There’s been a mini explosion of packing and tidying games over the last few years, and whilst I’ve enjoyed many of them, I much prefer it when they’ve got some logic puzzling to be untangled. Enter Pakinpaks, a game that not only asks you to pack suitcases for other characters’ travels for a living, but also introduces item states as a concept. What looks simple on the surface, very quickly becomes something you’ll need to untangle and think more thoughtfully about.
With vibrant colour, charm, and plenty of cats, Pakinpaks sets you off on a business-building quest to pack other people’s luggage. The story soon raises the stakes and gets cartoonishly dramatic, but the goal is always the same. Pack all the items into the luggage containers provided so that there are no spaces, gaps, or items with opposing properties touching each other. It’s the last bit that’s key to why Pakinpaks feels so different.
After the opening couple of levels to introduce the basic packing concept and controls, we’re instantly given hot and cold food items to pack, but they can’t be placed next to each other. Then wet items are added, and they can’t be placed next to sandy items, and some sandy items will drip sand down the luggage, meaning you can’t put wet items under them. Wet items can freeze when put next to frozen items, but you wouldn’t want almost any of these items next to electrical items. However, electrical items may need to be connected to power sockets in your luggage, and so sometimes it pays to electrify certain items. There are even items that change state or shape when you press their fidget button. These are most of the gameplay mechanics, and they are spread over five worlds, but they increasingly layer complexities over themselves.
Pakinpaks’ story can be played at two difficulty levels. Firstly, you can play just to clear levels, as many of them will have multiple solutions. However, if you want a perfect clear, you’ll need stars. Almost every level has three additional star challenges to collect for the perfect solution. These will include things like placing all of one item together or making sure a particular object is in a certain location. It is never time-based, always logic-based, and going for the perfect solution will often leave you scratching your chin, mulling over options. The puzzles are well-designed and give great satisfaction when cleared. Undo, redo, and rotate functions are easily controlled, and restarting a level is quick to do. I also appreciate how each world ends with a boss encounter that brings in unique rules for a selection of luggage. They often flip the existing rules on their head, forcing you to think of the consequences of placement order and position.
Alongside the story mode, three more targeted modes extend Pakinpak’s longevity for hours and hours. Zen Infinite mode is an endless procedural generation level stream. There’s no timer here, but it will use all the mechanics explained in story mode, so do story mode first. Rush mode is against the clock and the most stressful of Pakinpaks modes. Brainy mode swaps out a timer for a move counter. Initially, this doesn’t sound too bad, but then I realised how often I’d end up shuffling around items in my luggage in trickier levels, as I realised an early placement was incorrect. This mode takes a lot of visualisation and planning before you make your move. Everything gives you in-game currency to unlock customisations for your cat character, who brings equal parts chill and sass to the screen.
Put simply, Pakinpaks is my favourite packing game I’ve played. The different item states add a much-needed layer of strategy and logic to what are often quite mindless, low-stakes decisions. With the additional endless modes, you’ll have a game that has thousands of levels to dip in and out of. You’ll not run out of levels or enthusiasm for packing in this crazy, colourful world.
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