Double Fine’s Stacking now open for business

Remember when Tim Schafer used to work for a company that made great adventure games? Well, perhaps he now does again, as THQ and Double Fine Productions have just released Stacking, a unique puzzle-adventure based on Russian stacking dolls for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Despite the shameless name-dropping above, Stacking isn't actually a Schafer creation. Led by Lee Petty, this unique game casts players in the role of Charlie Blackmore, "the world’s smallest Russian stacking doll". Charlie's family has been enslaved by an evil industrialist baron, and he must find a way to free them in a quest that promises "references to classic silent, expressionist cinema and Dickensian heroes and villains".

Stacking is certainly no ordinary adventure, as its trailer demonstrates. Instead, Charlie must strategically use his ability to stack into other dolls, each of which has distinct abilities that he does not. The game includes an in-game hint system, but every challenge has multiple puzzle solutions, promoting creative approaches to overcoming obstacles.

Now available for download on Xbox 360 and the the PlayStation 3, Stacking is selling for 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Arcade and $14.99 on the PlayStation Network.