Poppy Playtime Chapter 1: Puzzles, Panic, and Huggy Wuggy’s Pursuit

Indie horror games. In the beginning, there was Five Nights at Freddy’s, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and then Poppy Playtime.

Poppy Playtime is yet another indie horror game that’s skyrocketed to fame and grown into a series. Poppy Playtime consists of four games with a fifth on the way. 

Poppy Playtime Chapter 1: A Tight Squeeze is the first game in the franchise. It was released in October 2021 and developed by Mob Entertainment. It's a single-player game that can be played on mobile, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Windows, and Steam.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 is a very short experience, averaging around 20 minutes to play. It almost feels too short at times, making you wish there was more. As an introduction to the series, it accomplishes its job and sets a captivatingly creepy story. 

The game is played through the eyes of an unnamed ex-employee of Playtime Co. who returns to the abandoned factory after everyone inside has mysteriously disappeared. That’s pretty much the whole story; it's a simple yet oddly intriguing concept. 

The main way the player gets to learn about the story is through old VHS tapes that can be found and watched. This is something done extremely well. The tapes are realistic and not cartoonish like the rest of the game, which makes them incredibly unsettling. 

The player’s main objective is to explore the factory. During this task, you also collect the VHS tapes and solve puzzles that actually make you think. Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 is a puzzle game that does its puzzles right. They aren’t so hard that they make you rage, and aren’t so easy that they make you zone out. They’re perfect. 

Adding to the horror of Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 is the setting. The factory is run down, and the further you go in the more damage you see. The floors are covered in scattered boxes, and the walls are splattered with blood. 

Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 knows exactly how to use its environment to its advantage. It forces the player into tunnels that are claustrophobic and uses red strobing lights to instill a sense of panic, especially during chase scenes. 

Many indie games have their iconic titular characters. Five Nights at Freddy’s has Freddy. Bendy and the Ink Machine has Bendy. Poppy Playtime has Poppy, a Raggedy Ann-like doll. 

Despite Poppy being in the title, she’s not the main focus of the first game. That privilege goes to Huggy Wuggy– a blue gangly slenderman-like stuffed animal with a taste for blood. At first, he seems almost normal and the perfect toy for a young kid, but the player quickly gets to see what’s hidden behind his warm smile. 

Huggy Wuggy is animated beautifully. He moves like a towering giant, but also like a snake at the same time. The best showcase of his animation is when he falls after a chase. The ragdoll mechanics are perfect and really sell that Huggy Wuggy is just a terrifyingly huge stuffed animal.

The best scares of the game come from Huggy Wuggy. He disappears and reappears in places you’d never expect. He lurks around corners waiting to scare the player. The first time you see him do this, you hope you're just seeing things, but you’re not, and you know it.

The first time you truly face off against Huggy is the scariest part of the game. He comes out of the darkness and begins to chase the player, sending them into a panic. 

The characters aren’t the only highlights of the game; the music and sounds are as well. Immediately in the loading screen, the player is treated to a strong and powerful theme song. That’s only the start. 

The environmental sounds and the background music are used masterfully to create and keep the dark atmosphere of Poppy Playtime Chapter 1. You feel like you’re being watched for a good part of the game, because it’s silent besides the videotapes you play, the noises you make, and the faint background music.

The end of the game sees the setting shift from a factory to a staged Victorian children’s bedroom. This is where you’ll find Poppy in a glass case. When that case is opened, the game ends with one chilling line, “You opened my case.” The screen cuts to black, and that’s it. The nightmare is over.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 is the perfect way to start a series. It sets up the story but doesn’t reveal too much, leaving the player wanting more, something they can find in the sequels. 

My Rating: