The emotional journey behind indie adventure Once Upon a Puppet reinvents puzzle-platforming through a magical, theatrical lens

Indie puzzle platformer Once Upon a Puppet puts a theatrical twist on some iconic indie side-scrollers.

Once Upon a Puppet puts you in control of two different characters. Nieve is a talented Weaver, but is beset by self-doubt. With her glove, she wields control over the naive but ambitious Drev, a marionette puppet magically bound to her. The thread that links the two is a key part of Once Upon a Puppet’s gameplay, allowing players to manipulate the environment, interacting with props and traversing hidden pathways as Drev and Nieve strive to reclaim their theatre from its heartbroken King.

A 2.5D backdrop brings that theatre to life, with shifting sets and a cast of dozens of characters. Some of those will be friendly, but several others won’t – as Nieve and Drev continue on their journey, they’ll face plenty of villainous foes who are trying to bring the curtain down early. To thwart them, our pair of heroes will have to rearrange the theatre around them, moving props, backdrops, and characters – and even adjusting the stage between the past and the present – to ensure that the show goes on.

Despite the lights of the theatre, there’s a dark, gloomy vibe to Once Upon a Puppet, in keeping with some of the most acclaimed indie side-scrollers of the last few years, with a stylization and attention to detail that brings its world to life. But despite that darkness, the entire story is underwritten by a beautiful, atmospheric soundtrack, and the relationship between Nieve and Drev is one that tells a story of friendship and redemption.

If you’re a fan of puzzle platformers with beautiful graphics and a lot of heart, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for Once Upon a Puppet when it launches April 23rd on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, where you can wishlist it right now ahead of release, or play the demo that’s available right now.

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