Synopsis:
Lead Abby the string puppet through a bruised, but beautiful fairy tale world in this cinematic adventure. Solve riddles, evade traps and shake off pursuers on the way to find freedom. Can Abby take control of her fate with all the strings attached?
Publisher: Mixtvision Games
Reviewed on: PS4
Also available for: PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Developer: kaleidoscube
Lead Credits: Steffwn Oberle, Dominik Schon, Enzio Probst, Elias Kremer
Cast: Shaun Lawton, David Maas, Tom Tolle
A Jugglers Tale is a beautiful story set in a puppet show in which a narrator and puppets tell the tale of a young performer, Abby—performing by day, yet a captive at night. We see our star escape and explore the world to determine her fate, discovering what lies beyond the confines of the circus tent. Abby moves through the world guided by her strings while being tracked by the Hunter Tonda and his crew. Abby has to run, hide, and creatively solve puzzles to defeat and escape these accomplished hunters in a bid not to be found. The unique storytelling narrative includes using the puppet Abby to solve puzzles and explore the beauties and darkness of this constructed world. Players assist Abby by solving puzzles, escaping traps, requiring, at times, the assistance of the puppeteer to continue the journey.
A Juggler’s Tale uses the narrator, puppeteer, theatre, and design as tools to move the story forward. The narrator delivers riddles and rhyme to assist Abby in solving puzzles allowing players to continue the game unaided by external guides. The narrator is used in exciting ways, presented as a friend or foe when the story calls for it.
The dark undertones of the story reminded me of classic fables and games such as Playdeads Inside and Limbo. The bold use of these themes draws the player’s attention to the world around them, characters often moving from beautiful surroundings to darker scenes in mere minutes. The narrative has many meaningful moments, such as seeing a friend sacrifice themself to assist Abby in escaping, helping a wolf to freedom, and returning the favour. When I finished playing A Juggler’s Tale, I was craving more stories.
The score of music used in-game is beautifully performed and fills the world out, combined with the narrator and events experienced in-game, you can feel the love and passion. The sound design is on par with the musical performance bring the ever-delicate sounds into focus. You can feel the joy, fear, and fun of the characters and their world.
A Jugglers Tale is an amazing, short, but intriguing game topping out only at around two to three hours. The game hits the right story beats to bring home a winner. Once I started playing it, I did not want to put down the controller until I discovered Abby’s fate. The narrative and narration are top-tier, the world-building and gameplay are phenomenal.
(A Juggler’s Tale code provided for review)
