History VideoGame / HelloPuppets

* UncertainDoom: Nick Nack and Daisy Danger appear in the prequel, but are absent for the original game. It's [[WordOfGod stated by the creators that they were cut due to time/budget constraints]], so it's left ambiguous whether they're still around or [[spoiler: if Mortimer destroyed them for helping Riley rise up against him.]]
* TheUnfought: Nick Nack is only ever seen through the boards blocking off part of his section. Daisy Danger is never seen in person, only depicted in posters.

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: Owen created Scout before surrendering to the Handeemen in hopes she'd be able to put a stop to them after he was gone. In the end, while Scout does help someone escape them, she ends up dying without really hindering the evil puppets much.]]

* BigFriendlyDog: Rosco was one of these on the puppet show. [[AngryGuardDog Not so much anymore...]]

** [[spoiler: Ditto for Midnight Show. Owen finally succumbs to Mortimer’s influence, though not before perfecting his spell and setting Scout up as a weak link to bring the Handeemen down.

A prequel called ''Hello Puppets: Midnight Show'', which focuses on Handeemen creator Owen Gubberson, was announced for late 2021 for Steam on June 16th of 2021.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Scout, depending on player choice.

* FissionMailed: Riley's final "test" machine is rigged so that you and Scout can't win at it no matter what. Riley did this just before the player enters the chamber, and did it since she just wants both an excuse and a justification to sic Rosco on Scout.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Owen used BlackMagic on his puppets in an attempt to give them souls and lives of their own. It worked, but turned them all into violent, sociopathic caricatures of their "former selves". As Mortimer was the first to be given sentience, he also could channel the same magic and create more puppets.

* MadArtist: Nick Nack, apparently, not that we get to see any of it due to real-life budget constraints for Otherworld Interactive.

* {{Masquerade}}: Mortimer's plan is to integrate back into human society, get ''Mortimer's Handeemen'' popular again, and then take over the world. Seeing as the puppets are controlling human bodies, Mortimer and Riley need their subordinates to convincingly act like a human puppeteer and maintain the masquerade while reviving the show. The player character is forced to be Scout's latest host, with the added wrinkle that she's failed her last two tests; if she fails this one, she [[YouHaveFailedMe doesn't get another chance]].
* MeatPuppet: The integral part of the Handeemen's nature is that they can take over human bodies, assuming complete control over the host's body and completely shutting down the victim's mind and soul thanks to their magic. The player character somehow breaks free of this control, and is forced to work with their would-be controller Scout so that they both survive.

* SnarkyNonHumanSidekick: Scout, who's stuck to the protagonist's arm.

''Hello Puppets!'' is a VR Horror game by Otherworld Interactive.

In the 80's, an obscure children's edutainment puppet show following in the footsteps of Creator/JimHenson aired called ''Mortimer's Handeemen'', known for the title character's unnaturally realistic movements. After a fire broke out in the warehouse where the show was filmed which killed several cast and crew members, the show was canceled and quickly forgotten.

* AffablyEvil: Scout claims to be this, being "slightly less evil" then the rest of the puppets. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that while she has a foul mouth and is originally fine with puppeteering a human who had been mind-wiped, Scout is actually a fairly decent person who treats her host with a reasonable amount of respect for having been forcibly merged into a single being--it's later revealed that she'd also been lied to that humans ''want'' to be made into hosts because the human world is terrible.

* BizarreAlienBiology: The puppets are revealed to have internal organs... which are made of felt, like the rest of them. These organs are apparently functional, given that Scout mentions she needs to breathe and at one point thinks she might throw up. [[spoiler: And losing an arm causes Scout to quickly 'bleed out' like a human would, albeit with fluff instead of blood]].

* FleshGolem: Rosco the "dog" is the result of Riley stitching multiple people and animal parts together in a vaguely canine shape. During the final "tea party" with Mortimer, [[spoiler: it's shown Riley ''stitched her own host into Rosco''.]]

* JumpScare: Several, which usually cause Scout to respond appropriately. Riley uses an early one as a 'Reflex Test', annoying Scout.

* WhoForgotTheLights: Due to being set in a dilapidated warehouse presumably at night, the vast majority of the game is spent in pitch darkness, with occasional lit sections and/or lights going out for scares. Scout's flashlight eyes don't have much power, barely able to light your way two feet in front of you, if that. She can see in the dark perfectly fine and can call out things she's noticed, but that doesn't stop the player from walking into walls.

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Owen Gubberson only wanted to bring his creations to life, convinced that they already had souls of their own. Mortimer murders him by "turning him into a puppet" a la sawing him in half and killing him, effectively rendering Owen himself into an inanimate puppet.]]

''Hello Puppets!'' is a VR Horror game by Otherworld Interactive. In the 80's, an obscure children's edutainment puppet show following in the footsteps of Creator/JimHenson aired called ''Mortimer's Handeemen'', known for the title character's unnaturally realistic movements. After a fire broke out in the warehouse where the show was filmed which killed several cast and crew members, the show was canceled and quickly forgotten.

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Owen only wanted to bring his creations to life, convinced that they already had souls of their own. Mortimer murders him by "turning him into a puppet" a la sawing him in half and killing him, effectively rendering Owen himself into an inanimate puppet.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: While they manage to get away from Rosco, Scout lost her arm unjamming the final door and dies soon after, leaving her host to escape alone.]]

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Owen only wanted to bring his creations to life. Mortimer murders him by "turning him into a puppet" a la sawing him in half.]]

* DisposableVagrant: Most of the hosts were homeless people that had been kidnapped and taken to the warehouse.
* DistinguishingMark: Anthony Pierson tattooed his blog's logo on his hand so he could be identifiable if he was caught by the puppets. [[spoiler: Because of that, you can tell Mortimer's host used to be him.]]
* EmptyShell: The process that animates the puppets is supposed to seal away the victim's free will, rendering them a mindless husk totally under the control of the puppet. The player and Scout are the exception.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Riley's final "test" machine is rigged so that you and Scout can't win at it no matter what. Riley just wants a justification to sic Rosco on Scout.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Owen used BlackMagic on his puppets in an attempt to give them souls and lives of their own. It worked, but turned them all into violent, sociopathic caricatures of their "former selves".

* HorrorComedy: Most of the comedy comes from Scout and her reactions to the player. Other than that, the horrors are played completely straight.

* PerversePuppet: The Handeemen themselves, as well as Riley's creations. Scout herself is a subversion, since although she was supposed to be controlling the player's body, once she opens up to them, Scout turns out to be the friendliest out of all of them.

* RhymesOnADime: Mortimer and Riley do this constantly. It seems to be an enforced rule, as Riley has to keep reminding Scout to do so during her tests. Scout, in turn, indicates that it's an instinctive trait for the Handeemen, and she lost the knack after watching too much human TV.

* SnarkyNonHumanSidekick: Scout, who's stuck to the protagonist's hand.
* StealthPun: The "Human Resources" department of the studio has been repurposed to store hosts until they're needed. Ergo: ''humans that are resources.''

* TakeYourTime: The game is full of these:

** In the final scene, the game doesn't end until after [[spoiler: Scout dies]]. The player can delay this by never answering Scout's questions.
** The end of the tunnel can never be reached, either.

NeedsWikiMagicLove.

* BizarreAlienBiology: The puppets are revealed to have internal organs... which are made of felt, like the rest of them. These organs are apparently functional, given that Scout mentions she needs to breathe and at one point thinks she might throw up. [[spoiler: And losing an arm causes Scout to 'bleed out' like a human would]].

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Scout does this after hearing Riley [[MomentOfWeakness get so angry that she swears]]

* MadScientist: Riley Ruckus, who's turned from a children's show scientist character to a deranged maniac apparently on par with Mengele, according to Anthony Pierson's recordings.
* {{Masquerade}}: Mortimer's plan is to integrate back into human society, get ''Mortimer's Handeemen'' popular again, and then take over the world. Seeing as the puppets are controlling human bodies, Mortimer and Riley need their subordinates to convincingly act like a human puppeteer and their inanimate puppet while reviving the show. The player character is forced to be Scout's latest host, with the added wrinkle that she's failed her last two tests; if she fails this one, she [[YouHaveFailedMe doesn't get another chance]].

* TheUnfought: Nick Nack is only ever seen through the boards blocking off part of his section.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Scout, depending on player choice.

* AffablyEvil: Scout claims to be this being "slightly less evil" then the rest of the puppets. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that while she has a foul mouth and was fine with puppeteering a human who had been mind-wiped, Scout is actually a fairly decent person who treats her host with a reasonable amount of respect for having been forcibly merged into a single being--it's later revealed that she'd also been lied to that humans ''want'' to be made into hosts because the human world is terrible.

* CreepyDoll: The puppets are, to a one, unnerving and unpleasant. It's telling that Scout, the foul-mouthed, short-tempered hand puppet sewn to the player character's arm, is the friendliest and sanest of the lot.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Riley's final "test" machine is rigged so that you and Scout can't win at it no matter what. Riley just wants a justification to sic Rosco on the player.

* MadArtist: Nick Nack
* MadScientist: Riley Ruckus

-->"Rip out thier eyes, eat thier guts, burn thier skin, throw them in the trash ''[[PrecisionFStrike OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!"]]''

* PerversePuppet: The Handeemen themselves, as well as Riley's creations. Scout herself is a subversion, since although she was supposed to be controlling the player's body, once she opens up to them, she turns out to be the friendliest out of all of them.

* RhymesOnADime: Mortimer and Riley do this constantly. It seems to be an enforced rule, as Riley has to keep reminding Scout to.

* MadArtist: Nick
* MadScientist: Riley

-->"Rip out thier eyes, eat thier guts, burn thier skin, throw them in the trash [[PrecisionFStrike ''OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!''"]]

* StealthPun: The "Human Resources" department of the studio has been repurposed to store hosts until they're needed. Ergo: ''Humans that are resources.''
* TakeOverTheWorld: Mortimer's ultimate goal is to conquer the world with an army of evil puppets... after getting his show UnCanceled, of course.

** After escaping into Human Resources, you can watch Rosco approach the door and begin ramming it with his head. He'll never break through the door though, so you can watch him as long as you like before proceeding.

** In the final scene, the game doesn't end until after [[spoiler: Scout dies]]. The Player can delay this by never answering Scout's questions. The end of the tunnel can never be reached, either.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Scout does this after hearing Riley [[RageBreakingPoint get so angry that she swears]]

* FleshGolem: Rosco the "dog" is the result of Riley stitching multiple people and animal parts together in a vaguely canine shape. During the final "tea party" with Mortimer, [[spoiler: it's shown Riley ''stitched her own host into Roscoe''.]]

* RageBreakingPoint: Once Scout and the Player escape "Orientation", Riley becomes so angry that she forgets [[HappinessIsMandatory happiness is mandatory.]]
-->"Rip out thier eyes, eat thier guts, burn thier skin, throw them in the trash ''OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!''"