Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent
Game Review

Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent continues the adventures of the detective (that's you!) after you have solved the puppet mystery in Joyville. This time, you are hired to solve another mystery involving puppets (which isn't surprising considering the title of the game). It turns out that late one night, a bunch of dolls suddenly came alive, their heads popping out of their bodies and growing spider legs. After sucking out what is presumably their owners' life forces, they escaped to an unknown destination.

After finding her little daughter in a deep sleep and unable to wake up, a young mother starts to panic and hires a detective to solve the mystery. That's where you come in; finding the little girl deep asleep with a headless doll in her arms, you try to piece together the various parts of the mystery. The situation becomes interesting when you find out that a doll shop has recently been selling beautifully crafted dolls at very low prices. And things get bizarre when you learn that the local fortune teller has been running around predicting doom for the town...

The gameplay in Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent is of an adventure and hidden object game hybrid. You explore various locations around town, going back and forth between scenes to solve puzzles, find objects and interact with items. There are objects such as locks which will require you to solve mini-puzzles. These puzzles are generally of a medium difficulty, and are different enough from standard fare to make them interesting. However, you can skip them if you don't want to solve them.

There also be objects such as a loose plank that you can interact with that may be hiding useful tools or components. Each scene may also contain areas such as a cupboard or display case that will launch a standard hidden object game. The objects in these games are beautifully drawn. They are pretty distinct and aren't too small, making them easy to pick out. Completing these games will also result in your finding tools or item components that will be required later on in your adventures.

What makes the game interesting is that things don't happen linearly. Rather than progressing from one scene to the next and so on, you are required to be observant as you visit each scene in case there are items there that might be needed later on in your journey. For example. you might see a leaking oil lamp in one scene that seems to be just part of the background decor. Later in your adventure, you might encounter a lock that's rusted shut. Hopefully you will realize that oil can be used to get past the rusted lock, and hopefully you will remember where you saw the leaking oil lamp to provide said oil.

There's something really creepy about dolls and puppets, especially those missing eyes or other body parts. Actually, even those perfect porcelain dolls with the pasted smiles are creepy. This creepiness and macabre feel are presented very well in the game, creating a thrilling and intense adventure experience. And it doesn't hurt that the artwork and soundtrack are both really good. The art is very well painted and detailed. The art style perfectly captures the old Victorian architecture as well as the macabre feel of dolls and puppets coming alive. The soundtrack and sound effects also support the game by creating a haunting and thrilling feel.

Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent is a good game and a fitting sequel in the PuppetShow series. The story is fresh and interesting enough to capture the imagination, and the gameplay supports it with good puzzles and minigames. Overall, a very good entertainment package. You can get the basic version of the PC game here, or you can get the Collector's Edition which includes exclusive extras including hours of bonus gameplay, a strategy guide, wallpapers, screensavers and exclusive behind-the-scenes "making of" commentary. Time to go play with some dolls! Or get the basic version or the Collector's Edition of the Mac game.

Check out the other games in this series!

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

Puppet Show: Souls of the Innocent Collector's Edition

Mind's Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten

The Tarot's Misfortune

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