Back when the first chapter of Poppy Playtime came out, I must admit I was a bit late to the party in terms of getting around to playing it. I got my fill from watching YouTubers, these being Jacksepticeye and Markiplier. I can put my hands up and say, as much as I love this series, I only got around to playing the first four games physically this year.
I have followed the story and watched plenty of let’s plays, but never actually got behind the GrabPack till January of this year, and then powered through the first full games to welcome the release of Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 with everything fresh in my mind and fuel to dive deeper into Playtime Co and the lore. Poppy Playtime’s latest chapter drops players right back into the eerie corridors of the Playtime Co. factory, but the stakes this time couldn’t be higher, and with even more unsettling secrets to uncover.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Things builds on everything the series has done so far, but it also doubles down on what fans both love and love to complain about. So, in a way, this entry is bittersweet as we do see some improvement but also some hiccups along the way.
Story & Atmosphere
With Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Things, you are propelled further into the gruesome depths of the Playtime Co factory. Straight off the bat, you are thrown into the thick of it as Huggy Wuggy engages in a very tense and thrilling chase where you get the sense of feeling that it’s personal and Huggy will stop at nothing until he has caught you. Abandoned by your only allies, your fight for survival gets more challenging as you race further into the abyss of the factory.
On your travels, you will hear shadows whisper, and the puppet master who lords over this realm pulls the strings of madness. As you progress, you find a way of apparently taking down the evil mastermind and could put an end to this nightmare. Though the deeper you go, the more it tests your resolve as you uncover secrets years in the making.
Narratively, Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Things pushes the lore further into sci-fi horror territory. You’re plunged deeper underground, uncovering the chilling backstory about the Prototype and racing toward a “Master Backup” that might hold the key to putting an end to his reign. Along the way, you’ll meet old enemies and new faces, and one of these is the unsettling Lily Lovebraids, who was personally one of my favourite parts of this chapter.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 holds the classic Poppy Playtime tone, with unnervingly atmospheric, plenty of claustrophobic labs and grotesque designs. You know in the early stages of the game that you are still in Playtime Co and that there are even more secrets that will come out of the woodwork. If you are a fan of the franchise’s worldbuilding, you will find plenty to chew on here, even if the Spoiler Alert, the chapter ends in yet another cliffhanger.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Gameplay-wise, we see more of the same. Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does refine it. You will notice a heavy emphasis on puzzle-solving mixed with frantic chase sections. Even though this might sound amazing, it does come with its flaws. That being that it becomes the whole game’s loop. Puzzle, then Chase, then another Puzzle, then a Chase and even though this might not seem to be a problem when you are doing the puzzle elements of Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 they feel long-winded at times and even confusing.
A lot of the time the puzzles are just to open doors to progress but then you are straight way blocked by another door. It was quite frustrating and felt like it was just used to prolong the length of the game rather than an actual narrative approach and in turn these eat into the horror pacing of the Chapter. We do get new mechanics these being different enhanced to the GrabPack functions, with add variety, and quality-of-life upgrades that help Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 flow more smoothly.
One thing I will say that did affect my gameplay experience was that Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 doesn’t support the PS5 Dual Sense controller. I first started with my Xbox controller but noticed that it had stick drift which affected some of the puzzles in the earlier stages of the game so then I went to try Mouse and Keyboard.
Personally, I don’t like using mouse and keyboard as it doesn’t feel comfortable for me when playing certain games on PC, so in the end I had to lend my brothers Xbox controller to enable to play using a gamepad. After this I had no issues with using a gamepad, but it did tick me off a bit as I have plenty of Dual Sense pads just one Xbox pad which I now know needs replacing.
Characters & Emotional Beats
With a new chapter you can expect new and exciting characters. And Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 delivers by introducing several intriguing characters beyond the Prototype, including some friendly allies and terrifying threats. One of which is Lily Lovebraids who I mentioned earlier briefly. The character stands out to me for her unsettling voice work and unpredictable behavior. I think she is the most fun in terms of a character I have had since Mommy Long legs back in Chapter 2.
The lore keeps building in this entry with some emotional moments, disturbing lore and encounters with familiar faces. That said, I have read online that there has been mixed reception amongst fans on how well these characters integrate with the overall story. Some feel under-used or just thrown in to add some value/narrative but wouldn’t really be missed if they were in the game in the first place though I do feel that all the character, new and old, make a good impact on the story telling and narrative that Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 offers.
Performance & Polish
In the early moments of Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 you can see that it is technical polish. When you look at previous chapters there were even bugs and glitches at launch. This entry feels significantly smoother and more stable which is always a positive because there are games out there that release broken and take months to get fixed and become the playable experience you expected on day one so it’s a welcome improvement for a series that’s has performance issues in the past.
Conclusion
It is without a doubt that Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Things is a worthy continuation of the Poppy Playtime saga. It’s creepy, daring, and mechanically richer than past entries but it’s also divisive, some players love the deeper dive into mechanics and atmosphere, while others were hoping for a more satisfying narrative. Regardless of which camp you lean toward, it’s clear to see that the franchise is still evolving and that we will be getting a Chapter 6 in the future.
Personally, I was one that thought Chapter 5 would be the last in the series because we are seeing the Prototype and in the earlier stages of the game it hints that he will be the big bad at the end and that might still be the case just not in Chapter 5, and I didn’t think there could be much more they could add to the saga but I’ve been proven wrong before. For these reasons, I’m giving Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 an 8 out of 10.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Wings Trailer
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
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