Very charming and a hidden gem for the PS3. It's a whimsical adventure, shaped like a play, with a lot of hidden actions for the multiple heads the protagonist can acquire. The game is very fun, and perhaps a new game by the same team would have been a platformer for the ages, rather than being a hidden gem like this game. It reminded me a lot of Dreamworks' style: it's suited for kids and adults alike, and has a couple of interesting twists for fairy tales.
adorava esse jogo
A great platformer and a great show. This is sooooooooo great in terms of presentation that it hurts to see when they try to do 3D stuff (they launched when the 3D TVs were making a comeback I think).
the narrator at the opening scene put me to sleep. twice. i hope one day i'll come back to this game and change my mind, looks really fun and charming
Playing this game in 2024 is kinda ironic, pupetter is all that Sony games lack nowadays, creativity, courage, experimentation, and just you know, trying stuff, does all the stuff it does land? Absolutely not, but is such an unique and interesting platformer/narrative game that it's kinda clear why Sony closed this studio, creativity is not the priority nowadays, so, I would say if you have a chance give this Olde one a shot, you'll be surprised.
I last played this game nearly a decade ago not too long after it came out. I got it for cheap on PSN, though for the life of me I can't remember what prompted me to pick it up in the first place, or how I even came to know about it. That was probably the case for most people, really, since late 2013 was quite a busy time for big releases, and Puppeteer just got lost in the shuffle despite being so good. It's something I've been meaning to replay for a while, and now I finally have~. This is yet another game that doesn't count your playtime, so my rough guess is that I spent like 7 or 8 hours beating the main game, and then I spent about that same amount of time achievement hunting because I just didn't wanna stop playing x3
Puppeteer is the story of a little boy named Kutaro. The moon was once a peaceful place where the souls of children went when they embarked on their dreams, but that was before the powerful Moon Bear King stole the dark moon crystal, smashed the light moon crystal, and sealed away the moon goddess. Now the moon is a frightful, totalitarian place run by the Moon Bear King and his generals, where they steal away the souls of earth children to eat! Kutaro is one such child, although he escapes the fate of all the other lost souls even once the MBK eats his head! He's given a new head by the helpful Ying Yang the cat, and with the help of the moon witch, he steals the MBK's magical scissors Calibrus, and sets off on a quest to set the moon kingdom right again.
Puppeteer has the plot of a children's story book, and that's absolutely intended. The whole thing is literally laid out like a puppet show, with little wooden you running across a stage as you interact with other craft-made characters, enemies, and objects as you hop from scene to scene. It's a very tongue-in-cheek silly story full of wacky characters for Kutaro and his pixie friend the sun princess to bounce off of. Some of it sadly does wander into the area of casual racism and homophobia, but it's of the very casual "culture as a costume"-approach for world/level design that so SO many games do, so it's not really experience ruining. It doesn't really have any larger themes its exploring, and is mostly just here to give a good silly time, and it does a pretty bang up job at that.
The gameplay of Puppeteer is a platformer that a lot of my friends who saw me play it compared immediately to Little Big Planet. I think that comparison is quite apt, though Puppeteer differs in that there are no planes to swap through and it also controls much better. There are a couple dozen quite long levels to go through with very generous extra life amounts and checkpoints present. There are also lots of fun boss battles that are really well put together as well. You snip and fly through the air by comboing hits with Calibrus, and it makes for a really fun and quick-paced way to fly through levels if you're so inclined, and it makes for a really snappy action-platforming experience that's admittedly much more platforming than it is action at the end of the day.
The story and mechanics of Puppeteer are fun, but the presentation is one place it shines very VERY well. Very much like one of the more recent Paper Mario games, the attention to detail in bringing a world to life that still looks like its made of stage props is SO well done it does an amazing job of really bringing the whole "stage play" aesthetic to life. The voice acting is also really campy and well done, and adds a ton to that pantomime-esque feel as well~. Many of my friends were surprised to hear that it was a PS3 game with how nice it looks, and the music is also absolutely excellent to boot.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. A lot of people slept on Puppeteer because of when it came out, but that's a darn shame! It's a really excellent action/platformer with really fun writing and a great aesthetic. It's pretty easily picked up for cheap these days too, so it's totally worth tracking down if you want a memorable and fun way to spend a weekend on your PS3~.
Puppeteer is the story of a little boy named Kutaro. The moon was once a peaceful place where the souls of children went when they embarked on their dreams, but that was before the powerful Moon Bear King stole the dark moon crystal, smashed the light moon crystal, and sealed away the moon goddess. Now the moon is a frightful, totalitarian place run by the Moon Bear King and his generals, where they steal away the souls of earth children to eat! Kutaro is one such child, although he escapes the fate of all the other lost souls even once the MBK eats his head! He's given a new head by the helpful Ying Yang the cat, and with the help of the moon witch, he steals the MBK's magical scissors Calibrus, and sets off on a quest to set the moon kingdom right again.
Puppeteer has the plot of a children's story book, and that's absolutely intended. The whole thing is literally laid out like a puppet show, with little wooden you running across a stage as you interact with other craft-made characters, enemies, and objects as you hop from scene to scene. It's a very tongue-in-cheek silly story full of wacky characters for Kutaro and his pixie friend the sun princess to bounce off of. Some of it sadly does wander into the area of casual racism and homophobia, but it's of the very casual "culture as a costume"-approach for world/level design that so SO many games do, so it's not really experience ruining. It doesn't really have any larger themes its exploring, and is mostly just here to give a good silly time, and it does a pretty bang up job at that.
The gameplay of Puppeteer is a platformer that a lot of my friends who saw me play it compared immediately to Little Big Planet. I think that comparison is quite apt, though Puppeteer differs in that there are no planes to swap through and it also controls much better. There are a couple dozen quite long levels to go through with very generous extra life amounts and checkpoints present. There are also lots of fun boss battles that are really well put together as well. You snip and fly through the air by comboing hits with Calibrus, and it makes for a really fun and quick-paced way to fly through levels if you're so inclined, and it makes for a really snappy action-platforming experience that's admittedly much more platforming than it is action at the end of the day.
The story and mechanics of Puppeteer are fun, but the presentation is one place it shines very VERY well. Very much like one of the more recent Paper Mario games, the attention to detail in bringing a world to life that still looks like its made of stage props is SO well done it does an amazing job of really bringing the whole "stage play" aesthetic to life. The voice acting is also really campy and well done, and adds a ton to that pantomime-esque feel as well~. Many of my friends were surprised to hear that it was a PS3 game with how nice it looks, and the music is also absolutely excellent to boot.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. A lot of people slept on Puppeteer because of when it came out, but that's a darn shame! It's a really excellent action/platformer with really fun writing and a great aesthetic. It's pretty easily picked up for cheap these days too, so it's totally worth tracking down if you want a memorable and fun way to spend a weekend on your PS3~.
this... is art. if you like 2D platformers at all, please try this. it's my childhood game.
puppeteer is extremely charming with its humor, set design and self awareness that managed to capture my attention when i was a kid that makes me kinda sad i didnt enjoy it as much as i thought it would. i think puppeteer is beautiful in its presentation but fails to allow players to stop and smell the roses in terms of appreciating its set design, storytelling and dialogue. there's so many fun quips and background details to focus on but most of the stages require you to zip past them in a way that, at least for me, made me zone out instead of truly enjoying my time with it. it is very fun though, and later on i might replay for finding secrets like all the heads i missed during my gameplay. i just wish i could've enjoyed my time with it more.
This is a delightful video game and I would like it very much if we could get it off PS3 so I can play it again without rearranging my house.
An absolutely incredible masterpiece. I am blown away at the amount of heart and personality present in what is clearly an overlooked and forgotten title in PlayStation's catalog. It's a visual treat with pitch perfect audio design, fantastic visuals and compelling lighting. In the over 10 years since this game released it hasn't aged.
The cast is absolutely excellent. The Narrator is voiced by Marc Bretonnière and he sounds like he is having the most fun reading the material in front of him. Every villain you come across is more entertaining and diverse than the last. They range from menacing, to funny, to calculating.
Is the platforming the greatest you will ever experience? No. But I can't imagine it any other way as it feels tailor made for this game. Cutting your way up pathways and across gaps with magic scissors. I haven't played a game quite like it.
I could ramble forever about this game. It deserves more eyes. It needs to be experienced by more people. I'm sad that the game is over but it's one I will never forget. I love Puppeteer and I think it's one of the best games to come from PlayStation.
The cast is absolutely excellent. The Narrator is voiced by Marc Bretonnière and he sounds like he is having the most fun reading the material in front of him. Every villain you come across is more entertaining and diverse than the last. They range from menacing, to funny, to calculating.
Is the platforming the greatest you will ever experience? No. But I can't imagine it any other way as it feels tailor made for this game. Cutting your way up pathways and across gaps with magic scissors. I haven't played a game quite like it.
I could ramble forever about this game. It deserves more eyes. It needs to be experienced by more people. I'm sad that the game is over but it's one I will never forget. I love Puppeteer and I think it's one of the best games to come from PlayStation.