Puppet Master

Editorial Worth it

Puppet Master is a tactical RPG with hypnosis/mind-control themes that lands solidly with its intended audience. The writing is witty and character-driven—players consistently praise the humor and personality, comparing it favorably to Rance—and the map design shows real care (torch placement that stops cheese strategies, chests with meaningful rewards, interactive environments). The combat loop is straightforward but engaging, and narrative progression ties character advancement to story beats in clever ways. The main creative weakness is scope: the ending feels abrupt and many character arcs set up by mid-game never pay off. Late-game side characters lack independent stories, and the "Extras" section is sparse. The game also relies entirely on text descriptions for intimate scenes rather than full CGs, which some players accept as a stylistic choice and others see as a missed opportunity for a mature game. Build-wise, it's stable and complete (Chapter 27 is final), though a few players report isolated late-game bugs and some UX friction—the space bar and right-click skip functions cause accidental scene-skipping that forces reloads, and the character progression hints can be obscure even with developer guidance.