Once Upon A Puppet

Once Upon a Puppet is a game of contrasts. Its world is imaginative, its narrative has heart, and its characters are full of potential. Yet it’s held back by technical shortcomings, awkward design choices, and a general lack of polish. It feels like a beautiful puppet show where the strings get tangled too often, pulling you out of the illusion. If you’re a die-hard fan of narrative-driven indie platformers, or if the puppet theater aesthetic deeply appeals to you, this title may still be worth a try—especially during a sale. There’s magic here, but you’ll need patience—and a forgiving mindset—to find it.

Once Upon a Puppet excels in its ability to build a fantastical world cobbled together from the dilapidated remains of opulence. As a 2.5D platformer, the game’s attempts to use the genre’s foundations are often mixed. Clever puzzles and bursts of action go hand-in-hand with movement that can often not feel fluid and satisfying enough. But players open to the game’s charm should be able to ignore the blemishes and enjoy the moments that truly shine.

Overall, Once Upon a Puppet is a fine game. Its presentation is a standout feature, with its graphics, character animations, environments, and audio design all going to great lengths to make the most of the game's unique premise. But those elements aren't enough to elevate the overarching experience. The fine platforming, fine puzzles, and fine story are the strings that hold Once Upon a Puppet back from greatness, and some unfortunate technical issues can inject a layer of unnecessary frustration into an otherwise very satisfactory performance from a promising new indie studio.

If you're a big fan of puzzle-platformers, Once Upon a Puppet might be an okay experience - others should probably avoid this otherwise unique theatre adventure.

I sincerely love Once Upon A Puppet but its glitchiness and frustration factor are so high that it's hard to widely recommend it.