Once Upon A Puppet

About Once Upon A Puppet

Once Upon A Puppet is a single player casual platformer game with horror, fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Flatter Than Earth and was released on April 23, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Control the strings of fate and embark on a grand adventure with Drev and Nieve. A magical, story-driven 2.5D puzzle-platformer where puppeteering mechanics and a whimsical, theater-inspired world intertwine.

+19

Skip Games Like Once Upon A Puppet

Looking for games like Once Upon A Puppet? Here are top casual platformer recommendations with a horror, fantasy and dark fantasy focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Raji: An Ancient Epic, Hob or Ori and the Blind Forest.

79%2.6kreviews

Raji: An Ancient Epic

2020

Role Playing

80%3.6kreviews

Hob

2017

Open World Hack and Slash

90%26.4kreviews

Ori and the Blind Forest

2015

Open World Role Playing

85%1.6kreviews

The Midnight Walk

2025

Action Adventure

90%3.3kreviews

South of Midnight

2025

Platformer

78%2.3kreviews

RiME

2017

Open World Platformer

74%3.2kreviews

Contrast

2013

Casual Platformer

+11

94%3.3kreviews

Moss

2018

Casual Platformer

77%2.6kreviews

Nihilumbra

2013

Casual Platformer

+13

84%2.5kreviews

Iconoclasts

2018

Open World Platformer

+12

More games like Once Upon A Puppet

Skip User Reviews

Reviews

92%Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

story17 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Unique and charming story with strong narrative and emotional depth centered around puppetry and theatrical themes.
Beautiful and distinctive art style with handcrafted environments, smooth animations, and excellent sound design that enhance the immersive experience.
Engaging and approachable puzzle-platformer gameplay emphasizing creativity and atmosphere over mechanical difficulty, suitable for players seeking a relaxed, cozy adventure.

Game mechanics and platforming controls can feel imprecise and occasionally frustrating, especially during timing-heavy sections or combat encounters.
Pacing issues with slow start and repetitive gameplay loops early on, causing some players to find it boring or tedious.
Several bugs and technical issues, including glitches that can block progress and uneven checkpoint placements, which can detract from overall enjoyment.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 49% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The story in "Once Upon a Puppet" is widely praised for its heartfelt, atmospheric, and visually distinctive narrative that blends theatrical elements with a strong sense of emotional depth and character development. While some found the plot occasionally predictable or lengthy, the overall execution, worldbuilding, and thematic exploration of light and darkness create a compelling and immersive experience. The story-driven approach, supported by environmental storytelling and collectibles, stands out as a key strength, making it a memorable journey despite some gameplay or mechanical criticisms.
- “Once Upon a Puppet is a story-driven puzzle platformer that wears its theatrical identity proudly, presenting a world that feels less like a traditional game setting and more like a living stage production.”
- “The main characters especially go through a tumultuous adventure telling a beautiful story with some great character development and growth.”
- “The story was to die for, sad, but kept you wanting to continue to find out the truth.”
- “There is little to no reason to interact with the other characters in this game since they don't hold any weight or impact the story or gameplay in any way, so I found myself just skipping everything, moving from one room to the next.”
- “The cut scenes pretty much clear up the story as well, so I didn't see a point in reading them.”
- “On the positive side: I loved everything about this game—the exquisite 3D graphics, mechanical/physics-based solutions to progressing, and the basic storyline (though it got laborious reading the novel-length narrative).”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16% positive mentions, 72% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions
The gameplay blends adventure, parkour, and puzzle elements with unique physics-based mechanics centered on controlling a puppet and its thread, creating a creative and expressive experience. However, some players find the mechanics repetitive, controls somewhat loose or finnicky, and pacing impacted by lengthy dialogue, leading to occasional frustration and reduced challenge. Despite minor technical issues and less emphasis on tight platforming precision, the gameplay is praised for supporting the game's artistic vision and narrative focus.
- “Great indie adventure platformer with a unique story and gameplay.”
- “This bond is not only emotional but mechanical, as the thread becomes the primary tool for traversal and puzzle solving.”
- “As new abilities are introduced, these mechanics grow more expressive, reinforcing the idea that progress is tied to learning how to “perform” within the world rather than simply mastering reflexes.”
- “There is little to no reason to interact with the other characters in this game since they don't hold any weight or impact the story or gameplay in any way, so I found myself just skipping everything and going from one room to the next.”
- “The gameplay was repetitive; it wasn't a puzzle game but more of just an obstacle course game.”
- “Occasional technical hiccups, uneven checkpoint placement, and looseness in platforming can detract from immersion, particularly for players expecting tight mechanical challenge.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55% positive mentions, 45% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game features a distinctive, handcrafted art style that blends storybook whimsy with somber tones, complemented by exquisite 3D graphics and animated cutscenes. The visuals are consistently praised for their beauty, smooth performance, and atmospheric impact, enhancing the narrative and overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the graphics as a standout element that makes the game visually captivating and emotionally engaging.
- “Every environment feels handcrafted, with a distinctive art style that blends storybook whimsy and somber undertones.”
- “Another positive I would say are the animated cutscenes, it's overall a very attractive art style used.”
- “On the plus side: I loved everything about this game: the exquisite 3D graphics, mechanical/physics based solutions to moving on, and the basic storyline.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 49% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its high quality and seamless integration with sound design, enhancing the theatrical and emotional atmosphere. Many users highlight the beautiful, carefully crafted soundtracks that complement the story, characters, and artwork, making the overall experience immersive and enjoyable.
- “The music was on point at every turn!”
- “The way the music and sound wrap together with the handcrafted artwork is really quite breath-taking.”
- “Sound design and music further enhance the theatrical atmosphere.”
- “Now for the negatives... the lack of music is killer here.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is deeply immersive, blending visual storytelling, sound design, and music to create a theatrical and heartfelt experience. It emphasizes narrative and artistic expression over gameplay precision, making it especially appealing to those who appreciate distinctive art styles and atmospheric storytelling.
- “Rather than relying on bombastic spectacle, the experience builds its charm through atmosphere, visual storytelling, and a strong sense of narrative purpose, making it clear that this is a journey meant to be felt as much as played.”
- “The atmosphere is very fitting for the story, and the art direction hit the nail on the head for a theater with puppets!”
- “This is much more of a narrative, atmospheric experience that you play through while enjoying the visuals, story, and surprise events.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game delivers a heartfelt emotional experience by intertwining its mechanical bond with themes of abandonment, ambition, and self-worth, creating sincere character relationships. Although some pacing issues arise from dialogue-heavy moments, these deepen the emotional context rather than hinder engagement. Overall, it offers a wholesome and visually distinctive fairytale that prioritizes storytelling and atmosphere.
- “Themes of abandonment, artistic ambition, and self-worth run throughout the journey, giving emotional weight to what could otherwise be a simple fairy-tale setup.”
- “The relationship between the two leads evolves gradually, and while the overarching plot follows a familiar arc, its execution is sincere enough to feel heartfelt rather than predictable.”
- “Some pacing issues do arise, particularly when extended dialogue sequences interrupt gameplay flow, but these moments often serve to deepen emotional context rather than stall progress entirely.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 20% negative mentions
The optimization is somewhat lacking, with mechanics that could be improved, but the game’s artistic presentation and mood-enhancing elements create a unique, immersive experience. While it may not appeal to those seeking complex gameplay, it offers good value, especially at a discount.
- “It may not satisfy players looking for demanding platforming or complex systems, but for those drawn to narrative-rich adventures and unique artistic worlds, it offers a memorable journey that feels like stepping into a forgotten play and helping it find its final, meaningful performance.”
- “I would say depending on your budget either pick this up full price or if you can get it for a steep discount at which point it's easily worth it if you're up for an unforgettable performance!”
- “Mechanics and optimization could be better.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Users report occasional minor lags and glitches during gameplay, but these issues are infrequent and easily manageable, often with simple workarounds. Overall, the game's stability is solid with only minor interruptions.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Character development is praised for effectively conveying a tumultuous and beautiful story, with well-designed characters that complement the stageplay-like puppet aesthetic. The main characters experience significant growth throughout the adventure.
- “The main characters especially go through a tumultuous adventure telling a beautiful story with some great character development and growth.”
- “The whole vibe of a stage play with puppets is pulled off very well not only with the aforementioned locales but also the character designs themselves.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding is noted as tedious due to repetitive clicking to advance character text, which can detract from the overall experience despite good voice acting.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users found some moments of humor, such as the "nieve one," amusing, but overall their impression of the game's humor was mixed or underwhelming.

Skip Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

77%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews

Skip Game Offers

Buy Once Upon A Puppet

Some of these are affiliate links — if you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Once Upon A Puppet is a casual platformer game with horror, fantasy and dark fantasy themes. Common tags for Once Upon A Puppet include indie, trading, 2.5d, emotional, family friendly and others.

Once Upon A Puppet is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Once Upon A Puppet was released on April 23, 2025.

Once Upon A Puppet was developed by Flatter Than Earth.

Once Upon A Puppet has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Once Upon A Puppet for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Once Upon A Puppet is a single player game.

Similar games include Raji: An Ancient Epic, Hob, Ori and the Blind Forest, The Midnight Walk, South of Midnight and others.

Once Upon A Puppet

Platforms

Games Like Once Upon A Puppet

Raji: An Ancient Epic

Hob

Ori and the Blind Forest

The Midnight Walk

South of Midnight

RiME

Contrast

Moss

Nihilumbra

Iconoclasts

Reviews

story

gameplay

graphics

music

atmosphere

emotional

optimization

stability

character development

grinding

humor

Critic Reviews