Poppy Playtime is a horror escape room puzzle game developed and published by MOB Games, which was released on October 12, 2021. It places you in a haunted toy factory with very little information. Your mission is to enter the facility and discover what happened to it.
There’s a certain air of suspense when you play Poppy Playtime. As an author of fantasy and horror novels, it’s an element I highly respect, and I love how the developers incorporated it in every aspect of the game. Read more about what I experienced in the review below!
Poppy Playtime story
Every good horror story should have an enticing plot that draws you in. It doesn’t even have to be a massive one; as long as it’s interesting enough to keep you engaged, it works. Let’s see how it plays out in this Poppy Playtime review.
A haunted toy factory
The introduction scene has enough to send chills down your back. At first, you have no idea what’s going on, except that you’re in an abandoned building. To know more about the story, you need to head in and find some clues.
The posters and notes you discover lying around indicate that you’re in a toy factory that closed a few years ago. If you’ve ever been to an abandoned building, you’ll know just how creepy it feels. As you enter each room in the facility, you’ll get some hints about what life was like as a toymaker.
Collecting videotapes
More clues to the story lie within five videotapes you’ll find lying around in random locations. The color corresponds to a VCR you’ll discover nearby. When you insert the tape, the television will play a short transcript, sometimes with dialogue between different people.
The writing on the wall
Finally, you’ll want to pay attention to hand-scribbled words on the walls. It seems like someone else was here before you, trying to escape. There are plenty of warnings informing you of impending doom, but you’ll be left wondering what the danger is until the end. This forecasting is a fantastic element of horror tales that I love.
How long to play Poppy Playtime
The puzzles were quick for me to solve, so it only took me about 15 minutes to complete Poppy Playtime. There’s one section at the end that may keep you busy for some time, depending on the routes you take through the vents. It all depends on how long it takes for you to solve each room, so it may take you longer.
Poppy Playtime gameplay
While Poppy Playtime’s story is exhilarating, the gameplay is where the game really shines. It features elements of Resident Evil 7 and Silent Hill P.T., specifically where the suspense and puzzles are concerned. I’ll address more of these comparisons in the review below.
Learning how to play Poppy Playtime
Fortunately, there’s no tutorial for Poppy Playtime. The reason I’m happy about this is that it would ruin the suspense and gameplay. Sure, you may see a message appear on your screen on how to interact with objects, but they’re few and far between. For the most part, you’re left looking around each room, wondering what to do next.
Difficulties and puzzles
There are also no difficulty levels like you’d find in most Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. The puzzles remain as easy or difficult as they are, and you can’t change them. It means that all players are on an equal footing from the start.
The puzzles change in every room, and you need to use your environment to solve them. With the help of the mechanical hands, you’ll discover you need to push or pull objects, or you’ll have to link electrical pylons and connections with power. While not incredibly challenging, they were entertaining to solve.
Combat mechanics
You won’t have any shooting or fighting abilities in Poppy Playtime. You’ll spend most of the game moving around, inspecting items, and solving puzzles. There’s only one time you’ll actually need to defend yourself, and it’s to use the environment against the final boss, Huggy Wuggy. That’s all I’m going to say without spoiling the ending for you.
Movement abilities
There’s more of a focus on movement in Poppy Playtime. With the two mechanical arms, you’ll move and interact with objects. You’ll also need to make use of running and crouching to save your life near the end. There’s also a jump ability, but I found little use for it throughout the game.
Saving points
Unlike Silent Hill with the Halo of the Sun, there are no visible save points in the game. The first time I died near the end of Poppy Playtime, I feared I would have to start over. However, it does save when you reach critical points or new scenes, for which I’m eternally grateful.
User interface
The user interface presents the bare minimum in Poppy Playtime, which is ideal for a horror puzzle game. There are no health icons, but the screen will become blurry and the bass on your speakers will buzz when you’re hurt. Give it a moment, and all will go back to normal. You can press Esc to enter the main menu and inventory, but that’s about it.
Gameplay performance
Somehow, Poppy Playtime needs a lot of resources. It’s quite surprising, especially for a game that’s only 15 minutes long. However, when you read more about the visuals and sound later in this review, you may get an idea why. Here are the recommended PC requirements:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 10 GB available space
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 580
It’s worth mentioning that Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 is now available on mobile. The gameplay performance is incredible on PC with no crashing or performance issues, but it appears as if the mobile version has problems in the final chase with Huggy Wuggy. It may be best to play the computer version first.
Poppy Playtime visuals and sound
Here comes the exciting part of my Poppy Playtime review. I’ve grown up with several horror games and movies in my life, hence my passion for writing this genre for my books. It takes a lot for games to terrify me, but I must admit that this game did put a smile on my face. I loved the chills and suspense, which is where the graphics and sound play the most significant part.
Overall graphics
The visuals in Poppy Playtime are incredibly impressive and almost realistic. Items and colors are crisp and clear, and many scenes deliver a haunting atmosphere. It’s outstanding how much of a story the graphics present without someone actually telling you what’s going on. The lighting and shadows are also marvelous, but I did need to increase the brightness for some rooms that were just too dark to enjoy.
Character and room designs
You won’t find any characters except Huggy Wuggy in Poppy Playtime. In fact, this boss has become so famous that it features in other games, such as Friday Night Funkin’ vs Minus Huggy Wuggy.
SPOILER ALERT: There’s also a doll at the end in a glass cage that reminds me very much of Annabelle from the horror movies. That scene was enough to make me gulp in fear and delight.
As for the room designs, they set the scene for the puzzles, but there’s enough forecasting and suspense to make you wonder what’s coming next. The most exciting part for me was when the Huggy Wuggy chase ends, and you enter these hallways. It made me feel like I was back in Silent Hill P.T., but it’s only visual. Sadly, they made no use of puzzles in this area, and it’s just an exit for the first chapter.
Sound effects
The sound effects work in harmony with the graphics to fill you with suspense. There’s voice acting in the videotapes, and Huggy Wuggy’s noises, while it chases you, is enough to make you want to speed up a bit. It made me wish there was a boost button to run a bit faster, but you need headphones on or your bass on maximum for the complete effect.
Final verdict of Poppy Playtime
Poppy Playtime takes what we love about classic horror puzzle games and puts them together for a quick adventure. There are only a few jump-scare moments, while the remainder of the game relies on suspense and forecasting. If this game is anything to go by, I expect Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 will be way more intense.
There are even rumors that Poppy Playtime will be heading outside in the next chapter, which will be more exhilarating. For now, I recommend you download Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 as soon as possible before Chapter 2 arrives. You won’t want to miss out on the action.
Pros
- Plenty of suspense
- Fun action scene at the end
- Nods to horror games and movies
- Environmental puzzles
- Incredible graphics and sound
- Ending is a fantastic cliffhanger
Cons
- Some scenes are too dark
Developer: MOB Games
Publisher: MOB Games
Game Modes: Story
Platform reviewed: Windows 11 – Steam
