They say that moving house is the most stressful thing that you can do. However, it can also be a lot of fun, if you do it in the virtual world that is. Get Packed: Fully Loaded looks to create this experience, in a similar way to Team17’s Moving Out. Get Packed was originally released for Google Stadia, however this “fully loaded” edition is an expanded version of the game, boasting a new campaign and content which has inevitably come to PC and console.
Get Packed: Fully Loaded takes place in the town of Ditchlington, where a greedy salt mining company has moved in and effectively taken over. Newly formed Last Ditch Removals, made up of four unlikely heroes, rise to the challenge of saving the town, or relocating it at least.
As a result, you are tasked with working through several scenarios where you need to fill your removal van with your client’s belongings against the clock. Each item is worth a certain amount of money, and you’ll earn extra cash by hunting down specifics and getting them in the back of the van before the timer runs out. Keep an eye out for valuables, but also beware that damages to the client’s property will see deductions from your earnings. Choosing when to send the removal van off to transport the goods is crucial, as it will take a short while to return before you can resume loading.
There are three stars available for each level, depending on how much money you earn. There are bonus objectives in each too, and you’ll need to achieve these in most cases to get anywhere near the three star rating. Thanks to your characters’ hilariously gangly arms, it’s very easy to damage things. Each trigger on your controller grabs with the corresponding hand, and you’ll need to hold items with both to stop you flinging them around everywhere, and exert greater care and control when moving them. It can be very fiddly to pick up what you need if it’s surrounded by other items, as there’s no way to specifically select what you require. This is where some trial and error comes in; just make sure you don’t trigger any explosives by accident in the process. Larger items can be flat packed, which is crucial for getting them through door frames and into the van without a scratch.
However, your route to the van isn’t always straightforward. You may have to cross busy roads filled with speeding cars that won’t stop or swerve to avoid you. Or you could be faced with a stampede of shoppers eager for a bargain who are all too happy to barge you out of the way. Certain levels offer wacky ways to get your gear to the van, such as chucking it down a huge slide or popping it in a teleporter. When you finally get your items safely into the van you’ll need to get out before dispatching it, or you’ll be removed from the level yourself for a short period, wasting valuable time.
The main campaign in Get Packed: Fully Loaded is made up of just shy of 20 levels, and will see you packing up all sorts of places from the home and office, to a haunted graveyard, museum and even a prison. Things get pretty ridiculous the further you get into the game, but this is where Get Packed: Fully Loaded is at its best. Levels such as the bank raid are an absolute hoot, especially when you’re being chased by the authorities who you can also pack up and send off in your removal van. Once complete, each level can also be played in “Destruction” and “Time Attack” modes.
Destruction is a lot of fun, and does what it says on the tin. In this mode you have to smash up the joint as much as possible, getting creative with explosives and the like to cause maximum damage. Time Attack differs slightly from the regular way to play, as you gain time for packing items and lose time for damaging them. It’s more akin to a survival mode, and is pretty challenging due to you starting with only seconds on the clock.
You can also play Get Packed: Fully Loaded locally with up to three other friends, or take things online to team up with other players around the world. Unfortunately, I struggled to match with other players online, giving the impression the servers are rather empty at present. Hopefully this changes in the coming weeks and months.
Whether you wish to play solo or with others, Get Packed: Fully Loaded offers lots of replayability thanks to numerous game modes and challenging three star rankings to achieve on each level. As you do this, you will also unlock new characters and outfits for them, which can be viewed from the home screen.
Get Packed: Fully Loaded has a slapstick sense of humour which hits a charming and genuinely hilarious note. It looks decent enough, but it’s the soundtrack and effects that make it. Whether it’s packing the museum security guard in the back of the removal van, or knocking the crazy cat lady down with one of her own feline friends, the laughs come thanks to your absurd behaviour in the sandbox-esque levels.
Simply put, Get Packed: Fully Loaded is lots of fun. Despite not being the most original concept, there’s plenty on offer here for a very reasonable price which should do more than raise a smile.
Call in the removal service in Get Packed: Fully Loaded on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
