Rain and Puppeteer are loaded with offbeat charm.
Sony’s Japan Studio has revealed two new IPs which might reach the PS3 as early as next year; a sedate adventure game provisionally titled Rain and a slick platformer called Puppeteer.
Judging by the trailer in the above right, Rain is a gloomy affair reminiscent of ICO and Limbo. Like those two games, Rain focuses on a young boy trying to rescue a girl, but with a unique twist. At some point, the boy becomes invisible, and only his silhouette outlined by raindrops, splashes in puddles or soggy footprints left on dry ground give away his position. There seem to be similarly invisible enemies to evade and puzzles to solve, but there isn’t really much gameplay to behold in what little footage we have. Regardless, the interesting gimmick and melancholic atmosphere mean Rain is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
In contrast, Puppeteer is a colorful, panto-platformer about a young boy-turned-puppet on a quest to reclaim his own soul. It kind of looks like the mutant offspring of Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Little Big Planet. All the action seems to be set on the same stage – an actual stage, audience and all – which is simply rearranged to represent different levels and areas.
Puppeteer is penciled in for a 2013 release, and a launch window for Rain is TBA.
Source: VideoGameWriters
