Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions really seem to live outside the box when it comes to creative processes. The series of indie games being developed by Double Fine is actually the result of a so-dubbed Amnesia Fortnight, where Double Fine was divided into four teams and each came up with a prototype of a game. Costume Quest was the first of the indie games, and now Double Fine has offered up Stacking to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network customers. I certainly hope this isn’t the last Amnesia Fortnight that Double Fine decides to have, because the thoughtfulness behind Stacking makes it short but sweet and extremely satisfying.
Stacking is a game that almost sounds like a parody if you read a summary or see a screenshot. The world of Stacking is an industrial age populated entirely by Russian matryoshka dolls that move, speak, and act just like humans. Bizarre Definitely, but it’s the special brand of quirkiness and eccentricity that Double Fine does so well. The doll character lack voices but the old fashioned screens that progress the story and the upbeat piano overtures are reminiscent of silent era films of the 1920s. Light, pleasant piano music provides a backdrop for a world in an industrial revolution built on the backs of hard labour by these intricately designed and detailed dolls.
