Chapter 1: "A Tight Squeeze" is the first chapter and installment of the indie franchise Poppy Playtime, released on October 13, 2021. The chapter revolves around an unnamed ex-employee, referred to as The Player, of the toy-manufacturing company named Playtime Co., returns to the abandoned toy factory after the company's staff had mysteriously disappeared a decade ago.
Synopsis[]
"As an ex-employee of Playtime Co., you finally return to the factory many years after everybody within disappeared."
Steam[]
"You must stay alive in this horror/puzzle adventure. Try to survive the vengeful toys waiting for you in the abandoned toy factory. Use your GrabPack to hack electrical circuits or nab anything from afar. Explore the mysterious facility... and don't get caught."
Unused[]
"You are a ex-employee for Playtime Co. 10 years ago, Playtime was the king manufacturing industry. One morning, feeling ill, you decided to take a sick day. The next morning when you show up for work, military vehicles guarded the outside of the building. Apparently while you were sick, every single person inside the factory vanished into thin air. Now, 10 years later, you return for a visit..."
Plot[]
The Player receives an unexpected letter and a VHS tape.
An Odd Letter[]
The chapter begins with The Player receiving an unexpected letter along with a VHS Tape, which features a tampered version of the Vintage Poppy Commercial, from the mail one day in the year 2005. Despite the unusual and almost child-like misspelled letter's assurance seen in the written title, the letter states that the missing employees are "still here." After reading the letter and watching the VHS Tape, The Player finally decides to return to the factory to search for the company's missing staff, following the instruction to reach the Poppy Flower to do so.
Upon arriving at the abandoned factory through the Main Entrance, The Player obtains and inserts a Green VHS Tape into a VCR where it plays Leith Pierre's recording of warning any intruders about his security's wilder aspect. After listening to Pierre's final warning, The Player ignores his warning and unlocks the Security Room. There, with the help of Blue VHS Tape, they obtain a revolutionary and invaluable GrabPack, though lacking its red hand. Once The Player takes the GrabPack (which only has one arm for the moment), they use it to enter the Main Lobby, where they are greeted by a giant statue of Huggy Wuggy.
Now you see me...[]
On the left of the statue is a door that is protected by the Blue Hand GrabPack sensor. However, the power cuts out upon scanning the Blue Hand on the sensor. Mysteriously, a key appears in Huggy Wuggy's hand, where it was not present earlier. This unlocks the Power Room, and The Player reconnects the wires using their GrabPack, turning the power back on. However exiting the room reveals that the statue of Huggy Wuggy has mysteriously disappeared, leading The Player to investigate.
As they make their way toward the Warehouse, they find the Yellow VHS Tape and the necessary batteries, spotting Huggy Wuggy peering at them through a vent. Upon making eye contact with Huggy for some time, the vents close as Huggy Wuggy pulls himself back.
Now you don't.[]
After successfully connecting the batteries, The Player obtains the Red Hand and unlocks a vent door, leading to a short puzzle that advances them further into the factory. Upon reaching the Make-A-Friend area, they activate the Make-A-Friend machines, ultimately creating a Cat-Bee toy that must be used as a keycard to open the "Nobody Leaves Without a Toy" gate. However, as they approach the shadowy hallway, a monstrous Huggy Wuggy suddenly appears and chases them down, forcing The Player to flee into the vents. The Player must crawl through the maze-like ventilation system, whilst avoiding getting caught by Huggy Wuggy, and navigate a series of obstacles before reaching a set of catwalks. As Huggy attempts to break down the vent door, they spot a large crate above them and they topple it onto Huggy, causing him to fall into the seemingly endless void to his death.
Pandora's Case[]
Finally, The Player walks along the catwalks where they pick up a black VHS tape and use it in its corresponding VCR on the right. After watching it, The Player eventually reaches the Poppy Flower that is seen at the end of the Vintage Poppy Commercial. Upon opening the doors, The Player discovers a sparsely furnished shrine decorated with a child's room-themed setting. After making their way through a lengthy corridor, they reach the final door of the hallway and they open it to find any employees in there. Unfortunately, they found no employees inside, only to discover a locked case containing a Poppy Playtime doll that they saw from the commercial earlier. Without a second thought, The Player opens the case with their GrabPack. Upon unlocking the case, the lights briefly flicker before shorting out, with The Player losing consciousness as well. Before drifting off, they hear Poppy acknowledging her release, marking the conclusion of the chapter.
Characters[]
- The Player
- The Prototype (VHS only)
- Huggy Wuggy
- Poppy Playtime
- Kissy Missy (poster)
- Cat-Bee
- Boogie Bot
- Bron
- Candy Cat (poster)
- Elliot Ludwig
- Leith Pierre (VHS, voice only)
- Rich Lovitz (VHS, voice only)
- Avery (VHS, voice only)
- Interviewer (VHS, voice only)
- Stella Greyber (VHS, voice only)
- Scientist (VHS, voice only)
Walkthrough[]
Soundtrack[]
Main article: Poppy Playtime Ch. 1 (soundtrack)
The official soundtrack was released three days after the game was released, on October 15, 2021.
Trivia[]
- The subtitle of the chapter, A Tight Squeeze, refers to Huggy Wuggy's name and killing method of hugging people to death, and the vent chase scene, where The Player must run away from Huggy Wuggy in tightly constricted vents.
- In the letter to The Player, "disappeared" has been misspelled, and "we're" has its apostrophe in the wrong place.
- The letter also contradicts the chapter's synopsis, as the former states that the staff are still at the factory, but the latter states that they have all seemingly vanished.
- Chapter One’s pricing is free on PC, while the other chapters are sold as DLCs (Downloadable Content)