A developer behindOnce Upon A Puppethas 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 Puppetstars 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 mustwork together to solve puzzlesand evade dangerous enemies. As shown in the freeOnce Upon A PuppetSteam 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 recentOnce Upon a Puppetgameplay video also featured a crossbow weapon that Nieve holds while Drev aims to shoot out targets and clear a path ahead.
Game Rant recently spoke with a member ofOnce Upon A Puppet’s development team to discuss various aspects of the game, including thedynamic relationship between Nieve and Drevand 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 ensure 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 ofDrev’s nature as a puppetin 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 aplatforming gamethrough 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 Puppetis 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.
