Once Upon A Puppet Dev Explains Hand-Puppet Gameplay

A developer behind Once Upon A Puppet has explained how the game reflects the dynamic relationship between its two lead characters by allowing the player to control them both in gameplay. Developer Flatter Than Earth and publisher Daedalic Entertainment aim to combine 2.5D platforming with puzzle-solving in a gritty, magical setting inspired by puppet shows and theater. Once Upon A Puppet stars a disgraced stagehand named Nieve and a young puppet named Drev, both of whom are bound by a mystical set of strings.

In order to save the magical theater kingdom, Nieve and Drev must work together to solve puzzles and evade dangerous enemies. As shown in the free Once Upon A Puppet Steam demo, players control both Stagehand and Puppet at the same time. While the player moves as Drev mainly, they can use Nieve to grab objects and push or pull obstacles too heavy for Drev alone. A recent Once Upon a Puppet gameplay video also featured a crossbow weapon that Nieve holds while Drev aims to shoot out targets and clear a path ahead.

Once Upon A Puppet Shares Another Look at Its Magical World [EXCLUSIVE]

The Best War Games shares an exclusive new look at the magical world of Once Upon A Puppet, a story-driven platformer that releases in spring 2025.

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By Dominik Bošnjak

The Best War Games recently spoke with a member of Once Upon A Puppet's development team to discuss various aspects of the game, including the dynamic relationship between Nieve and Drev and how this is reflected in gameplay. They said that it took a lot of iteration to make the connection between the two main characters feel natural, but the end result is meant to balance the feeling of controlling a puppet with the unpredictability of said puppet’s movements. As the developer stated,

“We wanted to make sure players felt like they were truly puppeteering BOTH characters, not just pressing a button to move."

Once Upon A Puppet’s Gameplay is Tied To Dynamic Between the Main Characters

Once Upon A Puppet’s gameplay also takes full advantage of Drev’s nature as a puppet in other ways, such as using his strings to catapult himself across large gaps. Once Upon A Puppet’s developer notes that mechanics like this are meant to translate the traditional elements of a platforming game through a puppet-like protagonist and give the feeling that players are guiding Drev’s actions through Nieve’s movements rather than controlling him directly like they would with Mario or Sonic.

Once Upon A Puppet is set to launch across all major platforms on April 23, with the PC version being available on both Steam and the Epic Game Store. The game can currently be wishlisted on Steam, which also has a free playable demo of the first few hours of Nieve and Drev’s theatrical misadventure.

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