Survival horror is slowly once again picking up some steam in gaming, and Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets is continuing that trend. Developed by @TonyDevGame, a solo indie developer who released the game’s prologue earlier this year, the game aims to send shivers down your spine while also giving you a gun to shoot scary puppets with.
The question now arises: is Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets good? Or more specifically, does it redefine or at least try to reinvent the survival horror genre? The answer is, unfortunately, almost.
Too Many Puppets, Not Enough Mastery
The story set up by Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets is actually quite interesting and is one of the better elements of the game. Throughout the game, as you come across more and more puppets, you end up asking yourself how all of this even happened in the first place as you try to find a missing man while uncovering the secrets behind the many atrocities that took place.
This is all amplified by the game’s amazing visuals, made possible because of the PS5. The lighting is especially drop-dead gorgeous in some areas, especially in the amusement park. The visuals then pair well with the game’s well-crafted atmosphere. The darkness, the puppets, and the blood—it all pairs amazingly well.
But speaking of the blood, sometimes one must ask if there is a little too much blood. It hits hard the first time you see it and is certainly frightening, but once you see it splattered on every single wall, it gets old, and the original moment loses its impact as a result.
And unfortunately, a lot of the good things end past this point. Throughout the game, without giving anything away, there were a few instances where I was completely taken out of the immersion. For starters, a lot of the level design can be a little overly complicated, and since the game doesn’t give you a guiding hand, there were times where I just felt exhausted and lost the immersion that I had.
Not to mention the title character’s voice acting is way too reminiscent of Resident Evil HD and not what one would expect from a game made in 2024. Although the letters in the game did add a lot to the game’s atmosphere, there were one or two instances where the way they were worded definitely threw me off.
Speaking of the game’s ‘environment‘, during my time with the game, there were two instances where I got stuck in the debris, went back to the main menu, and then had to load back into the game. The frustrating part of this was that my last save would be at some older telephone-save device, so I would have to retrace my steps back to where I was.
Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets is, To Put It Bluntly, Janky
Although the game’s environments and level design were sights to behold, the same cannot be said for the gameplay. It’s almost as if the camera is against you, which is standard for a survival horror game, but in this case, the weird latency felt after you let go of the right stick is both nauseating and very off-putting.
Movement is usually restricted in games like this, but restricted wouldn’t even begin to describe Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets‘ movement. Even when sprinting, it is so painfully slow that any flow and immersion that you felt are immediately lost.
The gunplay is serviceable, especially since the designs of enemies are quite spectacular and getting a headshot off is incredibly satisfying. Inventory management can be interesting, as is the case with games in this genre. And the rides and attractions at the amusement park do add a lot of life to the game.
But overall, Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets leaves a lot to be desired. It’s janky mechanics, and immersion breaking moments stick out like sore thumbs, but the horrifying atmosphere, frightening story, and beautifully haunted environments save it from being a complete dumpster fire.
Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets is, unfortunately, not a jack of all trades, and neither is it a master of any.
