Heroes in video games come in all shapes, sizes, and genders. A lot of the characters are admittedly men from the faceless suited-up body of Master Chief fromHaloto the spiked-up hair of Cloud fromFinal Fantasy 7. There are cases where humanoids are not the stars though and are instead replaced by animals or even stranger, puppets.
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Sometimes these puppets or dolls have unique abilities that take advantage of their traits and sometimes they don’t behave differently from humanoids. The following examples will run the gamut on both sides of the coin starting in the 90s and working up to the present day.
7Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7has a plethora of characters to choose from including the main hero, Cloud. One of the later additions is Cait Sith who is a talking cat that rides on top of a giant Moogle. At first, it seems like Cait Sith is controlling the Moogle, but it is later revealed that the cat part of Cait Sith is also a puppet being controlled remotely by another human character.
Since Cait Sith is going to be in the next remake addition,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, who that person is will not be spoiled here. Players are going to get more control out of the character than ever before thanks to that game, or at least it seems that way based on the latest trailer.
6The Gunstringer
The Xbox 360 followed the motion controller trend when it announced andreleased the Kinectfor the system. Of the many mistakes in its history, that has to be toward the top. It wasn’t bad but it was not well supported as if someone at the company didn’t believe in the Kinect.
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One of the best games for the peripheral though wasThe Gunstringer, which had players control a gunslinger in a Western. Players would manipulate their character like a marionette in this shooter as if they were putting on a show. It was simple but effective and was just an overall fun game. It’s just too bad it is nearly impossible to play with the original hardware.
5It Takes Two
It Takes Twohas a dire setup for the plot involving two parents on the verge of divorce. Their child is upset by this news and their wish turns the parents into dolls, which is basically a puppet. Thisco-op-only gameforces these two parents to cooperate through a series of puzzles and platforms to somehow break this curse.
It’s a great game for couples or for just friends wanting to play one of the most unique platformers of the past decade. It has a good heartfelt story too that is probably going to make someone cry, but that’s not a bad thing.
4Lies Of P
Lies of Pis the game that inspired this list in the first place. He may not look like the puppet depicted in Disney’s movie, but Pinocchio inLies of Pis certainly a doll. A doll that is reinforced with the latest technology no doubt because he can slay through other mechanical puppets like there is no tomorrow.
It’s an interesting take on the classic fable to make it intoa Soulslike experiencethat seems inspired specifically byBloodborne. What fable is going to get the Soulslike bump next?Sleeping Beauty?Snow White?The Little Mermaid?
3LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanetfalls into the same category asIt Tales Twobecause the playable Sackboy characters are more doll-like than puppet-like. However, the manipulation players have over their Sackboys is more articulate like a puppet.
Justifications aside, the unique thing about this game was the inclusion of its building mechanics. Players could go through a campaign alone or withfriends in co-opor they could make their own levels. The wealth of options only became more complex as the series went on.
2Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
Mariofans who never experiencedSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starsin the 90s are finally going to understand why Geno receives so much hype online. That’s because the game is getting a full remake on the Switch which is due out soon.
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The overall game has Mario collecting stars to stop a gang of villains, not Bowser, from making evil wishes. Geno is a puppet that gets possessed by one of the guardians of these magical stars. He, along with several others, joins Mario on his RPG quest.
1Puppeteer
Puppeteeris an amazing lost game from the end ofthe PS3 era. It launched close to the PS4, which is one reason why it could have been overshadowed. Negatives aside, this platformer stars Kutaro, a puppet that gets bestowed a magical pair of scissors. Players can use them to hurt enemies or to cut through certain fabrics in the faux stage plays that make up the levels.
It’s a unique aesthetic to be sure and it still looks good natively on a PS3. Besides the scissors, Kutaro can also remove his head to pick up new ones which all have varying powers from burgers to bananas to skulls. Perhaps one day Sony will release a remaster of this hidden gem or even a sequel.
