Mob Entertainment is expanding its Poppy Playtime franchise with Escape From Playtime, a multiplayer extraction looter that places players in the roles of the factory's monstrous inhabitants. While the original Poppy Playtime focused on a single-player experience of surviving against terrifying toys, this new title aims to deliver a robust co-op experience built within the same dark, twisted universe.
Players will step into the "furry bodies and twisted minds of the monsters of the factory," according to IGN's preview. The core objective is to scavenge for loot within the factory and extract it before being caught and killed by the various experiments that roam the corridors. Each round, or "shift," requires players to meet a minimum point quota of scavenged items before they can escape. The difficulty escalates with each shift, increasing the size of the procedurally generated factory, the variety of environmental hazards, and the number of enemies.
Navigating the Nightmare
Gameplay involves navigating the labyrinthine factory, which Mob Entertainment has designed to be faithful to the established Poppy Playtime lore. Environments are described as creepy and even silly, with messy walls, askew furniture, and shadowy corners. Players control characters called "Smiling Critters," whose unsettling smiles are a hallmark of the game's macabre aesthetic. The studio's animation background is evident in the way the monsters move, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
Inventory space is limited, forcing players to make strategic decisions about which loot to carry. Items found can offer utility, such as glow sticks for marking paths or air horns to signal teammates, though the latter also alerts enemies to a player's general location. The factory itself becomes an oppressive force, with hazards like rooms filled with noxious gas requiring players to navigate treacherous paths by hopping across desks. The game features verticality, allowing players to climb on various surfaces to explore the environment.
Facing the Factory's Denizens
Several enemy types populate the factory. Boogie Bots patrol in loops, sounding alarms and charging at players. Cat Bees float and latch onto players, slowly draining their health, requiring an ally to intervene by throwing an item at them. Miss Delight, a character described as a terrifying threat akin to a Big Daddy from BioShock, also wanders the halls. Despite the limited enemy variety, the preview notes that each type requires different strategies to counter, keeping players on their toes.
Combat is indirect; players can only throw items at enemies. The focus is on out-maneuvering rather than direct confrontation, which the preview found engaging enough. As shifts progress, enemies become more adept at finding players, and hazards like the CatNap gas become more pervasive, increasing the pressure to escape.
The Importance of Teamwork
Escape From Playtime heavily emphasizes co-op and teamwork. Puzzles, such as a musical sequence on giant piano keys, are designed to be more manageable with multiple players. Communication options are limited to a context-less ping and proximity voice chat. The game currently lacks matchmaking, meaning players will need to bring their own friends or join a stranger's hosted game, which could present its own challenge.
Despite some finicky controls and minor bugs noted during the preview, the co-op extraction looter aspect was found to be surprisingly challenging and fun. The game is set to enter Early Access on October 21st.