Poppy Playtime: Seven Chilling Details You Might Miss

What’s so great about Poppy Playtime? How could this indie horror become so popular within weeks and conquer the community? It’s the atmosphere, the story, the promise of sequels, and, of course, minor details. It’s not just visually impressive: there are minor details that tell stories of their own. Even if you have played through the first episode many times already, you still might have missed these details or paid no mind. So, we made this tour for you. Let’s revisit the factory and see what’s behind it.

A Toy Heaven, a Working-Class Hell

When you look around the abandoned factory, you may find some details that reveal more about the facility than the story requires, thus pushing its limits. How did it feel to work here? The poster with Huggy you see early in the game recommends workers to take breaks (though breaks longer than 10 minutes are strictly prohibited). Another one recommends that they eat at least 4,000 kilocalories per in-take. It’s more than a healthy adult’s daily norm, and it says about both how long the workers could rest and how hard they worked physically, even despite time limitations (don’t stay past 8:00). No wonder it was hell even before the events.

Huggy-Wuggy Has a Family?

On the poster above, there is a picture of Huggy Wuggy whom we later see in person. But it (or he?) is not one of a kind. On another poster, a pink twin of Huggy is seen. It’s confirmed, by the way, that its name is Kissy Missy. We don’t get to see that creature in the first episode, but it may appear in the next one.

Death, Toys, and Videotapes

VHS tapes tell the story as you put them into players and watch. Not all of them are necessary to follow the storyline, but those optional ones are the most interesting if you are after the narrative. Maybe the fragments of the story they reveal will fit in the next episode’s puzzle.

You Are Followed

Listen to these footsteps. Don’t they sound like someone is behind you, rather than just an echo in the empty rooms? Most of the time they are just a sound illusion. But as you create your friend with a Make-a-Friend machine, you are actually followed by the machine as it is set to work.

Huggy Wuggy Has Been Watching You…

And not only that machine, and not only after you launch it. Our old friend Huggy Wuggy does follow you from the moment you first meet. It’s strange such a thing can make so little noise. Still, it can be heard, and sometimes seen – for example, when you collect the second part of the GrabPack or return to the catwalk after collecting some batteries.

… And Enjoying It

He doesn’t hurry (well, Huggy is definitely him now), and he takes his time. But as you go too far, Huggy tries to stop you, and it’s one of the scariest chases in gaming.  Why didn’t he try at the beginning? The answer may be too simple: he just likes stalking you silently. Maybe you are not the only one who’s been here in these decades.

If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It 

But as you finally encounter Huggy Wuggy at the end of the episode, you can beat him, so he falls down the stairs. And yes, there is some strange liquid that reminds blood (and maybe it is). What does it mean? Has he become a living creature? Or is it some technical fluid? No matter. As they said in an iconic movie, if it bleeds, we can kill it.

The game creators definitely killed it with Poppy Playtime. Even though it’s only the beginning, and the game is only available on PC, it’s already among the most popular games of the season. Have you played it? Did you enjoy the atmosphere? What other horror games would you recommend to those who liked Poppy Playtime? Let’s drop some names in the comments!