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This mechanic gives you control over your character's arms, allowing you to throw each out independently to stick to or grab objects. Poppy Playtime takes on the puzzle adventure horror in a different direction by introducing a two-arm mechanic. You may find yourself needing to use a camera to blind an enemy, a flashlight to search for items, or make use of various hiding spots to keep yourself safe. Mechanics are rarely a focal point when playing horror games. Interesting mechanics to carry a similar formula Crouching through arches and scurrying toys towards you makes it all feel real, leaving you constantly asking whether you are out of its reach, even in the smallest of spaces. The cherry on the top for us was Huggy Wuggy's animations. In that case, Poppy Playtime will undoubtedly catch you off guard and induce real panic as you scramble to find the nearest safe space or exit. Suppose you've gotten used to large open spaces, empty corridors, or music-cued entrances from previous horror games. A significant reason why comes from non-telegraphed moments, where the toy (in this case Huggy Wuggy) would appear and begin chasing you. Poppy Playtime doesn't play around with the horror, and in fact, there are moments in chapter 1 that surpass some of the bigger named games in the genre.
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So let's address the most critical question, is it scary? Yet, when things become dire, suspenseful yet chaotic metallic sounds create a sense of urgency and genuine fear as you begin to run for your life to escape certain death. Instead, this emptiness has you carefully looking into new rooms or dreading what will happen when you fall from a ledge into a new area. This juxtaposes the usual loud build-up of jumpscares you may experience while watching a film. There are rarely any audio cues as to when something may happen. Poppy Playtime induces fear by creating anticipation as you move throughout each room. For the most part, you'll only notice audio when interacting with the various objects in the environment or the piercing alarm siren as you move throughout the factory. Poppy Playtime excels with its use of ambient music and through its sound design. A keen eye will catch that many of the toys are missing from their boxes too. You can see the various toys the factory creates through the opening rooms, with many boxes open, cut, or toppled over. Playing a videotape explains how you're trespassing and that there are various security measures set up in the factory, a foreboding warning of things to come.įrom here, you can explore. You're given control at the entrance to the factory. The factory where the doll is made from plays a prominent role in this cutscene, with a final note explaining that the world believes its employees have gone missing, but they are, in fact, still there. MOB Games throw you into the deep end by offering a 50's style cinematic advertisement introducing players to Poppy, a rather unsettling doll.
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