Gaming with no strings attached: Hands on: Puppeteer (PS3)

  • Stunning graphics backed up with dark narrative
  • PS3 exclusive boasted better graphics than some PS4 games
  • Magical art direction and charming characters

By TALAL MUSA

Published: | Updated:

It was the prettiest game of this year’s E3 convention… and it’s not even next gen.

But don’t let its playful visuals fool you, because Puppeteer’s plot is actually rather dark.

You play Kutaro, a young boy who gets his head ripped off by the Moon Bear King, a beast intent on capturing the souls of children to serve as puppet guards in his castle.

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Starring role: gameplay feels familiar to Little Big Planet, but there are enough changes to make it unique

Kutaro’s body is cast away but he soon finds a variety of different heads, each with their own abilities, and sets out on a mission to find his original head and return home.

Levels see you guide Kutaro through a series of small acts, each one ending with a traditional curtain fall and quick stage reshuffle before starting again.

There’s no ignoring the fact that it's cut from the same fine cloth as Little Big Planet. Take the real-time lighting, high-resolution textures and ‘that’ motion blur coating every act in a magical Hollywood sheen.

But where LBP’s narrative felt somewhat tacked-on, Puppeteer’s intriguing story gives a sense of purpose to the campaign and stops it from feeling disjointed.

Platforming sections are well thought-out, with the early demo suggesting gameplay is slightly more action-focused than LBG.

Combat is more than just jumping on things. Evasion plays a key part in Kutaro’s armoury, however, a giant pair of scissors called Calibrus can be used to deal damage and snip away at different features of the environment.

Then there are the different heads Kutaro acquires along the way, be that a skull – which, upon pressing down on the D-pad, makes you do a crazy dance to charm skeletons, or the spider, which can be used to open doors.

Everything Puppeteer does puts a smile on your face. And in the year of the next Xbox and Playstation, it’s clear the PS3 isn’t quite ready to leave centre stage just yet.

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Centre stage: Despite a dark story, it doesn't take long for Puppeteer to put a smile on your face

Puppeteer is out September 10 in the US, and September 11 in Europe.

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