Poppy Playtime is a mascot horror series that looks like a Five Nights at Freddy’s clone at first glance. However, once you dive deep into the inner workings of Playtime Co., you realize that there is an interesting story hidden underneath. You will encounter multiple monsters, each with their own backstories, lost commercials, and even purpose within the facility.
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As a returning employee, you must travel deep within the confines of the facility using only a Grab Pack to help you solve puzzles along the way. The tragedies that occurred in this location included human experimentation, controversial product recalls, and disappearing employees. So which chapter did it better?
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Chapter 4: Safe Haven
A Finale Or Just The Beginning?
Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 isn’t bad, every other chapter just tends to do the elements that it presents a bit better. Safe Haven feels like a culmination of everything you’ve put up with up until this point. This includes creatures that you encounter as well as the mechanics of the Grab Pack. You’ll be swinging across the ceiling, propelling yourself through the air, and even using it to launch projectiles at smaller creatures that you want to keep at bay.
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This is made easier by the Grab Pack 2.0 that carries over from Poppy Playtime Chapter 3: Deep Sleep, and the biggest downside to Safe Haven is that despite keeping its iconic tools and characters, it has strayed very far from the original aesthetic; this is because the chapter takes place mostly within a prison and mines beneath the toy factory.
While it does tie into the overall story, you do tend to miss the look that the series had at the start. Another additional note is that the series continues to get longer with each entry, which can sometimes make the chapter feel like it drags on. Luckily, there is plenty to see and run away from and an ending that promises more to come.
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Chapter 2: Fly In A Web
The Most Playful Chapter
From a gameplay standpoint, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 utilizes the Grab Pack in many new ways, such as swinging across chasms and storing electricity in a green hand. It also gives you a more straightforward sense of progression with three minigames that need to be completed before you instigate the final chase. This includes a hectic game of Simon Says and whack-a-mole and every minigame also makes great use of the Grab Pack to provide a hectic and nerve-wracking experience.
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In terms of horror elements, it can be a mixed bag with certain parts diving even deeper into analog horror territory while others feel out of place after coming from Chapter 1. The tapes and instructional videos for each minigame do a great job of hinting at more sinister intentions hidden beneath the toy factory. However, having talking characters such as Poppy and Mommy walking around is somewhat of a tonal shift from what the first chapter presented itself as.
Mommy’s design in particular is a downgrade from Huggy Wuggy, with most of her scares coming from the intensity of the minigames and the impending doom each one threatens you with. What makes this a better entry than Chapter 4 is that the setting still looks like it could take place in a toy factory.
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Chapter 3: Deep Sleep
Catnap Is Here
Deep Sleep is the third installment in the Poppy Playtime series and introduces some of the best horror mascots yet, the Smiling Critters. This is one of the darkest chapters in the series since everything is a bit less colorful and the sets have a shadowy and dirty look to them. If Chapter 2 lacked anything it’s that there weren’t enough scares. Deep Sleep on the other hand constantly makes you feel tense, as if something were watching you.
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The highlight of the horror is Catnap, which is just as creepy in the analog tape as it is when you encounter it throughout the facility. If you love conspiracies in horror and secrets being uncovered that recontextualize everything you know, then Deep Sleep does a good job of diving deeper into the ball pit of mystery than the previous installments.
The chapter sheds light on the company’s Bigger Bodies Initiative through recordings, character dialogue, and environmental storytelling. The biggest downside Deep Sleep has is that it tends to drag on longer than it needs to. This is done through backtracking, which isn’t always fun. It also includes another monster known as the Teacher in the middle of the experience to pad out time, but at least her jumpscare is terrifying.
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Chapter 1: A Tight Squeeze
A Simple Experience That Leaves You Wanting More
This is the chapter where the entire storyline kicks off, and also where we see the character most associated with the series, Huggy Wuggy. The chapter starts with a VHS tape showing you an old commercial from the company’s golden years before the staff mysteriously disappeared; an excellent use of analog horror to reel you into the series, which continues throughout the chapter in the form of tapes.
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Sometimes the knowledge that something is moving on its own is scarier than seeing it move, and while the first chapter is one of the shortest, it does its best to set a friendly yet sinister tone that feels off-putting as you explore. Having Huggy Wuggy be the centerpiece gives you the expectation that it will start moving at some point, so when Huggy Wuggy is no longer standing where he once was, you get that feeling that he could be around every corner now.
The final chase sequence forces you to go through the conveyor belts, leading to a tense, close-quarters encounter that disorients you and makes you vulnerable to scares. Only quick thinking will get you through a solid first chapter and, despite being the shortest experience, has a vibe that cannot be found in later chapters. Sometimes simple works best, and a short game gives you less time to get accustomed to the scares.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 4: Safe Haven
Survival Horror
Action
Adventure
Puzzle
- Released
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January 30, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Mob Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
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Mob Entertainment
- Engine
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Unreal
- ESRB
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Not Rated
- Number of Players
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Single Player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unsupported