Puppet House is a horror game with ample puzzles, albeit simple ones. It’s nothing amazing, nor did I find it awful, just… mediocre. I get nervous each time I play an Indie horror on Steam as there’s many unfinished, asset flips titles, and so Puppet House was a pleasant surprise in this regard.


Pros

• Straightforward game with simple puzzles (could be a con if you’re looking for something more complicated)
  
• Few areas to explore with notes to find

Cons

• The protagonists voice & voice acting…
  
• Predictable story

You play as a Detective named Rick who also has a hobby of investigating the paranormal. He heads to a ventriloquists house after learning abut many people in the area mysteriously disappearing. Shortly after, a demonic puppet begins to hunt Rick, carefully watching his every move, readying to strike.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879774

Unfortunately the entire plot is extremely predictable from my above paragraph with absolutely zero creativity to try and spice things up.

Thankfully, there are no long chase sequences or overly cheap jumpscares and the gameplay is mainly exploring and solving some fairly simple puzzles. Although there are a few jumpscares and even QTE’s, they’re done sparingly, which I appreciated.

There are ample puzzles but almost all of which can be practically immediately solved. Need a code to enter a room? Turn the corner to photograph a paper with the code handily written on it. Once you do a few of these “puzzles”, you quickly learn how the game operates and if you’re missing something, just look around that area and you’ll find it, as there’s not really a need for backtracking.
Personally, I didn’t mind the easy puzzles but its best to keep this in mind prior to playing so you know what you’re getting into.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879720

As you’re going about your merry business around the decrepit house and surrounds, the evil puppet jumps out at you, makes things fall and sometimes even attacks you. I wouldn’t say that this game is “scary” but it is obvious the Developers tried to create high tension in these moments but the actual puppet itself was…. Kinda funny. At least to me, his small stature scurrying around the place and his innocent look didn’t really evoke fear in me. Even when he was holding a little knife it was just kind of, funny? Comparing him to Chucky, Chucky was evil in every facet, especially with his taunts and evil grin. Our demonic puppet here just… didn’t really have any of that.

Nevertheless, I wanted to see what else this puppet had in store for me and I was compelled to continue in my journey of puzzle solving and exploration.


Default FPS was set to 30 for some reason… thankfully there’s an option to change it. The game is also very dark and I could barely see inside the house. I had to turn my ingame brightness to nearly max to make out some vague figures. Otherwise, the visuals are decent and do a good job at conveying the eerie surroundings.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879854

Audio… on the other hand. Well, the protagonist Rick’s VA was awful. He is like the stereotype of video game /old movie detectives. The husky, cancer-filled lungs of some old white guy who is trying to do his job but is secretly tormented by his own demons, usually an alcoholic. I am sure you know the type. His lines are delivered poorly and his tone, non-existent. I would have much preferred a mute protagonist.

This game was played using mouse & keyboard, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Playtime: Almost two hours, only missing two achievements and reading/collecting all notes
Replayability value: None. There is no chapter select either.


Puppet House is almost exactly what I expected from it. A horror game filled with puzzles that is neither memorable in a good or bad way. At no point in the game was I wanting to quit, yet after I finished, I had already forgot what happened at the start of the game (when it only took me 108 minutes to finish). If you’re looking for some easy puzzles with a wicked little demon-puppet, I recommend this on a heavy sale, but also know that you’re not missing out on too much if you choose to give this a miss.

I tend to review wholesome, puzzle, horror and narrative-driven games. If that sounds up your alley, please feel free to check out my curator page Cookie Reviews.

Review copy kindly provided by IndieGems

Puppet House is a horror game with ample puzzles, albeit simple ones. It’s nothing amazing, nor did I find it awful, just… mediocre. I get nervous each time I play an Indie horror on Steam as there’s many unfinished, asset flips titles, and so Puppet House was a pleasant surprise in this regard. [b] [u]Pros[/u] [/b] [list] [*] Straightforward game with simple puzzles (could be a con if you’re looking for something more complicated) [*] Few areas to explore with notes to find [/list] [b] [u]Cons[/u] [/b] [list] [*] The protagonists voice & voice acting… [*] Predictable story [/list] [h1]Story[/h1] You play as a Detective named Rick who also has a hobby of investigating the paranormal. He heads to a ventriloquists house after learning abut many people in the area mysteriously disappearing. Shortly after, a demonic puppet begins to hunt Rick, carefully watching his every move, readying to strike. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879774 Unfortunately the entire plot is extremely predictable from my above paragraph with absolutely zero creativity to try and spice things up. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Thankfully, there are no long chase sequences or overly cheap jumpscares and the gameplay is mainly exploring and solving some fairly simple puzzles. Although there are a few jumpscares and even QTE’s, they’re done sparingly, which I appreciated. There are ample puzzles but almost all of which can be practically immediately solved. Need a code to enter a room? Turn the corner to photograph a paper with the code handily written on it. Once you do a few of these “puzzles”, you quickly learn how the game operates and if you’re missing something, just look around that area and you’ll find it, as there’s not really a need for backtracking. Personally, I didn’t mind the easy puzzles but its best to keep this in mind prior to playing so you know what you’re getting into. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879720 As you’re going about your merry business around the decrepit house and surrounds, the evil puppet jumps out at you, makes things fall and sometimes even attacks you. I wouldn’t say that this game is “scary” but it is obvious the Developers tried to create high tension in these moments but the actual puppet itself was…. Kinda funny. At least to me, his small stature scurrying around the place and his innocent look didn’t really evoke fear in me. Even when he was holding a little knife it was just kind of, funny? Comparing him to Chucky, Chucky was evil in every facet, especially with his taunts and evil grin. Our demonic puppet here just… didn’t really have any of that. Nevertheless, I wanted to see what else this puppet had in store for me and I was compelled to continue in my journey of puzzle solving and exploration. [h1]Visuals & Sound[/h1] Default FPS was set to 30 for some reason… thankfully there’s an option to change it. The game is also very dark and I could barely see inside the house. I had to turn my ingame brightness to nearly max to make out some vague figures. Otherwise, the visuals are decent and do a good job at conveying the eerie surroundings. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405879854 Audio… on the other hand. Well, the protagonist Rick’s VA was awful. He is like the stereotype of video game /old movie detectives. The husky, cancer-filled lungs of some old white guy who is trying to do his job but is secretly tormented by his own demons, usually an alcoholic. I am sure you know the type. His lines are delivered poorly and his tone, non-existent. I would have much preferred a mute protagonist. [h1]Technical & Stats [/h1] [quote][b]This game was played using mouse & keyboard, and with the following PC specs.:[/b] AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz 32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM Radeon RX 6800 XT 2560x1440 resolution NVMe 3.0 SSD Windows 10[/quote] [b]Playtime:[/b] Almost two hours, only missing two achievements and reading/collecting all notes [b]Replayability value:[/b] None. There is no chapter select either. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Puppet House is almost exactly what I expected from it. A horror game filled with puzzles that is neither memorable in a good or bad way. At no point in the game was I wanting to quit, yet after I finished, I had already forgot what happened at the start of the game (when it only took me 108 minutes to finish). If you’re looking for some easy puzzles with a wicked little demon-puppet, I recommend this on a heavy sale, but also know that you’re not missing out on too much if you choose to give this a miss. [quote] I tend to review wholesome, puzzle, horror and narrative-driven games. If that sounds up your alley, please feel free to check out my curator page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34936724/] Cookie Reviews[/url]. [/quote] Review copy kindly provided by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] [b]IndieGems[/b][/url]