Once Upon A Puppet

I'd hate to disrespect this indie team cuz you can tell they worked hard on this. I'll start with the positives - the overall setting of it with you being a puppet and having to go through various theater stages is very unique from a level design perspective. I would say the back half of the game is where it picks up once you unlock more abilities and start being challenged by the enemies so warning - the first half will feel SLOWWWWWW. Another positive I would say are the animated cutscenes, it's overall a very attractive art style used. Now for the negatives...the lack of music is killer here. There is a faint background noise but it's mainly the scenery and the wooden clanking of your puppet feet. It gets old after a while. The biggest complaint is the bugs - OMG! There have been times I'm locked into a scene and magically just fade into a wall from the previous portion of the level and get locked out of an important event going on which forces to restart the checkpoint. There were also times, specifically during the final boss fight when the enemy doesn't even touch you and the game registers the strike as a hit so you have to restart the battle since it's a one hit kill. It…

While I like the story and the combination of adventure and parkour, the game mechanics is what breaks it for me. I can appreciate the chance to figure things out myself but after the hundred death I could use some help. A hint. Anything. Instead I have to search up a walkthrough to figure out how to beat the level. Furthermore is navigation a ♥♥♥♥♥. I have no idea where to go and few levels speak for themselves. Again, I have to look online to find out what I'm meant to do. Maybe it's just me but I would have appreciated a bit more guidance. I love the idea of the game but I can't play it without cursing. I like the artstyle though!

What a stunning game! I don’t have any words. It kind of checked every box in my opinion. Great unique artwork, great story, awesome little mechanics that stay true to the concept of the game. The world seems so alive and as I say in my channel during the playthrough, developer watched every little detail. Humorous conversations, stage seemed so real as you could see the frontstage, backstage, a peak under the stage etc. I’m always looking for unique indie gems and I think Once Upon A Puppet earned that title! It is a platformer in a unique theatrical world that plays with simple but creative mechanics. Although it is not a co-op game, I loved how the hand and the puppet worked together and transformed even the simplest mechanics to something fresh. Sometimes you only have to notice and admire the simplicity of things in games. I totally recommend this game and I am looking forward to the next project from the studio. If you want to check my playthrough on my Youtube channel, you are more than welcome: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/uWvZi8a1cX8?si=zdoPKAuRG4DX89jz Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/rtNw2RKh3_k?si=mEDWxfrX8yVZJz9o

The story is a story about dealing with loss, in a way.. I could relate with the King's decisions, though our reasons would differ. Drev and Nieve are well written and work quite well together. There are a few heartfelt moments too. Gameplay 2.5D Platforming that manages to be more than block pushing puzzles and interactions. Though, you do that a fair amount. There are a variety of "puzzles," that you'll need to complete. None of them are difficult. The only difficulty I really experienced was some platforming portions. I initially thought the whole hand controlling a puppet idea to be a gimmick that would become annoying. Surprisingly, it never does. As you play you'll unlock new costumes and abilities which come across as a natural progression instead of some forced game mechanic needed to complete a task. There's also a good amount of friendship building between Drev and Nieve. You play them as one character, but there are many conversations as you travel that makes it feel like they are two distinct characters. Level design is pretty good. There are some areas where the platforming feels hampered by the camera angle(s), but it was never a complaint for long. Each part of th…

História - 8/10 Gráficos - 6/10 Jogabilidade - 4/10 Som - 7/10 Nota Final - 6.2/10

I think the game should’ve focused more on building the fractured scenes — that was the most enjoyable part for me, and I really wanted more of it.