Poppy Playtime's Lore Should Avoid One FNAF Pitfall

Poppy Playtime's lore has arrived at a climax after its latest chapter as the protagonist gets even closer to the truth of the horrific toy factory. Since first releasing in 2021, developer Mob Entertainment has managed to grow Poppy Playtime's story and in-game world, introducing an array of interesting characters in the process. As the series progresses, so do the revelations of the horrors that the employees and scientists have done to the kids.

Despite having a rocky few games due to bugs and lacking plot lines, many Poppy Playtime fans are still sticking around to see what will happen next. Poppy Playtime Chapter 4: Safe Haven seems to be setting up a big face-off with the Prototype, which is why some fans think the horror game could be nearing its end. And as far as popular mascot horrors go, Mob Entertainment has an opportunity to wrap things up nicely and not make its narrative as complicated as Five Nights at Freddy's story.

Mob Entertainment CEO Talks Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 Villain And Future Plans

In a recent The Best War Games interview, Mob Entertainment's CEO and Co-Founder Zach Belanger talks Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 and the company's future plans.

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By Gemma Johnson

The Poppy Playtime Lore Doesn't Have to Overstay Its Welcome

At the end of Poppy Playtime Chapter 4: Safe Haven, the protagonist falls into an area where poppy flowers are being grown. These flowers are believed to have been used in various toy experiments, including the creation of Poppy. The chapter also ends on a cliffhanger, with Poppy Playtime Chapter 1's Huggy Wuggy appearing again to hunt him down in the next installment.

Although Mob Entertainment hasn't confirmed whether the fifth chapter will be the final one, many Poppy Playtime fans believe that it might be. It wouldn't be a bad idea to end it there because the mascot horror doesn't need to go the Five Nights at Freddy's route of having long-winding lore. So far, Poppy Playtime has managed to provide enough information about its characters and the Bigger Bodies Initiative, which is Playtime Co.'s human experimentation project, in the main game and AR-interactive side game.

One could argue that it would be more impactful if Poppy Playtime ends after five chapters because it could avoid more complicated storytelling and possible retcons that might affect the overall experience. The Five Nights at Freddy's lore has a number of unresolved details and convoluted information across different mediums, from games to books, and even introduces canon and non-canon stories. Granted, many theory crafters have enjoyed investigating every detail of the constantly-expanding FNAF universe, the franchise does create a lot of confusion and could be prone to retconning certain details in the long run.

Poppy Playtime has been compared to FNAF a number of times because of its story beats, especially the part about turning kids into toys or mascots, but it also sets itself apart with its compelling storytelling and gameplay in the span of only a few years. It doesn't need to overstay its welcome with more information that might further complicate the lore; it just needs to stick to its landing once Poppy and the protagonist finally shut down the Playtime Factory.

At this point in Poppy Playtime's story, the protagonist has already encountered many of the people working on the Bigger Bodies Initiative, either via VHS tapes, notes, or boss battles, and he may be close to uncovering more dark truths about Playtime. Plus, with the Prototype still lurking in the depths of the factory and believed to be gathering dead toys' body parts, players might be in for a terrifying encounter in the next chapter. There's also an undeniable excitement around finally encountering the Prototype in a potential boss battle, so it would likely be satisfying to beat it and stop it from hurting anyone else. With a definitive end hopefully in sight, Poppy Playtime can prove that a horror game franchise can be successful with a story that knows when to stop.

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