Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 noticed an enormous quantity of success proper out of the gate, so it was solely pure that the next episode would step up the sport even additional. Whereas quick, this thrilling entry into the sequence really paved the way in which for the actual horrors on the horizon, so, as we crawl ever nearer to the following a part of the story, I’ve determined to take a second to take a seat again and take into consideration the journey thus far on this Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 cell evaluation.
Upon beginning a brand new recreation, you’re handled to a seemingly harmless but one way or the other creepy trailer for the Betty Spaghetty-like doll Mommy Lengthy Legs, adopted by somewhat glimpse of the horrors that await. It’s a placing opening to the following chapter that actually units the tone for what’s forward, and it’s simply as efficient that, immediately after Poppy Playtime’s Poppy herself tells you to ‘get up’, you end up plonked in a darkish room with nothing however these iconic seize pack arms in entrance of you. That is Poppy’s room, and it’s simply as creepy because it was within the first chapter.
As you may in all probability inform from the situation, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2: Fly in a Net picks up the place Chapter 1 left off, immediately after you free Poppy from her glass case. In fact, it’s time to go deeper into the Poppy Playtime manufacturing unit, however, with the monstrous murder-machine that’s Poppy Playtime’s Huggy Wuggy already disposed of, you want a brand new foe to face. And boy, do you get greater than you bargained for.
Whereas Chapter 1, like many first chapters, focuses on establishing the world that these terrifying toys inhabit, Chapter 2 really steps up the sport, including much more pressure, frights, and interesting puzzles to check your nerves. Upon discovering your strategy to the Recreation Station, your primary aim is to seek out three hints in an effort to get that prepare chugging once more. However, as you will have guessed from the opening cutscene, Poppy Playtime’s Mommy Lengthy Legs is rarely far-off.
What follows is an intense recreation of cat and mouse, punctuated by quite a lot of puzzles and video games that really feel all of the extra irritating with that scary spaghetti woman looming over you at each flip. It’s made clear that you just’re taking part in her recreation, and he or she doesn’t need you to win – and, whereas she’s ‘honest’ and doesn’t deny you your victories, she clearly turns into extra agitated the additional you progress, ramping up the strain each step of the way in which. The puzzles aren’t significantly advanced, however they do make intelligent use of each your seize pack and the ominous setting that surrounds you, and the worry of your potential demise that awaits if you happen to fail definitely makes every stage extra nerve-wracking.
Along with the primary puzzles, video games, and ‘hints’ that Mommy offers you, there’s additionally a bunch of secrets and techniques to uncover within the type of 9 statues and 6 VHS tapes. The tapes provide snippets of lore, equivalent to a biography for Poppy Playtime’s Elliot Ludwig, interviews with Playtime Co. staff, supervisor bulletins, and extra. Whereas it is a fairly frequent mechanic in indie horror video games, I actually get pleasure from collectibles that offer you an perception into the sport’s world. It offers you the choice of whether or not you need to play the sport at floor stage or delve deeper into the lore, and the secrets and techniques you uncover really feel like a reward for going out of your strategy to gather the whole lot.
The horror in Poppy Playtime very a lot depends on the ambiance greater than something, and it actually does a superb job in that space. As a seasoned horror recreation veteran, I can’t say that I discover these video games significantly ‘scary’ per se, however the Poppy Playtime age ranking is barely 8+, so it’s clearly dialed again a bit in an effort to swimsuit a youthful viewers. And, whereas this little gem could not maintain me up at evening, it nonetheless boasts some efficient spooks that horror followers of all ages can get pleasure from.
As talked about above, the puzzles and video games really feel significantly tense, particularly when Mommy Lengthy Legs or one of many different Poppy Playtime characters are dangling over you, ready so that you can slip up. However, past the ambiance, we do additionally get some fairly well-timed bounce scares dotted all through, they usually’re sparse sufficient that they don’t change into tiresome.
On prime of that, there are a couple of chase-like sequences certain to boost some hairs in your neck. The ‘statues’ recreation the place Poppy Playtime’s PJ Pug-a-Pillar is following you is especially memorable to me, as you duck and dive between obstacles at nighttime, freezing every time the lights come on, solely to pan your digital camera and see that fuzzy monster eyeing you up from just a few toes away. The ultimate chase with Mommy Lengthy Legs can be sensible, although it could take a couple of makes an attempt in your first attempt, because it requires some very exact actions and timings – and once you’ve acquired a terrifying toy like her chasing you, it’s straightforward to lose your footing.
The sound design in Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 is simply as eerie as within the first chapter, with most areas remaining silent aside from your footsteps and the mechanical whirring of your seize pack. As a result of silence, the occasional whisper, droning of the electrical lights, and occasional echoing screech within the distance are all amplified, particularly if you happen to’re sporting headphones.
The voice appearing can be sensible. Be it by means of the recorded traces that the cardboard standees spit out, the infographic movies that introduce you to every of the video games, or the hysterical, pitchy rants from Mommy Lengthy Legs, MOB Leisure definitely made some good decisions when choosing voice actors for this recreation. All of them seize the ominous, kids’s-entertainment-turned-evil vibe very nicely. And what music is current all through the sport could be very becoming with the theme, made up of triumphant orchestral scores with a warping impact that make them sound similar to an previous VHS tape.
Visually, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 additionally seems to be the half. Every little thing is darkish, soiled, and dreary, with occasional injections of colour by means of the broken toys and play areas, and the intelligent use of lighting actually provides to the ambiance. In fact, the designs of all of the toys-turned-monsters are iconic, with every one treading the road between trying like a considerably acquainted, comforting toy and a terrifying creature. The format of the manufacturing unit does a superb job of showing intimidating, massive, and labyrinthine, however is comparatively simple to navigate once you get used to it – particularly with the assistance of the indicators and murals painted over the partitions, which handle to suit into the unique function of the situation whereas additionally displaying you the place to go subsequent.
I admit that the sport seems to be way more enticing on PC than it does on cell, with some textures and particulars getting misplaced because of the smaller display and fewer highly effective system. However the cell model of Chapter 2 really boasts fairly a formidable stage of element, extra so than Chapter 1, particularly if you happen to play it on an iPad or top-of-the-line gaming telephones.
There may be, nevertheless, somewhat little bit of stuttering on the cell model, and typically the digital camera glints or twitches about by itself, although this can be depending on what system you’re utilizing. All through my whole playthroughs on each cell and PC, I didn’t expertise any of the key glitches or bugs that a variety of gamers reported on launch, so hopefully the patch that MOB Leisure deployed has labored out most of these kinks. And, on the plus facet, the colourful colours translate nicely onto the small display, particularly in distinction with the dim, darkish environment. Nevertheless, with the sport being so darkish, you could wrestle to play it open air or in a sunny room.
The controls on the cell model are fairly intuitive and really responsive. You’ve your stock, famous by a bag icon to the top-left nook of the display, a pause button to the top-right, and the on-screen joystick to the bottom-left. On the bottom-right, you’ve acquired three icons – a wavy arrow for bounce, a crimson hand that, unsurprisingly, prompts your crimson proper hand, and a blue hand that prompts your blue left hand. You may as well swipe wherever on the display to manage the digital camera, which is fairly commonplace for a cell port. The sport’s easy management system positively works within the cell model’s favor, and every of the icons are clear and sufficiently big to see, however are translucent so that they don’t take over the display.
Within the pause menu, it’s also possible to management fairly a couple of completely different settings to customise the sport to your liking. These mean you can toggle between low, medium, and excessive efficiency settings, legacy or clean controls, and whether or not you need the bloom and vignette on or off. These are welcome options which might be lacking from a variety of even the perfect cell video games, and I recognize with the ability to tweak issues till they swimsuit my private preferences.
When it comes to size, the sport takes round one to 5 hours to finish relying in your talent stage and the way a lot you need to go searching and discover. Whereas this will likely appear quick, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 is fairly low-cost, particularly on cell. At full worth, it goes for $9.99 on Steam, whereas the App Retailer model is $5.99 and the Google Play model is barely $4.99. For all of the lore and pleasure I’ve gotten out of it, I positively suppose it’s definitely worth the worth on cell, although I’d usually say look forward to a sale if you happen to’re planning on getting the PC model, because it typically drops to 50% off or decrease.
General, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 is a robust follow-up to the long-lasting first chapter. It does an ideal job of carrying the torch ahead, whereas additionally ramping up the scares and sustaining the mysteries that encompass the notorious Playtime Co. manufacturing unit. Whereas the PC model continues to be superior, the cell model of Chapter 2 improves upon most of the points we addressed in our Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 cell evaluation, and it positively stands up as top-of-the-line horror video games on cell to this point.
Fancy getting in on the motion? Properly, fortunate for you, we’ve acquired thorough walkthroughs for each Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 and Poppy Playtime Chapter 2, together with all puzzles, collectibles, and extra. Or, if you happen to’re in search of extra enjoyable frights to tide you over till the Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 launch date, you should definitely take a look at our guides to all of the FNAF video games and FNAF characters, or control the upcoming Amanda the Adventurer 2 launch date.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 cell evaluation
Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 re-captures the magic of the primary chapter, whereas additionally amping up the horror with much more pressure, fearsome foes, grotesque video games, and interesting puzzles to check your nerves. Whereas the cell model nonetheless struggles in some areas, it’s an enormous enchancment on its predecessor and is nicely definitely worth the worth.
