It took me three attempts to beat this game; I kept bouncing off the game as it never clicked with me. I think the reason for this is because the game wouldn't shut up and let me play. Characters are frequently talking and bantering with each other as I progressed through the level, which frequently got interrupted as I progressed through the levels. Some of the cutscenes feel like they go one for some long minutes too. I get the game wants to give context with what’s going on/what’s happening, but I think brevity would have allowed me to better enjoy the first few opening levels.

However, I did really warm up to the game and found myself having a good time. Once I progressed far enough to have unlocked all the mechanics, I had a fun time making my way through the different platforming challenges. I like the concept of collecting different puppet heads that unlock secrets throughout the level, but I wish they did more with it; it would have been cool if there was a selection of heads that mixes up the way that you play, like a power-up mechanic.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Puppeteer and I’m glad that I’ve finally done a full playthrough of it. I can see myself revisiting the game to unlock the remaining trophies I have yet to earn. Scanning through the reviews on Backloggd shows there's a lot of people who really liked this game, so it’s a shame that the game never got a port or remaster for the new PlayStation consoles.

Reviewed on Jan 25, 2024


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