Retro video games by no means get previous, which is ironic if you consider it. Irrespective of what number of pixel-art throwbacks to the ‘90s we play, we’re all the time hungry for extra.
That’s why we’re happy to report that The Puppeteer, the debut mission from indie developer Danny Martin, has now arrived on Steam.
As you’ve most likely already gathered from the screenshots, it’s a retro sport by and thru, with pixel-art visuals, blocky backgrounds, and a traditional top-down perspective.
However, like all good retro video games, it introduces a few new concepts to maintain issues recent.
Gameplay-wise, The Puppeteer is an action-adventure RPG that sees you traversing varied environments searching for the titular Puppeteer.
You’re taking part in as Novi, an adventurer who solutions a misery name about an arch mischief-maker, who’s utilizing his darkish magic to show individuals into senseless zombies referred to as “gears”.
These zomboid gears are operating amok in 5 completely different areas, and it’s your job to halt their unfold earlier than confronting the Puppeteer himself in his fortress—which is known as the Puppetress.
En route you’ll discover maze-like environments with the WASD keys whereas hammering the area bar to cut up an infinite succession of bizarre monsters.
In lots of instances, the variety of monsters crowding the display screen will overwhelm you.
That’s the place we discovered the potions helpful. The Puppeteer’s showpiece mechanic is its potion system, which sees you amassing varied berries and mixing them in numerous alternative ways to create potions.
These potions all unlock completely different powers and skills, supplying you with an enormous quantity of scope to experiment with completely different techniques as you battle your manner in the direction of the Puppetress.
The Puppeteer additionally does some fascinating issues with narrative. The titular Puppeteer begins out as a traditional villain, however “inconsistencies” begin to pile up as we progressed.
We loved the twists the sport threw at us – there’s greater than sufficient to maintain even probably the most skilled gamers right here. From each a gameplay and narrative perspective, no imply feat.
Plus, there are a number of completely different endings to expertise, relying on which hidden areas you uncover and which characters you meet, so you’ll be able to add replayability to the rising listing of execs.
The Puppeteer is offered on Steam proper now, and we’d advocate checking it out.
