Features

The humble, old-skool 2D platformer has been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent times - on mobile devices, they're legion and on consoles, Sackboy's mashable exploits continue to delight while the recent release of Rayman: Legends has led to an almost fanatical outpouring of love and admiration from the world's games critics.

So perhaps it's the perfect time to introduce an all-new mascot for this ever-green genre in the shape of Puppeteer, exclusive to the PS3, and possibly one of the most gorgeous looking platformers to ever grace a television screen. The core story details the nefarious exploits of the evil Moon Bear King who has usurped the kingdom's ruler and installed himself on the throne instead, snatching the souls of children while they sleep and using them to power his wooden puppet army. Cue Kutaro, a wooden boy whose head has been lopped off by said bear and is now out to bring the kingdom to its knobbly knees. All very trippy.

With the stage set, the game itself is actually all about the trappings of theatre; well, a pantomime, but with reality show and soap opera rejects swapped for a cast of truly eclectic characters ranging from a massive tiger in need of having its claws cut to a crazed witch.

Such stagecraft is bled convincingly throughout the entire game - across Puppeteer's seven 'acts', scenery set changes fall into place, the old ones dropping away while an unseen audience gasps in horror when you die or break out in rapturous applause when you dispatch a bad guy.

The actual mechanics of the gameplay are also thoroughly entertain. Early on, you'll be blessed with the Calibrus scissors that allow you to fly across stages by cutting through (thus travelling along) a mass of items including smoke, cloth, stitches, feathers and banners. Expect other power-ups to boost your assault on the Moon Bear King - ninja bombs, grappling hooks, deflecting shields and more add variety to the ten hour-plus campaign. And thanks to Kutaro being headless, you'll also find a host of 'replacements' that you can 'wear' that can unlock bonus areas or special items while boosting your health points.

PS Move owners will be thrilled to learn that there is a co-op mode using the peripheral, making this the perfect game for parent and child to play through together. With its generous campaign and excellent replay value, Puppeteer is an artfully produced platformer that offers further evidence that the once presumed dead genre is in fact alive and kicking jumping.