Enter the home of a ventriloquist whose puppet kills any who dare enter. Well, after a few people disappear, I thought I’d take it upon myself to investigate. Puppet House is a new escape room horror made by Vecube Studio and Spirit Games Studio. Recently, it came out on Steam for £13.99.
Who’s really pulling the strings?
We play Rick Evans, a detective investigating the Hills House after hearing people go missing. Once we arrive at the house, Rick oddly gets knocked out while attempting to enter the premises. This begins what seems to be the start of one hell of a night in the Puppet House.
Gameplay
There isn’t any combat, apart from some QTE (Quick-Time-Events) happening at scripted points. However, for an escape room game, the key is the puzzles. There are a good amount of them. When trying to do a puzzle, the answer is always nearby or telegraphed in a way that it’s hard to miss. When finding an answer to a puzzle, Rick can snap a photo so that you can easily look at it instead of walking back. The puzzles themselves aren’t anything challenging but with how quickly you move onto the next puzzle you’ll be grateful.
You’ll explore the Puppet House looking for notes that explain the story of the said puppet. Most of these notes are in the open, but a couple will be in drawers or cabinets. I’m honestly happy that the notes actually tell a story and aren’t just filler text. All notes and clues are available to the player in their inventory. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about health or stamina as well.
Graphics & Audio
Puppet House’s graphics and audio are pretty decent. The lighting and textures look good, and the design of the environment is suitably grungy and creepy. The maps were straight forward which is great because it’s tedious when you’re lost circling the area for a puzzle clue or finding your way.
Some things made the experience comedic, but in a good way. The main character sounded a little too edgy; think a disgruntled Batman after 20 cigarettes a day. The design of the puppet also made me chuckle a little, especially with its massive head.
Longevity
Puppet House has 35 achievements to get. I unlocked 32 in my first run through the game. The last couple I didn’t get was to find all the clues and notes. But with how short the game is this probably could be an easy sweep through.
Final Thoughts
Puppet House was a short and sweet game, clocking me in just over two hours. And for £13.99, I’m not complaining. It was a fun, simple story and the puzzles were enjoyable. Now, the scares aren’t really there. I’d say it’s more of a comedy, especially with the main character’s voice (like get this Man a Lozenge). The game ran smooth, and I didn’t have any problems while playing.
There isn’t overly a lot to say on Puppet House except it deserves the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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