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Releases September 10th, $39.99
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Gamesradar Preview
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Gamesradar Preview
So yes, in his journey to puppet land, Kutaro quite literally lost his head. As you platform your way across various pitfalls and traps, you'll find temporary, replacement heads which Kutaro can use to gain access to special areas or grant you useful powers. The heads also act as your health. You can hold three heads at a time, but taking damage from an enemy causes your equipped head to pop off your body (like how Sonic loses his rings). And much like Sonic's rings, you can grab that head again before it disappears. Most heads will allow you to access a secret bonus stage, if you activate it in the proper location, but the developers also mentioned there will be special hero heads that grant you permanent abilities you can use alongside your primary attacks.
To defeat enemies and solve puzzles, Kutaro uses a special pair of giant magical scissors, which act as Kutaro's Excalibur sword of sorts. You use the scissors in battle to cut objects and enemies in any direction, but the scissors are also useful for moving about the stage. While jumping and cutting objects like streams of fabric in the air, Kutaro moves forward with each snip--essentially allowing him to fly around the cutting path. Using this technique we were tasked with solving some simple puzzles to open a fabric-bound gate and defeat a boss made of a Medieval tapestry.
There is also a lot to explore in each stage background. Eventually, Kutaro will encounter the aforementioned Yin-Yang who will follow you around, tell you clues, and help you uncover secret items. You can take direct control of the cat, hover him over background objects you want to interact with, and knock collectibles free so you can collect them. This is the primary method for finding new heads and opening secret pathways, but it's also entertaining to see how the surrounding characters, environment, and theater audience reacts when you mess with the stage props.
To defeat enemies and solve puzzles, Kutaro uses a special pair of giant magical scissors, which act as Kutaro's Excalibur sword of sorts. You use the scissors in battle to cut objects and enemies in any direction, but the scissors are also useful for moving about the stage. While jumping and cutting objects like streams of fabric in the air, Kutaro moves forward with each snip--essentially allowing him to fly around the cutting path. Using this technique we were tasked with solving some simple puzzles to open a fabric-bound gate and defeat a boss made of a Medieval tapestry.
There is also a lot to explore in each stage background. Eventually, Kutaro will encounter the aforementioned Yin-Yang who will follow you around, tell you clues, and help you uncover secret items. You can take direct control of the cat, hover him over background objects you want to interact with, and knock collectibles free so you can collect them. This is the primary method for finding new heads and opening secret pathways, but it's also entertaining to see how the surrounding characters, environment, and theater audience reacts when you mess with the stage props.
According to Moore, one of the ways the studio tried to do away with player boredom was by constantly changing the setting, so players wouldn't be stuck in the same environment performing the same tasks. He says he drew inspiration from Japanese theaters, where the puppets continue performing while the backgrounds behind them change seamlessly. In Puppeteer, the setting changes every five minutes. The player remains on the stage and the curtains stay open, but backgrounds and platforms drop in and out as a narrator tells the story and the player bounces their way through each act.
From a game design point of view, Moore says the controls "feel very Japanese" while the ideas and art style are inspired by Western culture.
"It's a platform game in essence, so it has to jump perfectly and you have to be able to run and walk at correct speeds, and the Japanese are incredibly good at that," Moore says. "We have a guy sitting there tweaking the system, and that's the difference — where a Western house might go, 'Yeah, that feels about OK,' at Japan Studio, I would say I want this and I want that, and they were like, 'OK, we're going to make sure it's pinpoint perfect in that respect so it feels good."
From a game design point of view, Moore says the controls "feel very Japanese" while the ideas and art style are inspired by Western culture.
"It's a platform game in essence, so it has to jump perfectly and you have to be able to run and walk at correct speeds, and the Japanese are incredibly good at that," Moore says. "We have a guy sitting there tweaking the system, and that's the difference — where a Western house might go, 'Yeah, that feels about OK,' at Japan Studio, I would say I want this and I want that, and they were like, 'OK, we're going to make sure it's pinpoint perfect in that respect so it feels good."
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