Originally released for Android and IOS, Package Inc arrives on Nintendo’s portable console, making use of all its touch potential. This is a title that is based on the tracks of an automation simulator where the objective will be to manage a company’s deliveries, set in an abstract space with notes of real cities.
The premise is simple, but a little confusing at first, as nothing is explained. In this sense, the player will have to learn from their experience. There is the central warehouse that first receives the orders and then distributes them to the secondary platforms that are arranged differently on each level. Each order is associated with a color corresponding to a different building/store. Even if it doesn’t change anything in practice, it’s interesting to have some kind of differences between colors and shapes and in this way shape the city according to the needs of the company.
For each delivery made, a monetary quote is assigned, allowing you to collect money to proceed with the upgrade of platforms and buildings. The upgrades consist of increasing the number of orders that each location can have in stock and the speed of the distribution rails. The buildings always have to have at least one physical connection to the others to allow an efficient and fast way of transport. For every day that passes, the speed of deliveries increases, so the player will always have to adjust to the adversities that may arise. At the end of each day, a monetary value is also assigned that helps the player in maintaining his delivery system, because, of course, each upgrade increases the value of the next one, leaving a chain of values that in the end are quite large. Another help in this sense are the ecological buildings that generate a regular income of coins.
There are times when orders stay in stock for a long time on the platforms instead of being sent to, for example, the other side of the map, where there is plenty of space. It seems like the game itself is trying to shape a difficult point.
As previously mentioned, each level has small differences. The platforms are arranged in different ways, the buildings are different and of course, the objectives are different, although always in the same line of thought, or this was not a linear title in its progression. It is, therefore, necessary to “checkmark” any number of orders delivered, increase delivery speed by x number of times, and so on. The objectives are just a button press away, so if you don’t remember the objectives listed at the beginning of the level, that’s okay. As soon as the intended objectives for this level are met, the option to continue playing in it, or move on to the next one, appears. Levels are locked by a number of stars, so if you’re like me, get ready to replay some levels in this quest to hunt stars.
In terms of gameplay, it works very well in portable mode, where everything that appears on the screen can be touched. Each construction can be applied with a simple drag-and-drop movement. Only the upgrade actions can sometimes present some momentary problems, as it is necessary to press the desired building or platform for a few seconds to access the upgrade menu. This movement is also shared with the premise of changing the location, so that it is possible to literally have the building on your finger, instead of accessing the intended menu. In dock mode, there are some problems with moving the cursor that are caused by the movements of the gyroscope of the controller itself. Everything that is done with a simple click on the screen, here is printed by the need to click on the button and use the command, by pointing to the console and dragging it to the desired location. I 100% recommend playing this title in handheld mode.
Although with some crashes in the mix, Package Inc is quite addictive, due to its simple management premises and the pleasant environment it was built in. It’s not too complicated but it does require some attention, as if you miss 10 deliveries you’ll reach the early end of the level.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game for Nintendo Switch provided by Nerd Monkeys]
