|| REVIEW || Hello Puppets (PC / VR)
Developed By : Otherworld Interactive Published By : tinyBuild
Category : VR, Horror, Exploration, Puzzle
Release Date : October 22, 2020
The horror genre is one I've always had a...complex relationship with. In just about any form, books, movies, shows, I can't get enough of it. I got introduced to horror movies when I was pretty young so I was kind of desensitized a bit to it. However, games were...different. Games forced me to participate in the horror, so while I loved it, I also hated it because for pretty much the first time ever I found myself actually getting scared at points.
As much as I hated getting scared though, I loved it and kept going back for more and more horror games. Eventually, as the technology advanced and the games got more detailed, I learned that I preferred third-person over first-person games. Getting that first-person perspective always managed to really pull me into the game and make the jump scares a lot easier. So, you can imagine just how excited I was to take it a step further and throw on a VR headset for the horror experience Hello Puppets!
Years ago, an attempt to knock off Sesame Street was made, and Mortimer's Handeemen hit the airwaves. The only problem...it was a knock off, and very quickly crashed and burned. Literally. A fire swept through the studio consuming everything inside, including the staff. It didn't take long for rumors to start that the studio became haunted. You play as a college reporter who's broken inside the studio to see if there's any truth to the legends.
Once inside, the destruction fills the halls. Pieces of equipment are thrown all about and chaos seems to be all that remains inside the old studio. You find yourself drawn to a small puppet-sized stage, and once you get close enough it comes to life...sort of. An automated Mortimer chats with you a little bit about you naturally being star struck meeting the star of the show, before asking you to pick one of the five puppets before you to wear on your hand. Only, you find out that as much as you're wearing the puppet, the puppet wears you. Mortimer chants some crazy incantation and you find yourself lost in your own mind with your selected puppet beckoning you towards them.
Scout, your puppet, is shocked to see you so cognizant. You learn that the rumors are actually true and the studio is essentially haunted by an evil force possessing all the old puppets. Luckily, Scout is "somewhat less evil" and together the two of you hope to escape. The only thing standing in your way is a series of tests in which Scout needs to prove that you are very much her puppet and she has full control over you, so you'll need to work together.
At first, Hello Puppets just seems like a spooky puzzle game. You come upon a series of machines that are meant to be worked by two beings simultaneously. So to help Scout you'll need to pay attention and make sure you do things together. Because...you know, she's controlling you. Eventually you'll get to ones where you'll need to hold Scout into a side area to make sure there's no cheating, and even a steam filled room where you need to hold her up high and follow her directions to find the shut off switch.
As nice as it would be, puzzles are the only thing you'll be concerned with inside the studio. Some sections of the studio are quite dark, but if you bop Scout on the head she turns into a flashlight for you. However, you'll also need to deal with gigantic patrolling sock puppets, roaming through these areas, and if they see your light they'll come right for you. They aren't your only threat...but I wouldn't want to ruin all of the surprises.
The game does a great job of using the "puppet" mechanic. The points where you need to have Scout see for you, you'll actually need to hold her in the proper place or it won't work. In the steamy room, you need to hold her straight over your head so she can see and guide you to the shut off switch, and a couple moments my arm got a little tired and I was promptly yelled at to hold her higher. The same goes for the machines where she needs to be held off to the side, if she can't see you'll find yourself being scolded.
Being my first horror VR game, I was anxious enough putting on the headset to boot up Hello Puppets. I was hopeful that the cartoony, unrealistic approach would be a saving grace but it didn't matter one bit for me. Just walking down the initial hallway before meeting Mortimer at the small stage was creepy enough. I'm not even ashamed to admit that the first time getting caught by a sock puppet, I practically threw the headset off my head.
In the end though, it's a fun game and it works really well. My only complaint is that none of the controls are really shown or explained to you, so I was about an hour in before I realized I could even run/sprint. I did encounter a small "bug" like issue during one of the chase scenes where I was supposed to be pressing a couple of buttons together with Scout and it wouldn't register at all. I simply reloaded the area and it worked fine after the load, but it was definitely frustrating in the moment.
As a whole, the game isn't extremely long, and depending on how you handle being inside the headset you could easily one shot this title. But despite it being pretty short, Hello Puppets is a ton of fun. If you find yourself wanting more than just the run and escape through the studio, one of the old workers had apparently been up to some sneaky stuff and left secret rooms around with recorded tapes that will give you a ton of backstory and info to the world of the show. So definitely consider this one for your library and enjoy every step you take through a show that once was.
Game Rating : 8.5 / 10
Pick up the game HERE on Steam
A code for this game was graciously provided
to the site for the purpose of a review
