Puppeteer: As We Play

As we play offers the thought strands of the reviewer as they’re going through the game. This offers unique content for the reader so they can come to understand the conflicting feelings of the reviewer as they’re playing a game for the very first time.

All feedback on this concept is welcome.

 

Opening sentiments

I like Puppeteer’s no-nonsense start-up. Reach the title screen then head straight into the story. So many games have gotten bogged down by menus at the first hurdle, it’s great to have a game that wants you to be focused on its narrative, first and foremost.

But that’s not the first thing I noticed. The game’s art style is so distinct. I’m sat here contemplating comparisons and really struggling. You could say there are touches of Little Big Planet or Tearaway in there. You can also see the Japanese influence and winks toward Final Fantasy and Manga culture. SCE Japan have achieved something quite remarkable. In an age where people are constantly having to compare something to something else (or consciously recognising similar traits between pieces of work) there isn’t anything you can directly compare Puppeteer’s graphics to. And that is so bloody refreshing. I’m sat here with a grin on my face already and I haven’t even started playing.

Early Gameplay

Following on from the above point, I can’t remember the last time I started a game without a head! Yes, my would-be Pinocchio is wandering around the place like a zombie chicken whose body hasn’t quite caught up with the fact his brain has permanently disappeared. The graphics may appear child-like to the unaware but Puppeteer has a very dark, very sinister tone and it’s establishing that from the off. But then, when you’ve got the lead animator from Siren: Blood Curse working on your game, you can expect something pretty grisly.

I adore the virtual audience watching the show. It adds a third dimension to the game as you’re watching them watching you play. Damn, that’s creepy! Their cheers and jeers when things happen create a truly unique atmosphere. They’re already playing quite an active role.

So, the controls. Control Kutaro, the puppet, with the left thumbstick and with the right, control Ying-Yang, a flying ghost cat. Yes, a ghost cat that calls magic, meow-gic and pronounces moon-sparkles (the in-game currency that gives players extra lives) as meeeon-sparkles. This creates an interesting relationship for gameplay. The first objective is to, obviously, find the puppet a head. So while the puppet runs around aimlessly on the ground, hopelessly reliant on someone else’s’ mercy, the cat can fly all over the stage and interact with the environment at any level. In this case, the cat shakes open a rumbling coffin and out pops a skull. The cat tells me that this is just one of the many heads the puppet can have throughout the game, and that multiple heads can be stocked at any one time. To prove his point, the cat then kills a spider and gives Kutaro a spider head. Ick…

I love how SCE Japan have crafted this platformer. The idea of using a single bordered stage sounds quite limited on paper, but with a mix of throwing characters and objects out into the crowd, then building inward on the stage, treating each screen as an individual scene, the game comes together expertly. Seeing myself get closer to the objective, observing a scene behind a scene, is a bit of a masterstroke, both in terms of narrative development and from a gameplay perspective.

An actor’s life for me

Puppeteer isn’t all doom and gloom, though. It’s really nice to see the devs injecting some humour into the mix and not making the experience too dark. I can honestly say i’ve never played a game character that runs through levels with a burger head. They didn’t even try that one with Mayor McCheese in McDonald Land on the NES!

The characters are an absolute delight and i’ve barely spent half an hour worth of game time with them. The large, bellowing bear king with his own set of insecurities. His cowardly, over-sized tiger servant, frequently stroking the bear’s ego and offering him regular back-rubs. Ying-Yang and his cat’isms. The narrator and his continuous play on words. The would-be menacing granny witch who can’t take being tickled by the cat so turns him into a carrot. As for the background dark humour with other puppets? Delightful.

I can’t emphasise how wholly satisfying it is to have the story narrated to me while I play. While I enjoy a good cut-scene, I find many of them static and intrusive. Games should be about keeping the experience interactive, but so many are trying to be like Hollywood blockbusters. That said, i’ve watched a few in-game sections that I would like to be actively involved in and feel the game could have offered even more freedom than it already has.

Using different heads to access unique areas creates some interesting possibilities. Though I’d like to see them used for more puzzles, rather than just shortcuts and bonus areas.

Oh, and how I love the scissors. Cutting through gates and enemies is so fluid, but using them to scale to greater heights by cutting through a flowing stream of leaves or a fabric seam is genuinely very clever. But the most satisfying part? Fighting the big menacing Weaver with a carpet for a body. That was especially satisfying.

Closing Thoughts

Puppeteer is such a fantastic advert for Sony’s indie focused future with Playstation 4. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, a game like this comes along, helping you to realise you’ve seen nothing yet. If Sony can keep attracting developers to create exclusive games like this for Playstation 4, then the console is already worth its weight in gold.

It’s even making me yearn for a 3D TV. I’ve never said that before.

A wonderful piece of storytelling and an elegantly designed title with its own hooks and merits. A little short and a tad easy, but all in all, a fabulous experience from start to finish.