Once Upon a Puppet to come to life in 2025

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Magical puzzle-platforming adventure about a wooden puppet and string puller coming to PC and consoles

The relationship between puppet and string puller is always a complicated one. Where does one end and the other begin? That question is at the heart of Flatter Than Earth's upcoming fantasy puzzle-platformer Once Upon a Puppet, in which players will have the chance to control both in helping them work together as one.

The game is set in the Kingdom of Theater, where a sad king "yearns to create the perfect story." Unable to provide that for him, a living Stagehand – literally a hand – named Nieve is forever exiled to the Understage below. There she meets a fellow outcast, a stringless wooden marionette named Drev, to whom she soon becomes unwittingly bound together by a "magical spool and thread." Now, in order to "disentangle themselves and return to the theater above," Nieve, the "talented Weaver beset by self-doubt," and Drev, the "naive but ambitious Actor," must utilize their unique skills to cooperatively overcome the many obstacles in their path. Along the way, the pair will "retell forgotten stories and uncover the dark secrets of the Understage." In doing so, they will come to realize how their fates are intertwined with that of the kingdom itself.  

Inspired by the "art and beauty of theater," Once Upon a Puppet takes players through a variety of 2.5D backstage set pieces filled with a cast of colourful characters, an "array of collectible costumes, a dose of dramatic flair and some wholehearted vaudeville humor." And occasional danger, as lurking in the shadows is a "troupe of villainous creatures who will do all they can to snuff out the lights and bring the show to an untimely end." The "puppet-inspired gameplay" will involve some light platforming and environmental puzzle solving that requires both characters to accomplish, such as moving and arranging "props, backdrops and characters to rebuild theatrical stages, and re-enact scenes to unveil what befell the once proud World Stage." To succeed, you must switch control between Nieve and Drev at times, using the unique abilities of each to get both past their shared challenges, "setting the stage for an experience that blends player and performer." 

There is no target release date yet, but Once Upon a Puppet is due to launch on Steam for Windows PC sometime in 2025, along with console versions for PlayStation, Switch and Xbox platforms. 

• Advertisement
• Help support AGH by advertising with us