After being subjected to the four Garten of Banban games that are available on Xbox, it is time now to jump into the game that started my love of mascot horror, Poppy Playtime. Specifically, Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 that has finally arrived on Xbox after launching on pretty much everything else.
Okay, perhaps ‘being subjected to the Garten of Banban games’ is a bit harsh, but throughout my time with those games I was constantly wishing I was playing Poppy Playtime instead. It is better in every department, and its arrival on Xbox is well overdue.
Poppy Playtime is a horror game set in an abandoned toy factory where all the staff have seemingly disappeared. Blood stains adorn the walls and the toys, which suggests that something very sinister has occurred here. Your arrival at the factory may or may not be coincidental, and it is up to you to investigate just what has happened here.
Quickly you will gain access to the GrabPack which will be your primary tool as you explore the factory. It can be used to open doors, grab objects and can even hold electrical charge through its extendable arms. Basically, it is your tool to solve the puzzles within Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, but it is completely ineffective in actually defending yourself from the terrors within.
The terror mainly being one Huggy Wuggy. Even if you aren’t familiar with the name, you will have no doubt seen him. Or at least, a knock off plushie version of him. His likeness has invaded popular culture both positively and negatively. Negatively mainly due to kids gaining access to him and seeing what he is all about. But you know, he is a baddie in a horror game, and one that is definitely not suitable for younger children.
Huggy Wuggy stalks you throughout the first chapter of Poppy Playtime. He seems to be toying with you as you navigate the factory, giving the player glimpses of him every now and then. His gangly posture lends itself to that too; a hand on the wall here, peeking at you through a duct there. And then there is a big finale that will give all players nightmares.
You will encounter other beings in the factory, along with whisperings of even more. Coloured video tapes can be found, with corresponding players that reveal crucial backstory and lore to just what is going on here. It’s where Poppy Playtime excels in comparison with the Garten of Banban games. Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 feels like the story has been laid out and planned from the very beginning and I just hope the sequels arrive on Xbox imminently so that they can be experienced as one complete package.
Poppy Playtime also looks miles better than the Garten of Banban games. Where they rely on janky models and generic assets, everything in Poppy Playtime feels meticulously designed. There is empty toy packaging strewn across the floor that not only leads to more questions being asked, but work as distractions that you really don’t need when a lanky blue furry monster is chasing you down.
But, even with the distractions, Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 is a very short game. Even a first playthrough should take less than an hour, with only the ending causing any real issue; anything that may be likely to trip you up. Subsequent plays can probably be completed within 20 minutes, unless you are like me who spends far too long high-fiving Huggy Wuggy with my GrabPack.
But the price on Xbox reflects that short runtime. And in fact, it is priced the same as Garten of Banban 2 and Garten of Banban 3. But the gulf in class between these is stark.
Better late than never, Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1’s arrival on Xbox is well overdue. But it is also most welcome. The first game lays some great foundations for subsequent chapters and we can hope that they don’t take as long to arrive on Xbox. Chapter 1 introduces a brilliant and memorable character in Huggy Wuggy that somehow is equal parts cute and utterly terrifying. He is the star of the show, but slivers of other characters are also introduced and will leave you with an eagerness to explore the wider franchise.
And with three chapters out on PC, a free-to-play multiplayer tie-in and an upcoming feature film in the works, the trajectory for Poppy Playtime is only heading one way.
