Story and Gameplay
While light on the story side, Hello Puppets! from Otherword Interactive is heavy on the unique setting. environment, and gameplay. With a puppet stuck to your VR hand, it’s up to you to escape the crazy mix of comedy/suspense/horror funhouse that you find yourself in. With a ton of “tech demos more than games” out there for VR, I have to say, Hello Puppets! is definitely on the better side of that fence with a premise escaping from a failed children’s show named “Mortimer’s Handeemen”. Mostly it’s puzzle solving that keeps you going through the 2-4 hour campaign and while on the shot side of things, there are a good handful of thrill and chills to be had.
Visuals and Audio
Most of the game plays out in darker environments for that spooky feel and for the most part, it’s a solid mix of cartoony and creepy. It’s nothing ground breaking but it looks like a good Disney/Tim Burton-esque collaboration and fits the mood/story quite well.
Audio is also on the solid side with better than average voice acting and music where needed. Overall, the audiovisual presentation of the game is quite well done and much better than most VR titles at the present we see rolling in.
What It Could Have Done Better and Verdict
While Puppets overall is a great little diversion, there are a few things that bring the score down a bit. First off is the lack of proper control layouts, especially for a VR title. You can only click to move and that just kills some of the immersion and smoothness of the game. Also, the game is just a tad too short and while you could definitely play again, I just ended up wanting more.. meat with my potatoes. Lastly, there are a few glitches I hope get worked out over time.
To wrap it up, this is a solid VR title with fantastic presentation in the audio visual department and even more so with it’s twisted settings, humor, and story. If you are looking for a deal, at time of writing, the game is 10% off on Steam. Now get that puppet hand ready and do some escapin!
