While I’ve played a few that have helped me better understand the fascination with them, overall I still struggle to find appeal in your typical “menial task simulator” game. While I absolutely get the concept, that simple repetition can be soothing and a great way to help unwind, far too often the gameplay feels too thin to have any hope of holding your attention for more than an hour at best. Now, in the case of Moving Houses we at least have something of a surprise, a game that starts out as more of a simplistic simulator but that at least makes the attempt to turn it into something more.

To start with this is what you’d pretty well assume, simply acting as a moving simulator. You’ll get a step by step introduction of how to look at the list of items you’re supposed to pack, and then get them on the truck whether in a box or just loose. For the most part this works as you’d expect, though having to do things like walk around the house can be a tad dull, and even when shifting some items further away from you it can be hard to see where you’re going. 

But then, aside from the fact that you’re able to simply trash the house throwing things around for giggles, there’s a twist… something that changes the experience from being a straight simulation to something a bit more creepy and interesting. The problem is that unfortunately that change amounts to little more than a snack of content, rather than a more fulfilling meal that dives a little further into the idea. That makes the experience a bit of a mixed blessing in the end, showing off a concept that helps to elevate the gameplay and make it more memorable, but then coming up short on sticking the landing and making the most of it.