Double Fine has become famous for creating very unique games with each offering. This time around, they've taken a stab at puzzle games with Stacking, a new game on XBLA. Let's take a look and see if it stacks up.
Stacking is a game based entirely around Matryoshka dolls, aka Russian stacking dolls. The game is based around a simple concept: you, the smallest size of doll, must stack into other dolls that are progressively larger and use their abilities to solve puzzles. The solutions to these puzzles usually involve causing some sort of mayhem, making them especially satisfying. For example, one of the first puzzles of the game requires the player to clear trainyard workers out of a private club. One of the solutions is to find a lady doll that is -ahem- rather stacked, lure the guard away from his post, and invade the club, running everyone out.
This touches on one of the most interesting aspects of Stacking: every puzzle has multiple solutions. It forces the player to look beyond the one or two obvious solutions and really use the doll abilities to their fullest extent. If you're getting stuck on a solution, the game has a built in 3 hint system for each one that can keep the less patient from blowing their stack. Unfortunately, the third hint blatantly tells you the solution, so it's a bit too easy if you abuse it. Each puzzle only has to be solved once in order to progress, but there are rewards for those who go the extra mile in the form of paintings and statues of all unique dolls, which are made by your hobo friend Levi in your secret base. Did I mention Stacking was unique?
There are also Hi-Jinks conditions that you can achieve by using doll abilities, usually to bother other dolls. These are rewarded in the form of some sort of award on the doll; for example, a man's glove will turn from white to gold after you use it to slap a sufficient amount of unsuspecting dolls. Double Fine knew what we would do given the opportunity to bother people, and they not only allow but encourage it.
The game's presentation is also fantastic. It's one of the best looking XBLA titles, and the soundtrack, though limited, is very enjoyable. The cutscenes in particular stand out, in that they're presented in a silent movie style- music and overactive pantomime, interrupted by cards with the dialogue on them. When actually playing the game, however, the sound is plentiful. The sound effects and actions of the NPCs are expressive and often hilarious, and the fact that you can control almost all of them makes them even more so.
So, is Stacking worth the stack of MS points ($15 worth)? I'd say yes. It's enjoyable from start to finish, and actually has quite a bit of meat to it. And really, even if you 100% it, you'll probably go back for more at some point, as there's really nothing else like it. It's the sort of thing you can easily recommend to just about anybody, whether they're a hardcore pro gamer type, or someone who's normally not even interested in video games. The appeal is there regardless, and it's deserved. Double Fine has once again proven that they can tackle just about any genre of game they want and not only make it fun, but create an entire world around it.
And sorry about the stack puns, it's really irresistible.
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