So
one day, I saw a post from a fan page on Facebook for this freeware horror
puzzle game Ib. Said post contained a link leading to another game by the name
of Midnight Puppeteer. And after playing it, I can certainly say it was really
worth looking at. In fact, here’s the link; it’s a freeware game: http://vgperson.com/games/midnightpuppeteer.htm
Story
 |
| How (in)convenient... |
Mayo
Michino, her father Sohta, and her living, foul mouthed teddy bear Masper are
on their way home. However, their car engine stops working all of a sudden.
Sohta decides to go get help, and finds a mansion on a path through the woods.
After waiting for roughly half an hour, Mayo gets worried that something might
have happened to him, and enters the mansion with Masper.
Midnight
Puppeteer is a short, yet very story driven game. A lot of the background of
the events prior to the story, as well as backstory behind the mansion are all
found in notes and book throughout the game. The latter half of the game also
gets quite heavy on the cutscenes, though it really helps with backstory, and
it also sets up for the last bits of the game.
The
game is also able to pull off atmosphere, very, VERY well. It’s not a horror
game by any means, but the fact that you’re alone at night in an eerie mansion
kept me nervous throughout the majority of the game.
Gameplay
The
gameplay is pretty simple. You move using the arrow keys, examine objects with Enter,
and open the menu with X. You spend the game solving puzzles throughout the
mansion. Why there are puzzles in a mansion like this is integrated into the
story as well. For the most part, you’ll never feel hopelessly lost, but some
of the solutions are a bit cryptic and require you to look more closely at your
surroundings. Do note, however, that there are a few occasions where screwing
up will lead to a Game Over, so save often. As a whole I think the puzzles are
creative and the difficulty curve is just right, even for a player who’s never
touched a puzzle game before.
Graphics
and Soundtrack
The
game uses simple, yet good looking spritework. The interfaces are also very
clean and everything feels very polished. The character artwork looks very
nice, and there’s quite a bit of attention to detail here and there. The
graphical style is simple, but still manages to be atmospheric. As for the
soundtrack, it helps reinforce the eeriness of the game. On top of that, there
are also really good tracks that fit the more emotional moments of the game.
Length
Midnight
Puppeteer is a fairly short adventure, clocking in at around 4 hours. There’s alternate
endings to see, but it’s not much. Considering the scope of the story, though,
the length is just right. And in this case, it makes the game more accessible
since you can check it out and beat it all in an afternoon.
Verdict:
9/10
Well,
Midnight Puppeteer is a small, short game, so it’s better to check it out for
yourself to see how you feel about it. But to sum it up, it’s a nice puzzle
game with an interesting story, good soundtrack, and creepy atmosphere. It’s
definitely worth a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment