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Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 Review

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Huggy Wuggy is dead. His cameo in the first Poppy Playtime was short, but leaves a lasting impact. The first chapter is a brilliant introduction to the world of Poppy Playtime and the abandoned toy factory it is set in, Playtime Co. 

But where do you go from there, after killing off one of the most instantly recognisable horror mascots. Well, you throw in more monsters, an even bigger threat, and just enough lore and world building to keep the narrative ticking over. 

And Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 does all that brilliantly.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Review 1
A new antagonist

Chapter 2 starts exactly where the first game ends; you have rescued Poppy and now, with her help, are planning your escape. She tells you of a train in the factory’s Game Station that she has the activation code for, agreeing to meet you there. However, your planned reunion is scuppered when Mommy Long Legs appears, kidnaps Poppy and splits the code into three pieces. To retrieve the pieces, you will have to play the three games in Game Station and survive.

Mommy Long Legs is the main antagonist for Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2, and like every other monster in Poppy Playtime, appears friendly enough at first glance. Her name comes from the cranefly AKA Daddy Long Legs, and she has limbs that can stretch seemingly forever. Her long spindly appearance will have arachnophobes cowering behind the sofa.

But she isn’t alone this time. Each game pits you against another of Playtime Co.’s oversized mascots, and none of them are friendly. First up is Bunzo Bunny in a game called Musical Memory. Hanging over you with cymbals in their hands, you will need to repeat a sequence of button presses as they descend. Take too long and expect a jumpscare.

It may seem trivial to play these games when your life depends on it, but these are the monsters toying with you.. These games are designed to be unfair, and in no way is that felt more than when the buttons you need to press suddenly start appearing behind you, or spinning around you to make things even more difficult. And having Bunzo Bunny hanging over you makes things even more tense, whilst remaining a lot of fun.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Review 2
A trivial game?

Next up is a game called Whack-a-Huggy, which is perhaps the weakest of the three games, but no less tense. You are in a pit with around 15 holes around you, and must use your upgraded GrabPack to whack the little Huggy’s that appear from the holes. They will wait in the holes just long enough for you to whack them, but miss one or take too long and you can expect another jumpscare.

The final game is perhaps the most terrifying and it is called Statues. But rather than just standing still, you must traverse a maze when the music is playing, and then stand still when it isn’t. But you must be quick too, as following you is PJ Pug-a-Pillar. Half pug, half caterpillar, he crawls along the maze behind you and if you are too slow or caught moving when you shouldn’t, you guessed it, another jumpscare awaits.

But there is a lot more to Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 than just these three games. There is a new GrabPack with additional abilities and subsequent puzzles to solve, a brilliant climax that teases just enough about where Poppy Playtime is going to end up, and lots more world building that makes Poppy Playtime way better than its mascot horror peers. 

One particular moment has you going down an escape slide in the CEO’s office. You arrive in a room with three other slides for members of the executive team. One however, has had its name removed, with the letters thrown all over the floor. Either someone doesn’t want you to know the name of that person, or it is a genuine mistake that they’ve fallen off. Either way, it is a little bit fishy, but I want to know all the answers. With Chapter 3 of Poppy Playtime also on Xbox now, and Chapter 4 recently announced, those answers may be a ways away yet.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Review 3
Who dat?

Your new and improved GrabPack will now be able to hold an electric charge for a few seconds. There are also new traversal sections that utilise its long reach that will have you hanging and swinging across ravines. The swinging mechanic is the only real source of frustration though as it can be very fiddly. These moments are few however, but one is during the finale and the timings are such that you will have to be near perfect to succeed. Best get your practice in during the initial swinging moment where things are far less tense.

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 on Xbox takes the strong foundations of the first game and ratchets everything up. It is substantially longer, and like the monsters themselves, it is all killer and no filler. It is also fantastically paced; the games provide incredibly tense moments, with more puzzle-focussed downtime found in-between, before it all increases the tension again. It all leads to a finale that is miles better than the chase from Huggy Wuggy in the first game, being almost cinematic in its action. Gone too are the numerous bugs that plagued the initial release on PC; its arrival on Xbox is free of any issues.

If the first chapter was good, Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 is excellent. I just hope that can continue into Chapter 3.


Continue to explore the depths of Playtime Co. in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/continue-to-explore-the-depths-of-playtime-co-in-poppy-playtime-chapter-2-and-chapter-3/

Buy Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/Poppy-Playtime-Chapter-2/9NZN01GKH29D

SUMMARY

Pros:
  • Improves on the already great first game
  • Longer and more substantial
  • New monsters are no less scary
Cons:
  • Few platforming moments can be tricky
Info:
  • Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, Mob Entertainment
  • Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC
  • Release date and price - 20 September 2024 |£8.39
Richard Dobson
Richard Dobson
Avid gamer since the days of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Grew up with the PS1 and PS2 but changed allegiances in 2007 with the release of Halo 3.
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<b>Pros:</b> <ul> <li>Improves on the already great first game</li> <li>Longer and more substantial</li> <li>New monsters are no less scary</li> </ul> <b>Cons:</b> <ul> <li>Few platforming moments can be tricky</li> </ul> <b>Info:</b> <ul> <li>Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, Mob Entertainment</li> <li>Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC <li>Release date and price - 20 September 2024 |£8.39</li> </ul>Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 Review
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