At its basic level, Puppeteer is a platformer, but it has two unique gameplay elements attached to it. The first one is a switchable head mechanic, which functions as both the hit points for Kutaro, as well as one of the two attack methods. The other mechanic involves the Calibrus, a magical pair of scissors used for attacking and platforming.
Kutaro and His Many Heads
Kutaro loses his real head at the beginning of the game and must find new ones to help him regain his real one back from the Moon Bear King. There are plenty of things that Kutaro can use for heads, such as a pistol or skull. These heads also serve as Kutaro's health, as he can only carry up to three at a time.
If Kutaro picks up another head while he has three, one of the carried ones will be removed and be replaced. If Kutaro gets hit by an enemy, he will lose one of the heads and once all three are gone, Kutaro will lose a life. There are also some special heads, which are permanent and give Kutaro abilities needed to defeat bosses or progress in stages.
Ying Yang/Pikarina
Players will have access to Ying Yang early on in the game, and then Pikarina after a certain point. These characters can be controlled with the right analog stick, and can be used to collect secrets and crystal shards (think coins from Mario) hidden in the stages' backgrounds. A second player can also control these two characters, freeing up the controls for the first player.
Stages
There are a total of seven Acts in the game, with each Act having a total of three stages, or Curtains as they are called. There are spots in stages that require specific heads, in order to access crystal shards or secret areas. Once you finish these Curtains, they can be replayed at any time. This is necessary, since some of the earlier stages require specific heads to access the secret areas, so players will need to backtrack.
