Developer Mob Games has been working on the horror puzzle game “ Poppy PlayTime “, which has been distributed at Steam since October 2021, seems to be suddenly crowded this May. The number of simultaneous connection players at the peak, which had been trembling in three digits up to that point, has exceeded 10,000 at a stretch.
“Poppy PlayTime” is a horror puzzle game set at the site of a fictional toy maker Playtime’s manufacturer. In addition to the PC version, iOS/Android version is also distributed. PlayTime was the industry’s top toy maker, but one day, all employees in the factory suddenly disappeared and have been ruined since then. Players will explore the factory to find out the truth of the disappearance case.
There are various areas such as production lines and warehouses in the dark factory. It seems that it was a fun atmosphere like a toy factory, and it was once a fun atmosphere, but now it is eerie. The player gets the equipment called GRABPACK early, and uses it to solve the puzzle.
Grabpack is an extended arm -like item that allows you to press the switch in a distant place or grab the object. The left hand is blue and the right hand is red, and it is important to use it properly. In addition, the extended arm is also a wire that passes electricity, so it can be used to pull electricity from the power supply and move the machine. Then the puzzle is solved and proceeds in the room, but the shadow of a scary toy will sneak up behind the player.
In this work, the PC (Steam) version was released in October 2021 and the mobile version was released in March this year. Looking at the daily peaks of the STEAM version of the number of simultaneous connection players, it has been more than 1,000 or less since the distribution. It seems that the excitement of live broadcasting on Twitch and YouTube has existed since last year, but it did not seem to be greatly reflected in the number of players.
That situation has changed completely in May this year. Around May 6, the number of viewers in the live commentary of this work suddenly exploded, and the number of players increased as it was taken. The peak of the STEAM version of the simultaneous connection player reached about 14,000 on the most day (Steamdb).
At this timing, Chapter 2 of this work has been distributed as DLC. New areas and toys have appeared in the factory, and green hands have been added to Grabpack. In addition, Chapter 1, the main game, is free. It is thought that DLC distribution has become more active in live distribution, and when it is free, many players will be called. At the moment, the number of simultaneous connection players is rising, and it will be noted how far it will grow in the future.
Although this work has a great excitement like this, if you look at the status of user reviews at Steam at the moment, all reviews are “slightly popular” and recent reviews are “pros and cons”. There is. It doesn’t seem to be praised.
The subtle rating seems to be distrust of the developer, Mob Games, rather than criticism of the game itself. One of the causes is the price of the DLC of Chapter 2 mentioned above. The additional chapter DLC was announced on the store page that it would be sold for $ 4.99, but was actually sold for $ 9.99 (Japan’s price of 1010 yen). Currently, the statement of $ 4.99 has been deleted.
In addition, when the chapter 1 is free, we have been dissatisfied with the fact that users who purchased for a fee ($ 4.99/520 yen) have not taken any measures to compensate for some form. 。 Except for technical problems such as bugs, the game itself is generally popular, so it can be said that the price strategy and lack of explanation of the developer have led to a rather wasteful situation.
“Poppy PlayTime” is being distributed to PC (Steam) and iOS/Android.
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