What’s the time? PLAYTIME! Well, that depends on who you ask. If you’re one of the Smiling Critters, playtime apparently means running around, collecting random objects, and delivering them to Barry the cart. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Then again, when has anything involving Playtime Co. ever been straightforward? This is the same company that thought turning children’s toys into living creatures was a perfectly reasonable business decision, so forgive me for being a little suspicious.
Mob Entertainment is back with another multiplayer experience: Escape from Playtime! But this time they’re approaching things from a completely different perspective. Instead of playing as unfortunate workers tasked with collecting toy parts to assemble a Bigger Body, you enter the much smaller world of the living toys themselves. That’s right: the Smiling Critters are finally getting their moment in the spotlight, and instead of watching these colourful little characters from a distance, you’re now taking control.
If you’re familiar with the Poppy Playtime universe, the Smiling Critters need little introduction. Their colourful appearances, cheerful personalities, and permanent smiles might suggest they’re the friendliest toys in the factory, but fans of the franchise know something much more disturbing often hides behind those innocent faces. After everything we’ve experienced throughout the main series, it’s almost impossible to look at anything associated with Playtime Co. without wondering what horrible surprise might be waiting around the corner.
Before I go any further, though, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: this is nothing like Project: Playtime. Yes, both games share the same universe and feature multiplayer gameplay, but those similarities shouldn’t lead you to expect the same experience. This isn’t simply Project: Playtime with a fresh coat of paint or a few Smiling Critters thrown in for good measure. Mob Entertainment has taken a different approach, shifting the focus from the familiar Bigger Body objectives to something built around the smaller inhabitants of its unsettling, toy-filled world.
So, does this latest trip into Playtime Co.’s twisted universe offer something worth getting excited about, or does the novelty wear off quicker than CatNap’s sleeping gas? It’s time to find out.
TIME TO EARN YOUR PLACE
If there’s one thing Mob Entertainment knows how to do, it’s keeping the Poppy Playtime community guessing. Over the years, they’ve become masters at hiding disturbing truths beneath colourful characters, enigmatic messages, and genuinely incredible ARGs that keep fans piecing together theories like detectives working overtime. Naturally, Escape from Playtime is no different: the objective may appear simple, but a much bigger mystery lurks beneath the surface.
You begin your adventure as one of the Smiling Critters, with four familiar faces available from the start: CatNap, DogDay, Bobby BearHug and Hoppy Hopscotch. The remaining four, CraftyCorn, KickinChicken, Bubba Bubbaphant and PickyPiggy, can be unlocked as you progress. It’s quite refreshing to finally step into the shoes, or should I say paws, of these characters, especially after everything we’ve learnt about their rather unfortunate existence in the main series.
However, before you can get comfortable with your adorable new appearance, you meet someone known only as The Voice, a mysterious entity whose identity and intentions remain unknown. Unlike The Prototype, whose presence has haunted the franchise for years, this character unsettles you in a different way. Something about the way he speaks is deeply disconcerting: his commanding, almost religious manner of addressing the Critters, as though he’s welcoming you into something vastly beyond yourself. His words might suggest safety and belonging, but a hidden current of manipulation makes you question whether you should listen at all.
The Voice speaks through the factory’s speakers, issuing instructions and promising the Critters a place where they can finally belong, provided they’re willing to work for it. Apparently, even living toys can’t avoid earning their keep. His true identity remains one of the game’s biggest unanswered questions, and some even suggest he can influence the factory’s constantly changing layout. Who is this mysterious character, what exactly is he building, and why does he need the Smiling Critters to do all his dirty work? Those are questions I’m particularly keen to see Mob Entertainment explore.
Your assignment involves working alongside other players to collect scattered supplies across Playtime Co. and deliver them to Barry, the familiar cart from Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2. Except Barry now seems to have developed a life of his own, complete with a pair of googly eyes. Remember that unfortunate moment involving Barry in Chapter 2? Seeing him roll around, seemingly alive, makes the whole “Sorry, Barry” situation considerably more disturbing. I’m starting to think this company has a serious problem with letting anything remain an ordinary object.
The concept reminds me of R.E.P.O., where teamwork, scavenging, and meeting a required quota are essential to survival. Each successful collection contributes to your target, and once you’ve gathered enough resources, your team needs to extract before CatNap’s deadly red smoke fills the area. Completing your objective ends the shift, while failure gives your team a strike. It’s a wonderfully twisted arrangement. You’re supposedly working towards freedom, yet you’re being judged on your performance like an employee who’s forgotten to meet their monthly sales figures.
Sounds easy enough, right? HA! Absolutely not.
While you’re busy searching for supplies, something far more terrifying is prowling the factory. Remember Miss Delight from Chapter 3? That horrifying teacher who made wandering around the school feel like the worst detention imaginable? Well, she’s back, and she’s brought her beloved weapon, Barb. As someone who already found her terrifying in the first game, I find dealing with her while trying to complete objectives with my teammates a whole new level of panic.
What makes the story particularly interesting to me is how little we actually know about the bigger picture. We’re collecting materials, completing shifts, and following orders from someone who claims to offer us a better future, yet there’s no real guarantee that our hard work will lead to freedom. Given Playtime Co.’s history, you’ll have to forgive me for being slightly sceptical of another mysterious individual promising that everything will work out wonderfully.
After all, the game is called Escape from Playtime, but the more we’re asked to do, the more I wonder whether we’re actually escaping anything.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SHIFT
The game supports between one and eight players, letting you tackle the experience alone or bring seven friends who are hopefully more reliable than the average Playtime Co. employee. At the start of each shift, you’re sent into the factory with a quota to fulfil, and your job is to search the surrounding rooms for anything that might be useful to Barry. Each object contributes a different amount toward your target, so you’ll need to decide what to collect and whether you have time for another trip. Of course, the moment you start feeling confident about your progress is usually when the game decides you’ve had things far too easy.
What I particularly like about the concept is that collecting items isn’t simply about grabbing everything in sight. Many objects can serve two purposes: either adding to your quota or helping you survive whatever roams the corridors. That creates a dilemma, especially when you’re struggling to reach your target but desperately need something to protect yourself. Do you sacrifice your last useful item to finish the shift, or hold on to it in case Miss Delight makes an unwelcome appearance? With so many things trying to kill you, neither option sounds especially attractive.
eXPLORING pLAYCARE
Everything feels enormous from a Smiling Critter’s perspective. Desks, shelves, furniture and other everyday objects suddenly become obstacles you’ll need to climb over or navigate around. Instead of simply walking from one classroom to another, you’re encouraged to explore every opening, squeeze through tight spaces, and use the environment to reach areas that might otherwise be inaccessible. It’s an interesting way to revisit an established setting without simply recreating the previous game’s exact experience.
Movement plays an important role, letting players jump, crawl, sprint, and climb their way around the factory. Vertical exploration is especially useful, as scaling furniture and finding higher routes can help you avoid enemies or reach supplies hidden above ground. You can even work together to help teammates reach difficult areas, which adds another reason to cooperate beyond simply collecting objects.
Another interesting feature is the procedurally generated environment, which rearranges rooms and connecting corridors between shifts. This means that even if you become familiar with certain sections of the school, you can’t necessarily rely on remembering the same route every time. What was once a straightforward journey back to Barry could become a confusing search through unfamiliar corridors. When you’re carrying valuable supplies and an angry experiment is nearby, getting lost is the last thing you need.
Thankfully, Mob Entertainment has included the Sketch-A-Map, a useful tool that displays a miniature overview of your surroundings, including the locations of teammates and Barry. You can also use glowsticks to mark routes through darker areas, helping you find your way back without wandering in circles. Considering how confusing these layouts can be, both are welcome additions.
The developers have also improved navigation throughout Early Access, including clearer signage around the cave sections and a Lost & Found Box to recover items dropped in otherwise inaccessible places. It’s encouraging to see these smaller changes, because in a game built around collecting and transporting supplies, losing everything to an awkward fall can be frustrating fast. We all know the hole in the catwalk that sends us plummeting into the saw blades waiting to meet us. This is a welcome feature, since losing the map or other useful items was frustrating.
tOY BOX FULL OF ITEMS
Let’s start with the Poppy-gel Injection, which lets you recover health when an encounter hasn’t gone particularly well. With almost everything in the factory seemingly determined to hurt you, having a reliable way to patch yourself up is certainly appreciated. Then there’s the Antidote, which becomes especially important when dealing with CatBee and its poisonous attacks. It’s one of those items that might not seem particularly exciting at first, but you’ll be extremely thankful for it when things start going wrong.
The Sewing Kit is another key piece of equipment that lets players revive fallen teammates. It’s a fitting addition, given you’re controlling living toys, though there’s something wonderfully disturbing about sewing your friends back together after they’ve been torn apart. Only in the Poppy Playtime universe would that be considered a normal part of your workday.
If you enjoy moving quickly, several items are designed to enhance mobility. Hoppy Ears give players an advantage when jumping and navigating their surroundings, while Go-Go Goop grants a temporary stamina boost, letting you keep moving when you’d otherwise run out of energy. The Bounce Pad can launch you into the air, opening up alternative routes and helping you reach elevated areas.
Several tools also help you deal with unwanted attention. Flares can illuminate dark areas and are especially useful against certain enemies, while the Slap Hand lets you stun or knock back creatures that get a little too close for comfort. There’s something quite satisfying about smacking one of Playtime Co.’s creations after spending so much of the main series completely defenceless against them.
Then there’s the Blairhorn, essentially a great way to announce your presence to anything nearby. It can attract attention or help you communicate with teammates, but it can also make an already terrible situation considerably worse. Imagine trying to hide from Miss Delight, only for someone to start making enough noise to wake the entire factory. That’s the sort of friendship-ending decision that multiplayer horror games are built around.
Other equipment includes flashlights, batteries, backpacks, and various items you can use to distract or find alternative routes. Limited inventory space makes collecting supplies more interesting because you’ll constantly have to decide what to keep, what to use, and what to sacrifice to increase your quota. A backpack is especially useful for carrying extra resources, particularly when the distance between your current location and Barry becomes a problem.
tHE NIGHTMARES OF PLAYTIME
Boogie Bot is one of the smaller experiments wandering the school. While its appearance might suggest a harmless little musical companion, it’s anything but friendly. Those robotic toys patrol their surroundings and can become incredibly troublesome when they detect a player, sounding an alarm before pursuing their target. Their explosive behaviour makes getting too close especially dangerous, so you’ll need to either find a way around them or deal with the threat before matters escalate.
Next is Bunzo Bunny, the cymbal-clapping nightmare fans will remember from Chapter 2. Apparently, being terrified of this thing during Musical Memory wasn’t enough, so now you have to worry about it hiding above you. Bunzo can ambush unaware players from above, grabbing anyone unfortunate enough to wander beneath him. Suddenly, looking up becomes as important as watching the corridor ahead, especially when your attention is already divided between collecting supplies and avoiding other enemies.
CatBee is another unwelcome addition, and this little creature attacks in a particularly irritating way. Rather than merely chasing you down, it can latch onto a player and inflict poison damage, leaving you needing an Antidote. Teammates can help remove the creature, adding an extra layer of cooperation to encounters. It’s also another excellent example of why wandering off alone isn’t always a brilliant idea. Nobody wants to discover they’ve been poisoned while their friends are halfway across the school arguing over who gets to carry a toy.
I genuinely thought we’d seen enough of this horrifying teacher in Chapter 3, but apparently Mob Entertainment decided she deserved another chance to terrorise us. With her beloved Barb, she patrols the school in search of unfortunate Critters, and her presence adds a completely different level of tension to the smaller experiments.
One of the most interesting aspects of dealing with Miss Delight is how lighting affects her behaviour. Keeping your flashlight trained on her can temporarily prevent her from advancing, giving you time to put some distance between you before you try to escape. The problem, of course, is that turning away removes that protection, and she can close the gap frighteningly quickly. You’re essentially trying to retreat from a creature you don’t particularly want to look at, knowing that looking away could be the worst decision of your short, fluffy life.
WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THE JOB DONE
Splitting up lets a group search more rooms and collect supplies more efficiently, but it also leaves individual players vulnerable when they encounter something dangerous. Staying together offers extra protection, though it can make it harder to gather enough resources within the time limit. It strikes an enjoyable balance of risk and reward that encourages coordination rather than running off in different directions.
Once you’ve reached your quota, the objective shifts to getting everyone out safely. Completing a shift lets you keep progressing, while failure gives your team a strike. As shifts continue, the demands increase, putting more pressure on everyone to work efficiently and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
And let’s keep in mind the red smoke. If you haven’t escaped before CatNap’s gas starts spreading, move quickly; higher ground becomes especially important as the danger rises. It’s a suitably unpleasant way to end a shift, especially if you’ve spent the last few minutes congratulating yourself on how well everything was going.
Between shifts, players return to the Perm-A-Lounge, a hub where you can regroup, examine rewards, and explore more of the game’s hidden information. The computer also lets you explore the wider Playtime Co. universe, adding welcome lore for those of us who enjoy spending far too much time analysing every mysterious detail Mob Entertainment leaves behind.
Progression also lets players unlock the remaining Smiling Critters, giving fans more characters to work towards. Alongside the different appearances and cosmetic options, this creates another incentive to continue completing shifts rather than treating every run as an isolated experience.
One improvement I particularly appreciate is the introduction of public lobbies and Quickmatch, which makes it easier for players to find others without needing a dedicated group of friends. Lobby codes also simplify joining private games, and quota adjustments grounded in player count should make smaller groups feel less disadvantaged.
small critters, Big Maps
We’re back inside the Playcare School from Chapter 3, and while I would have loved to explore somewhere completely new, there’s something strangely exciting about returning to a place that already gave me so many reasons to be terrified. The classrooms still have their colourful decorations, children’s drawings, furniture and educational displays, but they’re set against the abandoned, run-down backdrop we’ve come to expect from Playtime Co. You can almost picture what this place looked like when it was full of children, before everything went horribly wrong.
Being a tiny Critter makes a surprising difference to how you see everything. Furniture towers above you, classroom desks suddenly look enormous, and even the smallest gaps become worth investigating. It’s quite funny thinking back to Chapter 3, when I was desperately trying to escape Miss Delight as a human, only to return as something considerably smaller. Apparently, I looked back on that experience and thought, “You know what would make this worse? Being the size of a teddy bear.”
The lighting also works well, especially in the darker sections of the school. Some corridors are hard to see through without a torch, while the brighter classrooms give you a better look at the colourful decorations and the mess left behind. It’s that contrast I’ve always enjoyed about the franchise. One minute you’re surrounded by cheerful colours and familiar cartoon characters, and the next you’re staring into a dark doorway, wondering whether you really need whatever item is sitting inside.
I also like how the game brought in the Smiling Critters. Their bright colours, oversized heads and permanent smiles make them look adorable, which is quite amusing given the horrible things happening around them. Seeing CatNap, DogDay, Bobby BearHug and Hoppy Hopscotch running around together is something I never expected when these characters were first introduced. The different Critters are easy to recognise, and their designs carry over nicely from the artwork and promotional material fans will already be familiar with.
Then there are the enemies, and I swear Miss Delight somehow becomes more disturbing every time Mob Entertainment brings her back. Her oversized smile, exposed teeth and unsettling appearance were already horrible enough in Chapter 3, but seeing her approach when you’re no bigger than one of the toys scattered around the classroom makes her even more intimidating. Barb doesn’t exactly improve the situation either. Whoever decided that woman needed a weapon clearly wasn’t thinking about the well-being of the students, or, in this case, the Smiling Critters.
CatNap’s red smoke is another familiar sight, spreading through the environment as the danger escalates. Seeing that colour creep into the surroundings is a horrible reminder that you’ve spent too long messing around with Barry instead of getting out. It’s a simple visual warning, but anyone who’s played Chapter 3 will already have a pretty good idea of why they should be concerned.
The biggest complaint about the environments is that we’re currently limited to the school. Although the rooms change positions between shifts, you’re still looking at many of the same classrooms, corridors and decorations. After spending enough time searching for supplies, the surroundings become increasingly familiar, even when you’re not entirely sure where you’re going.
keep your voice down, miss delight can hear you
If you’ve played any of the previous Poppy Playtime games, you’ll know that Mob Entertainment has a habit of making you nervous long before anything appears on screen. Whether it’s an unfamiliar noise from another room, the sound of something moving nearby, or a character speaking when you thought you were alone, the audio has always been a major part of what makes this series frightening. Escape from Playtime follows the same approach, but with multiplayer thrown into the mix, your friends can now contribute to the terror. Thanks, guys.
I have to give The Voice some attention, because whoever this mysterious individual is, he certainly knows how to make an introduction. There’s an uncomfortable authority in the way he addresses the Smiling Critters, almost as though he’s doing everyone a favour by allowing them to work for him. He isn’t screaming threats or desperately trying to frighten you, Which is what I find so disturbing about him. He speaks as though everything he’s asking you to do is perfectly reasonable, despite our being sent into a building full of murderous toys to collect supplies for a project nobody has properly explained. I wouldn’t trust this bloke to look after my shopping, let alone decide my future.
Then we have Miss Delight. Oh, how I’ve missed hearing from this absolutely lovely teacher. Actually, that’s a complete lie. She was terrifying enough in Chapter 3, and bringing her back into an experience where you’re constantly moving between rooms and searching for objects is just cruel. Knowing she could be nearby makes every encounter nerve-racking, especially when you’re trying to work out where she is without putting yourself directly in her path. Her presence alone makes me reconsider whether whatever I’m collecting is really worth the trouble.
The smaller enemies have their own ways of making themselves known, too. Boogie Bot’s alarms can warn that trouble is about to arrive, while Bunzo Bunny brings back unpleasant memories of Musical Memory from Chapter 2. I thought we’d finished dealing with that cymbal-clapping little menace, but apparently Mob Entertainment disagreed. Paying attention to enemies matters because you’re often too busy looking for supplies to notice something approaching until it’s already too close.
However, proximity voice chat is where things can get really entertaining. Instead of hearing everyone clearly across the map, your teammates’ voices get harder to hear as they move farther away. It’s a great fit for a game where splitting up can make collecting resources easier, but doing so also means you might lose contact with the people who could save your life. Imagine hearing your friend scream for help nearby, only for their voice to fade as you desperately try to figure out which corridor they’re in. That’s certainly one way to test a friendship.
There’s also the rather horrible detail that Miss Delight can react to players speaking through voice chat. Yes, that’s right. The woman who already made our lives miserable in Chapter 3 can now potentially hear you having a conversation. So, while you’re trying to quietly coordinate with your teammates, somebody could accidentally attract her attention by shouting into their microphone. I can already imagine the arguments when an entire group gets caught because one person couldn’t keep their mouth shut for five seconds.
The music is worth discussing alongside everything else, because horror doesn’t always need a dramatic soundtrack that constantly reminds you that something terrible might happen. Sometimes, focusing on your surroundings and hearing another player call from a neighbouring room is more effective than music competing for your attention. With so much of Escape from Playtime built around communication, hiding and listening for approaching enemies, getting that balance right matters.
At this point, I’m convinced Playtime Co. doesn’t need security cameras. They’ve already got Miss Delight listening to everybody’s business.
the future of escape from playtime
Now, things get interesting, because Escape from Playtime is only at the beginning of its journey. Mob Entertainment has already shared its plans for the game for the rest of 2026 and into 2027, with new maps, enemies, equipment, cosmetics and plenty more to come. Being in Early Access means we’re not playing the finished product, and while there’s already plenty to keep us occupied, I’m more interested in what the developers have planned further down the line.
One thing I’m desperate to see is more locations throughout Playtime Co. Don’t get me wrong, I love the school, but there’s only so many times I can run through the same classrooms while Miss Delight tries to turn me into her next teaching assistant. The factory is enormous, and after five chapters of Poppy Playtime, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what we could explore from a Smiling Critter’s perspective. I’d love to see some completely original locations too, giving us a chance to discover parts of the factory that have never appeared in the main games.
New experiments are also confirmed to be on the way, which has me both excited and slightly concerned for my safety. There are so many characters throughout the franchise that could make an appearance, although I’d personally prefer enemies that behave differently rather than simply adding more things that chase us around. Imagine having to change how you approach an entire shift because a particular experiment has appeared. That’s what I’d love to see, especially as players become more familiar with the school and learn how to avoid its current residents.
Mob Entertainment is also planning additional items and cosmetics, and I’m hoping we eventually get even more ridiculous equipment to mess around with. The current selection already gives you plenty of ways to help your teammates or annoy them beyond belief, but there’s room for some brilliant additions. More ways to distract experiments, reach hard-to-reach areas, or save your friends at the last second would make later shifts even more entertaining. As for cosmetics, I wouldn’t mind seeing outfits inspired by previous chapters, especially given how many memorable characters and designs the franchise has introduced.
But I’m most curious about the story. Who exactly is The Voice? What are we building? And why are the Smiling Critters being promised freedom when every shift seems to send them further into danger? Mob Entertainment has confirmed that more lore is coming, including additional information about The Voice and expanded secrets via the Playtime Web Portal. They’ve already started introducing mysterious notes, posters and VHS tapes for players to investigate, which tells me there’s much more to uncover than simply completing quotas. As someone who loves the theories and ARGs surrounding Poppy Playtime, I’ll be keeping a close eye on whatever secrets appear next.
Another thing I want to credit Mob Entertainment for is how quickly they’ve started responding to feedback. We’ve already seen the introduction of public lobbies, Quickmatch, improved balancing for smaller groups and a Lost & Found Box for recovering items. That last one is particularly appreciated after how frustrating it has been to lose useful equipment down that horrible hole in the catwalk. The developers have also discussed further changes to enemy balancing, tutorials and the difficulty of later shifts, all of which will matter as more people begin playing.
I do have one concern, though. Adding more content won’t automatically stop the game from becoming repetitive. I enjoy the idea of collecting supplies, surviving enemies and completing shifts, but I’d eventually like to see some new objectives rather than doing the same job in a different room. Maybe certain areas could require us to complete small puzzles, restore machinery or work together to get through dangerous sections before reaching Barry. These aren’t announced features, just things I’d personally love to see because I think they’d give players more reasons to keep returning.
According to the developers, the current aim is to spend roughly a year in Early Access, although that could change depending on feedback and development. I prefer that approach to rushing out a finished version just to meet a deadline, especially when there’s still so much to do. More importantly, I hope Mob Entertainment continues listening to the people playing it, addressing the frustrating moments while keeping the ridiculous fun that makes multiplayer horror so enjoyable.
Just do me one favour, Mob. If you ever bring back Mommy Long Legs, please give us little Critters somewhere to hide. I’ve already suffered enough at the hands of that woman.
final thoughts
As a massive fan of the Poppy Playtime franchise, I was excited to see what Mob Entertainment had planned for Escape from Playtime, especially after learning we’d finally be playing as the Smiling Critters. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but after spending time running around the school, collecting supplies and being terrorised by Miss Delight for what feels like the hundredth time, I can safely say I’ve enjoyed my time with it.
What I love most is that the developers haven’t simply tried to recreate Project: Playtime. Instead, they’ve taken characters we already know and given us a completely different way to experience the factory. Playing as a tiny Critter, exploring oversized classrooms and desperately trying to find Barry while your friends are screaming for help is genuinely entertaining. Some of my favourite moments have come from things going completely wrong, whether that’s somebody attracting an enemy, losing an important item or taking an unfortunate trip down that blasted hole in the catwalk. Seriously, whoever designed that thing deserves a lifetime supply of Lego to stand on.
However, I won’t pretend everything is perfect. The biggest issue for me is the lack of locations, as repeatedly searching the school can start to feel familiar regardless of how the rooms are rearranged. The collection objectives could also benefit from more variety, especially for those planning to spend dozens of hours playing. And having a way to save your progress would be highly beneficial.
I enjoy the chaos, but I don’t want every shift to eventually become something I can complete without thinking. Thankfully, Mob Entertainment has already confirmed that more maps, enemies and items are on the way, so I’m interested to see how much the experience changes over the coming months.
Would I recommend Escape from Playtime? Yes, especially if you’re a fan of Poppy Playtime or enjoy co-op horror games with friends. Just remember it’s still in Early Access, and what you can enjoy today may differ from what the developers hope to add later. There’s fun to be had already, especially with a good group of people, but I’d love to see more variety before calling it a must-play.
As someone who’s followed the franchise for years, I genuinely want this game to succeed. I’ve enjoyed seeing the world of Playtime Co. grow beyond its original story, and I hope Escape from Playtime gets the attention and support it needs to keep players coming back. More importantly, I hope it doesn’t end up forgotten like Project: Playtime, because Mob Entertainment could do a lot with this idea.
For now, I’m heading back to Playcare to complete another shift, probably get lost, lose my map and spend half an hour being chased by a teacher who seriously needs to consider retirement.
A code for Escape from Playtime was provided for review purposes.
Positives
✅ Playing as the Smiling Critters: Finally getting to control these familiar characters gives the Poppy Playtime universe a different perspective.
✅ Chaotic Multiplayer: Working together, using proximity chat and trying to survive with friends creates some hilarious and terrifying moments.
✅ Familiar Faces, New Horrors: Miss Delight, Bunzo Bunny, CatBee and Boogie Bot each bring their own problems to an already dangerous shift.
✅ Plenty of Useful Equipment: From Sewing Kits to Bounce Pads, the items give players different ways to survive and help their teammates.
✅ Mysterious Story: The Voice and the unanswered questions surrounding Playtime Co. give lore fans plenty to investigate.
✅ Developers Listening: Mob Entertainment has already introduced useful improvements based on community feedback.
Negatives
❌ Limited Locations: Having only the Playcare School available means the surroundings become familiar after several shifts.
❌ Repetitive Objectives: Collecting supplies and meeting quotas can become predictable, even with changing room layouts.
❌ Frustrating Item Loss: Losing valuable equipment down awkward gaps, particularly the catwalk, can be annoying.
❌ More Variety Needed: Additional objectives and enemy encounters would help keep longer play sessions interesting.
❌ Early Access Limitations: There’s still plenty of content planned, and the current version doesn’t offer everything the developers intend to introduce.
Owner of Indie Critical. I’m passionate about highlighting independent voices in film, games, and culture. I focus on honest, thoughtful reviews and love helping great indie projects get the recognition they deserve. When I’m not writing or editing, I’m probably diving into the latest hidden gem or discovering the next big thing in the indie scene.
Written by
Lewis Langton
