Review of Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 for mobile: Don't embrace me
Our Verdict
Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 ushers in a new era of horror games, though it remains true to iconic tropes from the genre, thanks to its use of jump scares and puzzles. Unfortunately, on mobile the game suffers from some performance issues that may hinder your time with the game. Still, the atmosphere and story are enough to keep you hooked. Or, you could play it on PC, where we would score it higher than a seven.
When Mob Entertainment unveiled Poppy Playtime to the world in October 2021, it stunned everyone. Shocked, since that terrifying pursuit scene at the conclusion of Poppy Playtime Chapter 1: A Tight Squeeze actually caught no one off guard. Now that I think about it, there are probably a few surprises in Chapter 1.
I suppose where to begin is at the beginning. Ten years after your first departure, you find yourself back in the abandoned Playtime Co. Factory in Poppy Playtime. You came here on a whim, but when you don't immediately turn around and see that massive mass of fluffy blue welcoming you in the square, I can't help but wonder whether you made the correct decision. This toy, called Poppy Playtime’s Huggy Wuggy, has an unsettling quality about it. As the story progresses, the cause of my unease becomes abundantly evident.
There's an immediate sense of interest. It seems really ominous, and I want to know what the heck is going on. In the beginning of the game, Mob Entertainment really does a fantastic job of making you uneasy, but you don't really understand why. Of course, the fear you experience when you eventually discover that the people you are fighting in this game are toys is much worse than the prospect of wandering an abandoned factory.
When we're little, we're told that our stuffed animal or any other beloved object we snuggle up with at night is there to keep us safe from the monsters we imagine lurk in our closet or beneath the bed. Mob Entertainment takes this concept and gives it a dark twist. By watching videotapes and assembling the complex mythology behind Poppy Playtime, you learn that while Playtime Co. originally made these toys to aid kids, their deplorable actions and dark secret imply they now want to hurt people.
Of course, there's much more to it than that, but as this is a retrospective review, I won't discuss Chapter 2 or what we currently know about Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 (even though Huggy Wuggy appears in our Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 theories). The idea that your childhood guardians are wicked beyond explanation still evokes a sensation of panic and dread that I can't remember experiencing in any other horror game, even when you have more information and have put the pieces together.
Poppy Playtime clearly draws a lot of inspiration from Five Nights at Freddy's, but it also amplifies the disturbing aspects of the show. Though Security Breach is an excellent game, Poppy Playtime has more ominous settings than the preceding FNAF games. In fact, PP has a more sinister mood than the others. I must admit that I'm more terrified in Poppy Playtime than in FNAF, and I think Mob Entertainment deserves praise for that.
On the whole, however, Poppy Playtime is comparable to FNAF in terms of mythology and plot. Even though FNAF has a rich history and strong mythology to support it, Mob Entertainment is obviously skilled at what it does since the game gives you plot beats in Chapter 1 and leaves it up to you to piece the puzzle together. Even though the game is just two years old, I could probably speak about the plot more than I would like to for fear of spoiling it for others who want to attempt to solve this puzzle on their own.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 (and its follow-up chapter) make excellent use of puzzles, as do many outstanding horror games. To be more precise, I would argue that they heighten the terror. You experience pressure while solving problems in Poppy Playtime, even at its early stages. You have a gut feeling that this is preparing you for what's to come, and Poppy Playtime Chapter 2's events confirm that.
Your grabpack will be your greatest ally as you solve riddles and explore the factory. After looking around the factory's reception area, you begin with the blue hand and utilise its extension capability to slap a blue hand button above the entrance leading farther into the facility. It feels a much like giving yourself a high five when you die. This brief exchange offers a sneak peek of what's to come.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 offers you a variety of problems to solve other from the blue hands. For example, you have to discover fuses to place in fuse boxes, strike sockets to electrify your grabpack so you can unlock doors, utilise the colours of a toy train to figure out the colour combination to a lock, and more. These puzzles do have some actual noodle scratchers. I lost count of how much time I spent playing Ring Around the Rosie with the conductor poles, trying to keep one arm in a socket and find a way to go around them and the platforms so that I could use my other hand to turn on the door.
All is OK thus far, right? I think Poppy Playtime Chapter 1's story, scenery, and puzzle design are fantastic, therefore that must be where it ends? I regret to inform you that I only have a few complaints about the game when it comes to the mobile version. However, considering what we do at SmartRead, I believe I should concentrate on that version. I really love both of the Poppy Playtime chapters on PC and have no complaints, however the mobile experience is very lacking.
I often had frame rate dips, screen popping, and general camera frustrations while using the mobile version. You must move the camera using your right thumb by putting it wherever on the screen since the controls are touchscreen. Seems fair enough until you see just how delicate it really is. The camera is not just minimally adjusted by a single, little sweep of your thumb. Instead, it compels you to take a very different angle.
In all honesty, the whole chapter is painful, but the pursuit scene with Huggy Wuggy is particularly agonising. Mob, I have to figure out where I'm heading. You can't simply have that fuzzy ball of doom follow me without really telling me where to go. I can't simply whirl around, go on my knees, and pray to Jesus—I need to see those cunning tiny corridors on the conveyor belt in order to get out.
Fortunately, the visuals hold up rather well on my iPhone 13—a mobile device—but it's undeniably more attractive on a PC. The takeaway from this is that, in all honesty, Poppy Playtime is among the finest horror games available, but in order to play it the way Mob Entertainment intended, you'll need to go to the Poppy Playtime factory on PC.