Poppy Playtime

Oh dang, get yourself ready for Poppy Playtime. Take control of a Playtime Co. employee who is stuck in, arguably, the worst toy manufacturing facility of all time. This game creeped me out a lot with an incredible atmosphere and gorgeous visuals that have made it an absolute must play in the horror genre. Solve puzzles, run, hide and don’t let yourself get caught in this astoundingly terrifying game brought to you by MOB Games. If you are looking for a title that will keep you in a terrified haze for hours after you’ve played it, then look no further.

Gameplay

A first-person survival horror, this game functions like Five Nights at Freddie’s mixed with Alien: Isolation. Does that sound incredible yet terrifying? Good, because it is. You play as an employee of a company that, for some reason, has created murderous toys.

You have your GrabPack and have decided to bail on this awful building with the help of its affixed artificial hands that shoot out on a wire, conduct electricity and let you reach things from a distance. This game primarily has you hiding and moving around the environment, absolutely terrified that something could burst out at any moment.

Avoiding the toys is the largest part of the game, that is interspliced with solving some simple puzzles and progressing through the facility.

Atmosphere

This game has atmosphere like I have never experienced before. I was absolutely stunned all the way through and I play games for a living so I usually know what to expect. Dropping you right into the madness, Poppy Playtime has you desperately trying to escape this spooky abandoned toy manufacturing facility. The lack of noise is what gets you worst. You find yourself jumping out of your skin and nearly every sound that comes up around you. You’ll hear a noise coming from a room and have to spend the next few minutes convincing yourself to go in there. You cannot buy ambience like that; this developer has absolutely hit the nail on the head for perfect delivery.

Visuals

It’s the build up in games like this that is the worst part, then when you see the monster, you can quantify it so it’s a little less scary. That is not the case here. This beautifully realized world has something hunting you that hits the uncanny valley levels of weird to look at. You see this thing coming for you in the dark and it nearly looks real. The render of this title is utterly stunning it plays so well into exactly what this game is trying to do that I’m nearly speechless a I’m trying to explain it.

There is something so haunting about the main enemy, Huggy, that it really sticks with you. You don’t want to look at it but you also can’t turn away. The glassy emotionless eyes and big smile filled with jagged sharp teeth is…well it’s something you must experience yourself as soon as possible.

Pros

• Fantastic atmosphere
• Incredible visuals

Cons

• Wished it was longer

I will admit that I was late to the Poppy Playtime party. I only really came across this game because of all the merch, most of it bootleg I might add, that seems to be around these days. The game has proven to be a massive hit, especially with kids and I have to say that while I came into the game not expecting much more than a few jump scares. I was actually very impressed with the game overall and I have to say that I can see why so many people speak highly about this game.

Playtime… More Like Deathtime!

As far as the story of Poppy Playtime goes, I can see why some people do say that it is very similar to another fantastic horror game, Bendy and the Ink Machine. The story is about this guy who used to work at a toy store and ten years later, long after the factory has shut down and the workers had disappeared. You get a strange letter telling you to come back to the factory. You do and soon realize that the toys have come alive and are out for blood. As well as trying to survive the horrors of this place, you are also working towards finding out what really happened here. I have to say as far as the story goes, it was told very well and had me engaged right from the start.

Diego & Dora Wish They Had A Backpack Like This!

The gameplay of Poppy Playtime is also very well done. It is played from the first-person and like the game I just mentioned before, Bendy and the Ink Machine, it has a similar kind of feel. You will be exploring the factory and trying to get to the bottom of what really happened here. The big “gimmick” of the gameplay is the GrabPack. This is a backpack that has some special abilities such as being able to grab things that are far away, opening doors, using electricity, swinging across gaps, and a few more too. It is a really neat gameplay mechanic and something that I think fits the tone of the story very well.

The Play Pal Factory!

The presentation of this game is something that I think is really well done. Poppy Playtime has caught on and a huge part of that is the design of the titular character, Poppy who people seem to love and be scared of at the same time. The factory that you are exploring is fantastic and something that I think is one of the more underrated game environments of the last year. It reminds me of the creepy ass factory from Child’s Play 2 and that is meant as a massive compliment. There is just a real creepy and uneasy vibe as you are exploring and it is done very well.

Pros:

• I thought that Poppy was an awesome character
• The overall story was fantastic
• The story had way more depth than I thought it would
• I really enjoyed the first-person puzzle-based gameplay

Cons:

• Some people have reported the game having some major bugs
• Kids seem to love this, but it may be too scary for some kids