One Move Away Preview

Moving house sucks, especially if (like me) you have a bit of a hoarding problem. There’s just so much stuff, renting a van costs a fortune, and it’s such a hassle. However, each time one has to relocate, it’s a great time to take stock of how things have changed and progressed. Ramage Games’ upcoming puzzle game, One Move Away, touches on these themes, while also having plenty of Tetris–esque efficient packing as the cherry on top!

The narrative of the game is on the subtler side: we follow the lives of three characters in small vignettes as they move from one location to another. There is no dialogue, with each level offering only a short description of what we’re doing. Instead, the story is told via the items being packed themselves, as the characters decide to keep, add, or discard their belongings.

I went into this early build with the expectation of a relaxed, meditative game along the lines of Unpacking, so I was somewhat surprised when One Move Away turned out to focus quite a bit on the puzzle element of moving house. Instead of simply throwing everything into a van and calling it a day, the player is tasked with organising each item with care inside whatever form of transportation is in use, twisting, turning, and pivoting each object to maximise the available space.

While simply getting everything to fit is an accomplishment in itself, each stage also offers extra challenges, such as not using a certain shelf or keeping a sofa’s separate pieces connected, and bonus items to cram into your car’s bursting boot. Though completely optional, these side objectives are required to get the highest score for any stage and offer a fun challenge.

As one can expect from a title where stacking boxes and box-adjacent objects, the game has physics. If the player doesn’t pay attention to what they’re doing and loads their compartment without a plan, it is probable that the whole thing will come crashing down! Thankfully, it seems the items do not accrue damage, so the only harm is in lost time.

The physics motor is pretty reliable in most cases, though I did run into a few occasions where objects colliding would cause both to shake uncontrollably. I also had some issues fitting narrow items next to each other, but nothing too major, especially when considering this is an early build.

Based on the few levels I got to play, One Move Away was a fun experience, even if the amount of stuff these characters wanted to move bordered on the ridiculous (you don’t need that fancy painting in college, I’m pretty sure). The core gameplay loop works nicely and scratches that Tetris itch quite well. Though I wasn’t able to see much of it, the concept of telling a story organically with the environment is something I respect. I look forward to seeing what the finished product has in store!

One Move Away is being developed by Ramage Games and published by Playstack. No release date has been announced at the time of writing.