Stacking (video game)

Lore & Background

The game's concept was coined by Double Fine's art director, Lee Petty, who saw matryoshka dolls as a means to replace the standard player interface used in graphical adventure games. The player controls the smallest doll, Charlie Blackmore, who can stack and unstack into larger dolls and use their abilities to solve puzzles. The goal is to free Charlie's older siblings and end child labor enforced by the antagonist, the Baron. Puzzles have multiple solutions, and additional challenges allow exploration outside the main story. Stacking is the second game to come from Double Fine that was initially created during an 'Amnesia Fortnight' event during Brütal Legend's development. Tim Schafer had divided the company into four teams to prototype smaller games. Petty wanted to create a contemporary adventure game, reinventing the point-and-click interface. After observing his daughter playing with matryoshka dolls, he realized the dolls could be the characters, inventory, and action verbs simultaneously. The use of dolls helped make the game appealing to casual players while offering deeper mechanics for hardcore players. The game contains a central hub level, the Royal Train Station, and four additional levels. Each level was designed with puzzles that could be approached in any order, with multiple solutions to cater to both casual and dedicated players. The levels mix Great Depression and Victorian era designs, using virtual household items. Cutscenes present dialog in the fashion of early silent films.

Reader's Guide

Stacking was well received by critics and praised for its alluring appearance, humorous story, and accessible gameplay for casual players. The game's design allowed players to freely roam through previously-completed areas to complete all puzzles, including after finishing the main story. Puzzles and challenges were designed to be completed in short segments, giving players freedom to play at their own pace. Petty wanted to ensure players had time to contemplate puzzles or explore the environment in the manner of older adventure games, while keeping environments feeling alive and animated. The game's budget was estimated at $2 million by Tim Schafer. The basic structure of the doll model in the game's engine could easily be reused for more than one hundred unique dolls within the game, which benefited production. The game's story was written with assistance from Schafer, who also helped design some puzzles.

Did You Know?

• The game's concept was inspired by Lee Petty observing his daughter playing with matryoshka dolls.
• Stacking was created during an 'Amnesia Fortnight' event during the development of Brütal Legend.
• The game contains more than one hundred unique dolls.
• The final confrontation between Charlie and the Baron is a duel of rock-paper-scissors.