Once Upon A Puppet is a cozy platformer about the fairy-tale adventures of an unusual duo. The puppeteer and the puppet have to save the kingdom by bringing scenes from its history to life – and this is, surprisingly, a rather pleasant and relaxing activity. We share our impressions of the title that will go unnoticed.
- Developer: Flatter Than Earth
- Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS5 , Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: April 23, 2025
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a king named Caliban, who loved the theater very much. The scenery and props that were no longer suitable for the stage, he sent to the Understage – an analogue of the lower world. And all was well – the kingdom flourished, and the courtiers knew no grief, until one day the king’s son disappeared.
Caliban went mad – he threw everything that reminded him of his old life into the Understage. Not only things, but also friends, servants and even their houses. Life with its own rules was born in the garbage pit.
The same fate befell the court weaver Niv for a less than ideally tailored suit. A hand flying in the air, dressed in a prison suit and shackled with chains, ends up in the Understage and accidentally gets tied with threads to a wooden doll named Drev. And so the adventures of an unusual duo begin.
Once Upon A Puppet skillfully recreates a fairy-tale atmosphere that both children and adults will easily believe in. The story, the scenery, the dialogues – all this is intertwined, you feel like you are reading a large book with attractive pictures
I would call the story adult, making you think about various topics. Niv, thirsty for forgiveness, gradually becomes disillusioned with her idol. Dreve looks simple and even stupid, but he does not care about the problems that burden others. The involuntarily united heroes will try to save the King, playing out different scenes from his life, so that he will remember who he was – it is hardly possible to call a father a villain who lost his son.
The plot is cheerfully revealed as you go along – we are actively shown flashbacks, theatrical performances, cut scenes. It is interesting to follow this right up until the credits.
Once Upon A Puppet reminded me of good old 3D platformers – without unnecessary mechanics and almost no combat system . You just run, solve puzzles , jump over obstacles and go through one level after another. There are collectibles – parts of stained glass windows that tell the story of the game world, props with the same purpose and costumes are hidden on the levels.
The levels turned out great: they are varied, not drawn out and have a clear design. Thanks to the lore, the authors have a free hand: we will visit a kind of steampunk with various gears, and a creepy world, even lower than the Understage.
Clothing sometimes introduces new gameplay mechanics – for example, in a hunter’s suit we can wield a bow and arrows. This is similar to the approach of It Takes Two , when the gameplay is gradually enriched with new features – but here they do not disappear after completing a level.
The duet of Niv and Dreva also has its own spark. At first, the heroes cannot become friends and hope that their union is temporary. But gradually the heroes find magic threads and discover various abilities, such as a double jump, and overcoming obstacles together is much easier than alone – and they already begin to become attached to each other, and not with the help of threads.
One of the mechanics – setting up and playing scenes – is highlighted in the description, but in reality it rarely has to be done, and it’s hardly any different from other puzzles.
Visually, the game doesn’t look amazing, but it’s definitely decent – the picture is bright and clear, and at the same time it’s not demanding on hardware. However, even when playing on PS5 , there are sometimes strange frame drops, which may indicate poor optimization . The soundtrack is top-notch – charming, fabulous, relaxing.
Unfortunately, Once Upon A Puppet’s release coincided with the Oblivion Remastered shadowdrop, which is why it’s unlikely to attract attention. And that’s a shame: despite the less-than-ideal optimization, this modest, relaxing 7-hour title is capable of captivating, telling an adult story, and helping to remember the good old platformers that I’m sure the world misses.
