A Theatrical Platformer with Tangled Strings
Puppets – an interesting metaphor to use when describing who has the power.
We often talk in politics about who is “pulling the strings” behind the scenes and British Eurovision winner Sandi Shaw once sang about love and being ‘like a puppet on a string’.
But puppets in games are usually seen as the enemy, often used in horror games as strange beings who creep you out and try to kill you.
Once Upon a Puppet, however, is a game about the puppet and the controller, but it’s mostly a family-friendly platformer with an ode to theatre and magic. Let’s pull the strings and find out what it is all about.
A Hand and a Puppet
In Once Upon a Puppet you initially play as a disembodied hand called Nieve; a weaver for the King of this magical land. The thing is, the king is upset with Nieve, exiling the hand to the understage wasteland where Nieve meets a puppet called Drev. They get intertwined by magic, Drev now held together by strings with Nieve.
From there they go on a journey through the understage, all before taking on the king himself. It’s a fairytale story to begin and the visuals of the world do a brilliant job of setting up the world. Yet for as intriguing as it is, I did find myself losing engagement with the narrative after a little while. There is a lot of dialogue found in Once Upon a Puppet and it doesn’t flow quite right at times.
String-Powered Platforming
The game itself is set in a 2.5D world; a place that is a lot of fun to navigate around. You start with a simple moveset, where you can run and do a simple jump. However the real magic comes in the characters and Nieve, as the hand holding the strings, is able to operate levels and move big items for Drev the puppet.
Soon other extra features are introduced as you progress, including that of a double jump. From there, prepare to be slingshotted across areas that can’t be progressed in the normal way. There are also hooks to grapple and the opportunity to fire a bow at one point. On the whole though, combat is minimal and only comes into its own a few times in Once Upon a Puppet, all as you head towards the big boss battle.
Puzzles, Flow, and Platforming Feel
There are some interesting ideas in Once Upon a Puppet though, as well as clever puzzles to solve when you have to use the skillsets of both Nieve and Drev at the same time. It’s here where movement and level control can start to feel a bit tricky and awkward. There is no doubt that everything about the game works and it’s a clever concept and a pleasing journey that you’ll be taken on, but for me, something is lacking. The gameplay loop becomes a bit samey after a while too, and it’s all too easy to forget why you are doing certain elements. It isn’t helped that at certain moments the platforming doesn’t feel accurate enough, a bit floaty. In the same breath, the game does try to do something different and unique and in terms of place and story, it nails things.
Theatrical Backdrops and Costume Changes
In the visual department, Once Upon a Puppet does a nice enough job with its 2.5D world of theatrical backdrops and puppets wandering around. There is some great attention to detail in the background of the levels and as you progress it feels like it has a nice level of variety in themes. There are some lovely collectibles too, where Drev can weave different costumes to wear which ensures the game can earn its family-friendly credentials.
There isn’t any voice-over work from the main characters, but in terms of the audio, narration brings it together very well, helping to frame the world. And the soundtrack is fine as it trickles along with the action, even though it is a bit forgettable.
A Charming Debut with Untapped Potential
Once Upon a Puppet provides an enjoyable journey through a theatrical world, working nicely in terms of character integration and overall gameplay experience. However, there is no wow factor and it’s all too easy to get lost with what you are doing, unaware of any purpose.
For a debut game, even with issues this one is full of charm, and so it’s probably worth taking on Once Upon a Puppet if interest levels allow.
Your Links
Pull the Strings – Theatrical Puzzle-Platformer Once Upon A Puppet Launches – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pull-the-strings-theatrical-puzzle-platformer-once-upon-a-puppet-launches/
Buy Once Upon A Puppet on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/Once-Upon-A-Puppet/9MV8T4C45MXL
Or get the Backstage Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/once-upon-a-puppet-backstage-edition/9P2C3J4K5T2S/0010
