Even small video games can reveal pleasant surprises years later. Now, roughly two years after its launch, Unpacking followers are immediately discovering a beforehand revealed secret mode after a TikTok video introduced it again into the general public eye. The mode is known as Darkish Star, and it principally forces gamers to beat the sport by tossing objects on the ground as an alternative of neatly placing them away like in the principle mode.
In Unpacking’s normal mode, gamers full ranges by pulling objects out of a field and discovering an applicable spot to retailer them. If, for example, you place rest room paper within the kitchen sink, the sport will spotlight the merchandise with a purple line and received’t allow you to full the extent. Nevertheless, when you beat the sport the common approach, you may enter Darkish Star mode, the place you beat every stage by ensuring each single merchandise is positioned incorrectly and highlighted in purple. As soon as a participant misplaces each single merchandise, the sport will award them with a darkened star and allow them to progress to the following stage.
Developer Witch Beam teased Darkish Star as a secret mode previous to the official reveal, then shared a video documenting it as part of an April Fools’ Day post in 2022. “So many people thought it was a fake feature for April Fools’ until they tried it for themselves,” Tim Dawson, a co-founder of Witch Beam and technical director of Unpacking, instructed Polygon through electronic mail.
Since that official reveal, some content material creators have even streamed their Darkish Star runs. Nonetheless, it’s clear that many followers didn’t know concerning the mode. After Dec. 22 Witch Beam TikTok went viral, followers shared reactions like, “THERE’S A DARK STAR MODE?!?!” and “I have 100% this game and I DIDNT KNOW THIS!? WHAAAAAT!?” One other wrote, “dude I beat this game like 10 times and i am just hearing abt this?!”
Dawson instructed Polygon that the secret mode lets gamers discover new methods to expertise the sport’s puzzles. Within the feedback, a number of followers commented on how tough Darkish Star mode can truly be.
“I think what makes Dark Star so interesting is initially it feels like a gag,” Dawson stated. “But after a few levels, it sets in how much work it is, and continuing can feel absurd, transgressive, or cathartic. But in the end, it’s just another way to think about items and how they relate to our lives and the spaces we live in, which is what the game is all about.”
Dawson additionally says that whereas the mode “started as a joke,” the builders now respect it as an extension of the sport. “Because we decided not to extend Unpacking with DLC or a sequel, we often mention Dark Star mode when fans contact us asking if we’ll make more levels,” he stated. “In many cases, it gives them another way to experience the game.”
Personally, I believe Darkish Star mode speaks to the methods our personal media diets and particular bubbles of the web can generally protect a sense of shock in a sport. For Dawson, this sort of shock can lend a sense of character to a sport.
“I think secrets help give games their personality,” he stated. “They’re the twinkle in the eye that suggests that these virtual worlds we spend time in might just be a bit bigger than you think. I love that we were able to come up with a good one for Unpacking.”
