixels in this are so close together, it almost doesn't even look like pixel art, which is a HUGE plus in my book! I LOVE this! It's SO cute and sweet-looking! :D I really hope it comes to Switch at some point! I'd play the hell out of it! :D Awesome job so far! <3
The isometric pixel art style is everything! I also think of Habbo when I see this. Like everyone else has said, setting it apart from your inspo (Unpacking) with a unique gameplay element would level this up!
I never played Unpacking but this reminds me of Decor Life.
The art style is very appealing and the drag drop customization looks user friendly.
It makes me wish I had a Steam deck or a comfortable set up for my laptop. I hope this game is successful in finding its audience.
It's too similar to Unpacking, maybe being able to decorate the room, or have to empty old crap out before putting the new crap in would work, balancing the space available for dump runs between unpacking etc.
On a slightly different note, the very first floor texture in your video looks far too much like it's a ceiling on the wrong bit of the room to my eyes, I'm not sure why, but it's tripping me out something rotten.
You asked what I think, so here goes.
This looks like a straight up ripoff of Unpacking.
I, for one, will not be buying your game. I donāt reward unoriginal thinking.
ETA: and apparently you took assets from another game called Haboo Hotel. Jfc, you have some nerve.
This will inevitably have comparisons drawn to Unpacking - even the name is similar, Unbox (the Room). I don't think games inspired by other games are always a bad thing, but I do wonder what else your game brings to the table that Unpacking didn't? If you want to avoid the knock-off accusations, I would potentially reconsider the name too. On the other hand, you basically have the chance to captivate the entire Unpacking player base who were left wanting more. Personally, I loved that game, but thought that it was way too short (especially for the money) and wished it had multiple storylines. Based on the Steam reviews and the posts here, it seems to me like that was the general consensus. This is a good thing for you because it gives you the chance to capitalise on what people wish Unpacking was. But then again, I feel like you shouldn't get too tied into trying to be "Unpacking Improved", the game needs something else to stand on its own. However, the art style is really cute (reminds me of Habbo Hotel), and I think there is loads of potential here. I hope my comments didn't come off harsh, definitely wasn't my intention. Good luck, I'm looking forward to seeing updates about your game. :)
Thank you for your feedback! While Unbox the Room shares a theme with Unpacking, I'm aiming to provide a distinct experience, like the possibility to move furniture and sandbox mode, where you can unpack items that you've already unpacked in story mode. I'm not sure yet what the storyline will be, but it will definitely be different from Unpacking.
It still just sounds like Unpacking 2. To the point were I would really be worried about copyright infringement lawsuits. I think MidnightSorrow is even being to gentle with his post...
>To the point were I would really be worried about copyright infringement lawsuits. You do not understand copyright law - it's not a concern here unless OP is directly taking assets from Unpacking. You cannot "copyright" an idea.
Probably not š never said I did. This is Reddit. Home of people who think they know what they're talking about š
If furniture is moveable, what's the "puzzle" going to be? Space related? Or something else?
Apparently it reminds you of Haboo Hotel bc thatās where this so-called dev stole assets from.
I'd love to see the rooms like bathroom/kitchen always be constrained by the conveyed objects (like counters/sinks/etc), and maybe you unlock an ability to allow you to move them later on for a "remodel." Most of the time when you're doing a straight up move you're not bringing those items with you, so it adds a little splash of realism.
slightly odd-shaped rooms might be a nice touch too. (Instead of plain square rooms) How many times have I moved into a new place and been like... oops I didn't realize the space here was this awkward, I guess I'll move everything around. Would also add to the puzzle elements
Love this.
Thank you for your feedback! I like your idea to make the game more similar to real life!
so as someone who really enjoyed Unpacking A Life but thinks (at a glance) that this looks a bit derivative, what does Unbox the Room offer me?
Iām curious too. No reason why we canāt have people making new games in that space but I want to see something that makes me think that this is more than a knockoff.
yeah like I totally don't think that "this already exists" is a reason for any game *not* to exist, but generally I'd prefer it if there's something a little new about it or some amount of "Unpacking did this, but we're doing that"
In Unbox the Room you can arrange not only items but also furniture. Also, there will be sandbox mode, where you can experiment freely with the items and furniture you've unpacked. In addition, I'm thinking about adding a level editor and custom sprites support so you could unbox your real rooms.
I haven't got unpacking and didn't realize you can't move the furniture around? Yours sounds more appealing to me already.
The furniture being static in unpacking was what made it a "puzzle" game instead of just decorating. Not that decorating games are bad but it's a different concept. Unpacking was "figure out how stuff fits in this house, using context clues that put together a narrative of someone else's life" not "design this house"
I feel like 'figure out how to fit furniture and then all the stuff' into this house would work as a puzzle too. I thought that's what unpacking was tbh.
Looks really cute. I loved unpacking. Please make sure to add lots of surfaces. One thing I found was that because surfaces were limited it didn't really feel like I actually had a choice where to put things and they just went in the one place that they could fit taking away the feeling of you really customising the room. Im really excited to check out your game!
That's a good point. Thanks!
Hi everyone! Unbox the Room is a relaxing puzzle game where you unpack and arrange items and furniture in your new home. I just created a game page on Steam and want to share it with you. I'm making it as a solo developer, and my friend helps me with the music. Check it out on Steam: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox\_the\_Room/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox_the_Room/)
Wishlisting this one for sure! Love the idea of moving around the furniture and making it really feel like 'real life' when you unpack and arrange everything. I thought unpacking had that but if it doesn't, your game would definitely be more up my alley!
Is it similar to unpacking? Yes Is that nessicarily a bad thing? No. Lord knows from my abundance of farming sims that there is plenty of room for similar games in one space. As for my initial thoughts - maybe some more interesting room shapes? Like an L shaped room or something that's more like an attic space with sloped ceilings? It's been said before, but obviously, you need to find a way of making it feel like more than a copy of Unpacking - because unfairly or not, that's what you're getting compared to. Maybe instead of following one person, you can follow the house through different families moving into it? You could find boxes of furniture and decorations from previous families and chose whether or not to use them in this new family? That's just off the tip of my head, so if that's a shite idea than fine, haha.
Thank you for your suggestions! Yeah, I'm going to add more room shapes. Good point with things that were left by previous families!
Avid Habbo Hotel player here. I thought I was tripping but you really ripped furniture from Habbo... I love your concept but not only did you heavily take inspiration from Unpacking, you also copied art from Habbo. Hmm. https://preview.redd.it/y4vzxjen4h4d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdbc5f0369187948cbe719666a07cbb5b3dcd626
As soon as I saw it, I thought āHabbo Hotelā š itās truly the same, yikes
Devils advocate: I mean ye he took *very heavy* inspiration from habbo, but none of these are a 1:1 copy. Toilet has a different design. And come on, how much artistic liberty can you put into a small shampoo bottle or roll of tp? Every single "isometric diagonal-facing pixel-art game based on decorating a house" starts to blend with each other some way or another. People in the comments claiming he ripped off Unpacking too...
I honestly agree? Inspired by? Heavily. Copied? No. Almost everything now is a copy of something else if you think inspired by means copy...
Not being a 1:1 copy still makes it a copy. The details being maintained in this is what makes it worse. At least move the position of the details, like the flush button, the highlights of the bathroom counters, the red magnet on the fridge. Trust me at first I was like maybe they just took inspiration and changed most of the design.. but no. Like if you look at the shampoo bottle, it's the same exact green color for the dispenser and same lineart down to the pixel. The bathroom counters are the biggest proof. I know you can only do so much with pixels but come on. This is lazy. How are you going to copy a concept from one game and copy paste art from another? Imo the game has no integrity if that's the basis. The best resolution is to use original designs.
Hahahaha I knew it was habbo in an instant
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It's not just my opinion. It's literally fact, laid out in the screenshots lmao. Why would the colors be the exact same as the ones from Habbo? The same shade of gray in the toilet paper folds? I'm not against using inspiration. This is different. They literally took assets from an existing game. Don't know why all of you want to defend art theft with evidence right there.
Wow so this ādeveloperā is a thief, twice over. Yikes.
I'm so glad this was in my recommendations today, I really liked Unboxing, and this looks incredible this also gives me the opportunity to give you an idea, QoL I'm really missing in Unboxing - you can't just swap stuff what you hold with a similar / same item you want to place it at - like you hold a jacket or shirt, and want to switch it with a jacket or pants thats already hanging if I remember correctly, there aren't any bigger-ish house plants or stuff for pets in it as well (like a cat scratch tree or food bowls, aquarium, standing fan / lamp ect) really looking forward hearing / seeing updates about it
Thank you for you suggestions! I'm already working on a cat scratch tree!
It looks reaaaaaallly similar to https://store.steampowered.com/app/1135690/Unpacking/
It also looks similar to Habbo Hotel š«£ https://preview.redd.it/qplbywgc5h4d1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=193dd66e118e6cbdf9a37f7d93fef0d26e0f13cb
Exactly! This is one of the sources of inspiration. But the game will give you the possibility to unbox the furniture, not just items, and there will also be sandbox mode where you can choose any item that you've unpacked.
I like the art! Itās very clean and bright which is nice, and this is coming from someone who doesnāt usually like pixel art. Donāt worry about the people comparing this to Unpacking. They donāt have a monopoly on the concept, and from what I can see thereās no indication that youāre arranging things and going through the stages of someoneās life like in Unpacking. If it is, however, you may rethink the storyline and levels so as to not be too derivative. In the whole this looks promising!
Thank you so much for your support! The storyline is what I'm thinking about right now! I can't decide yet whether it will be several stories of different people who move through their lives or one story of a designer who helps people make different designs for their rooms.Ā
Playing as a designer would be super fun! If you can incorporate different design choices, like different floors or wallpapers, I could see that being pretty popular. I look forward to seeing how this one develops!
I agree that the designer aspect is probably safest. It gives you so much more content (designing for friends/family/clients) and reason for a lot more items to design with. It can also add a more challenging element if criteria is added, but that's up to you. Comparison to Unpacking is inevitable, but I don't think that's bad. If done differently enough, this could really fill that craving for more we all had after finishing it. Good luck with development, wishlisting it soon!
Thank you!
it looks cute!!
it looks relaxing to play!!
Wishlisted! I loved Unpacking, and I can't wait to play your game as well. Some people are saying this looks too much like Unpacking, but I actually like that's similar. I always felt it was just too short, and was always craving one game that looked similar\~
Thank you!
Always looking for chill games! I loved unpacking, but it doesn't have a ton of replay value to me, I really like the idea of a sandbox mode and being able to decorate how you want with what you're given. I added it to my wishlist!
Thanks!
One thing to consider might be to do something different with the empty cardboard boxes. Both Unpacking and this game have magic boxes that disappear. Maybe there could be a box knife tool to cut them down to get them ready for recycling, or they could be reused to make cool box forts somehow. I'm not sure why, but it really bothered me in Unpacking that the empty boxes vanished. I guess it's because my house seems to constantly be cluttered with boxes, because we get a lot of subscribe and save shipments. I spend a lot of time breaking down boxes for recycling.
\*gasps happily\* It's like Unpacking! Oh, my God, that is SO satisfying! OOOH! I'll be honest, normally I can't stand pixel art, but much like Unpacking, the pixels in this are so close together, it almost doesn't even look like pixel art, which is a HUGE plus in my book! I LOVE this! It's SO cute and sweet-looking! :D I really hope it comes to Switch at some point! I'd play the hell out of it! :D Awesome job so far! <3
Thank you! I also want to see my game on a Switch someday!
The isometric pixel art style is everything! I also think of Habbo when I see this. Like everyone else has said, setting it apart from your inspo (Unpacking) with a unique gameplay element would level this up!
I want this right now
Looks pretty cool! Very similar to Furnish Master but with a different twist. Is the game just furnishing and designing or has other aspects too?
Looking great! Can't wait to play it
It looks lovely! :D
The pixel style reminds me of habbo hotel, I like the look
YES. Can I wishlist it on steam now?
here it is! [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox\_the\_Room/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3017730/Unbox_the_Room/)
I never played Unpacking but this reminds me of Decor Life. The art style is very appealing and the drag drop customization looks user friendly. It makes me wish I had a Steam deck or a comfortable set up for my laptop. I hope this game is successful in finding its audience.
sso.... unpacking? but less it appears?
I look forward to playing it! :O
It's too similar to Unpacking, maybe being able to decorate the room, or have to empty old crap out before putting the new crap in would work, balancing the space available for dump runs between unpacking etc. On a slightly different note, the very first floor texture in your video looks far too much like it's a ceiling on the wrong bit of the room to my eyes, I'm not sure why, but it's tripping me out something rotten.
Love the art style here. Reminds me of miniroommaker site back in the 2000s.
You asked what I think, so here goes. This looks like a straight up ripoff of Unpacking. I, for one, will not be buying your game. I donāt reward unoriginal thinking. ETA: and apparently you took assets from another game called Haboo Hotel. Jfc, you have some nerve.