Puppeteer is a unique and theatrical PS3 exclusive platformer with Kutaro whose head can be exchanged. Sumptuous puppet art direction, charming humour, inventive platforming. An unknown and delicious Sony gem.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer2 players7+
Description
Japan Studio theatrical platformer staging Kutaro, a swappable-head puppet in a nocturnal puppet theater. Published by Sony, released in Europe in September 2013. Unique theatrical presentation with dynamic curtains, over 100 heads to discover with unique abilities, parkour-combat-puzzle gameplay, local two-player co-op, and enchanted narrative. Beautiful game reference. European version.
Puppeteer review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
A puppet theatre staged like a real stage show: curtains, mechanical sets and an audience compose a universe of quaint, enchanting charm. The inventiveness of the staging and the richness of the settings overflow with magic. This art direction, theatrical and polished, has no equivalent.
Theatrical and exuberant, the music unfurls a mischievous orchestra that turns every scene into an enchanted puppet show. Playful melodies and dramatic flights embrace the curtain that rises and falls in plain sight. This sonic richness, teeming and fairy-like, is the whole charm of this tale on stage.
Turned into a puppet by a tyrannical king, a little boy sets out to win back his head and his destiny on a living theatre stage. Told like a puppet show, the tale overflows with imagination, twists and a delightful mischief. This fairy-tale showcase, too little known, charms with its whimsy and its sense of the storybook.
An original and underrated Sony exclusive, a theatrical platformer of rare visual inventiveness that went commercially unnoticed. Its weak initial success limited print runs, making it now a slightly harder piece to find and hunted by fans of the console's overlooked gems. Its desirability lies in this hidden-jewel status rather than an already high price.
An underrated gem
A marvel of staging, this platformer turns every level into a theatrical play where the sets unfold as if by magic, around a puppet that swaps heads to gain new powers. Released late and without promotion, it kept a low profile. Its overflowing visual inventiveness makes it an enchanting spectacle for young and old alike.
Better with friends
A theatrical platformer of wild inventiveness, where a second player can lend a hand by controlling a spirit that grabs objects and secrets on screen. The mutual aid is light but complicit: backing up the main adventure tightens the bond without ever weighing on the pace. Charming and bursting with ideas, it offers a gentle, convivial two-player experience, perfect for sharing a family moment.
Is Puppeteer still worth playing in 2026?
Puppeteer is an overlooked Sony gem, a platformer of overflowing inventiveness and whimsy, presented as a genuine puppet theatre play. Playing Kutaro, a little puppet able to swap his head for a multitude of others with varied powers, gives rise to a gameplay endlessly renewed, dotted with brilliant ideas. The art direction, made of sets that unfold like a stage and of wood-and-fabric characters, radiates a rare charm. The cheerful tone and the complicit humour complete the appeal. For anyone seeking an original and delightful platformer, this exclusive title amply deserves rediscovery.
