taigabeetle

do you want a story?: shortcomings of mascot horror

the release of Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 and Markiplier's very valid criticism of it have taken a lot of people by storm. mascot horror is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and i've been a fan since the release of FNAF in 2014. after seeing a lot of games come and go, i have some thoughts about the genre and Poppy Playtime's issues in particular.

the games i'll be discussing are more-or-less part of the "mascot horror" genre or loosely related. there's not a super distinct line, at least to me, but these are games i know pretty well that i think fit in the category of mascot horror, as in horror games marketed to younger audiences starring a titular mascot of sorts.

five nights at freddy's (2014-) is what got us into this mess. admittedly, the first entries into the series were pretty well executed, if a bit rushed production-wise. for example, the secrets in FNAF 3 with dialing a phone number into wall tiles will never make sense to me, but at least some nerd (affectionate) found it and revealed some lore. the basic concept of something sinister happening within a kid-focused setting wasn't new, but it really took online kids by storm, and burgeoning youtube letsplayers got their grubby hands all over it. i think the concept was handled pretty well in that none of the horror elements were ever disguised: you're thrown into the deep end head-first and the story is revealed as you sink deeper. simply done, but effective.

emily wants to play (2015) is one of the many directly FNAF-inspired games that started coming out pretty soon after. it's pretty short and a lot more contrived in my opinion, but the horror elements are handled similarly where nothing is hidden. you know what you're getting into, but the quality is a bit worse in my opinion. nothing to write home about, good or bad. i just remember Markiplier playing it, so it can't have been that bad LOL

one night at flumpty's (2015) is one of the many FNAF clones out there, but probably one of the best ones. the characters are creative and the 2d animation style makes it pretty distinct from the rest of the "subgenre" of FNAF clones. the creativity and quality make up for the lack of story. the characters are also on the cuter and more cartoon-y end, but the naming scheme of this game and its sequels are exactly like FNAF so i'd find it hard to believe if a kid stumbled upon it and didn't know what it was meant to be.

tattletail (2016), in my opinion, starts the more creative derivations of mascot horror. the story is really simple, but it feels real. i never had a furby growing up, but even i knew as a kid that everyone found them creepy and claimed that they talked to themselves and stuff. tattletail fits really neatly into the furby "canon" if you can call it that. it also was part of the trend of mascot horror with kid player characters. it isn't inherently bad, and it works well in this case. i have a soft spot for it because of the tattletail voice lines that have become long-term vocal stims for me and a friend (hi Rowan if you're reading this lmao).

hello neighbor (2017) is one of the biggest crashes and burns in gaming, it's that bad. i'm pretty during its popularity it was only ever in alpha or beta. there were a bunch of updates but none of them ever fixed the growing list of bugs. the story was manufactured to be as mysterious as possible, but there was no heart in it. the entire game feels like it was trying to be the next FNAF, and then it became clear that wouldn't happen so the devs started begging for attention from Game Theory on twitter. the neighbor's house was cool and i liked the art style, but the whole thing sucks ass.

duck season (2017) stands out as a really great member of the mascot horror genre. sure, game mechanics in VR will always be a bit janky, but the game makes up for it in graphics and story and intrigue. there's no dialogue so the backstory is a bit vague, but the storytelling is really well done. one of the first indications of something being off is the duck hunt dog smoking a cigarette when you load in, and it's a really short moment but it tells you a lot about the character. there's also a lot of possible endings which makes it fun (at least to watch in a letsplay video), and its popularity upon release was well deserved.

bendy and the ink machine (2017-2018) likely began the trend of learning about lore through video or voice tapes. it's a common trope nowadays for lore-dumping important details, but it's best used for non-essential information and easter eggs. something i really like that bendy did is that the player character has an identity, he talks aloud to himself and gives the player a perspective that informs your gameplay and clear objectives. the game also has a really distinct art style that screams heart and quality. of course, bendy has a lot of jumpscares, but they somehow never lose their spook factor. sometimes the bendy cardboard cut-out moves, sometimes there's small ink enemies, sometimes there's monsters that take up a section of the game and demand your attention. the story is a bit clunky: there's the plot reason for why your player character is back at this decrepit animation studio, all the shit with bendy and what it's become, and both of the alice angels. bendy narratively tries to accomplish a lot, and it does succeed at most of it.

happy's humble burger barn (2021) was a bit of a sleeper hit, if i could say that. i've always been a bit enamored by the mascots in this game specifically, and the horror aspects are pretty creative in that this game takes on a brainwashing, corporate overlord angle. instead of the player working at or visiting a location that's secretly haunted/evil/corrupt, the location never exists in the first place. it's a simulation made to test the limits of the human brain, and of course shit goes wrong by the time the player character gets out and learns about the company's wrongdoings. it touches on neuroscience and ethics in a way that feels simultaneously fantastical and grounded. it's not the best entry on this list, but i thoroughly enjoyed it.

garten of banban (2023-) arguably has a decent story but the gameplay is frustrating to anyone with eyes or ears. one comment on Jacksepticeye's letsplay said it best: "instead of just slamming text on screen that says hit this button to do this and expecting [the player] to remember, you teach them with proper puzzles one at a time and then put it to the test with a harder puzzle that combines those things." additionally, it's very self-aware, including lines in documents you can pick up such as "do not live up to the evil faceless corporate entity stereotype," which doesn't save it from being cliche or heavy-handed. the obvious inspirations from other works (bittergiggle being extremely similar to FNAF's sun and moon, the SCP Foundation of it all, the Poppy Playtime-esque puzzles and settings and characters) feels more like trying to recreate that level of success rather than paying homage to beloved stories. i included the dates of release in this blog post for each game specifically because i think garten of banban is trying to rip-off Poppy Playtime. it doesn't help that it feels inferior to Poppy Playtime in many ways: voice acting, art style/direction, animation, and gameplay.

amanda the adventurer (2023-2025) is a pretty creative and well-polished mascot horror game in its puzzles and storytelling. of course, it draws upon all the tropes of communicating secrets and story through tapes and notes, and of course amanda and wooly are mascots of a secretly evil company. still, the story behind rebecca's disappearance and involvement with Hameln is heartbreaking and chilling, drawing upon the horrors of child stardom. also this is done in a way that doesn't leave the player in the dark. you can still make out a story even if you don't find any secrets, but the secrets add to the worldbuilding and background.

indigo park (2024) has all the classic mascot horror elements, but in a way that feels fresh and full of heart. rambley is SUPER cute, and all the animatronic/real counterparts of the park mascots are cute but unsettling. the puzzles and tasks are simple, but they don't feel like fetch-quests or busy work. the story set up in the introduction is suggested a bit mysteriously, and then becomes more and more clear by the end of chapter 1. rambley's lonely and his park is in disarray for an unknown reason: won't you help him? it's a very sweet goal, and the ending credits song really seals the deal. in comparison to Poppy Playtime first released 3 years prior, the chase sequence with molly macaw has a more concrete consequence than Poppy's first huggy chase does, in my opinion. the huggy chapter 1 chase ends with him falling to his presumed death, seemingly for the sole purpose of scaring the player into fast-paced gameplay, but with somewhat unclear directions. the molly macaw chase has much more clear directions, and ends with her decapitation revealing blood and guts. it immediately calls into question what has become of the park mascots and what happened for the park to shut down. it's also bookended with a plea from rambley to get the park back into shape, seeing as something has gone wrong with his friends. there's clear storytelling reasonings for every plot event.

kinitopet (2024) is a creative spin on the genre, choosing the route of internet yesteryear and a bonzi buddy-inspired mascot. kinitopet's motives feel like a natural conclusion to its character, but the way the horror manifests is a bit atypical for mascot horror. of course there are jumpscares, but they're saved for the perfect moments, and horror is uncovered in other moments such as the body bag in the furniture game. i also really like that kinito is unreliable, but good-natured. it still makes a cute lil house for you filled with your favorite things, even if the encounter does end with it trying to hold you hostage.

so here's what we've learned from all these other mascot horror games:

finally, let's talk about the big kahuna: Poppy Playtime (2021-). it's a shame how much chapters 1 and 2 set up a really intriguing story with pretty clear motives, fun and clever puzzles, and developed characters. however, chapter 2 became a warning of worse things to come in the following chapters. i'm not saying that chapters 3-5 are the worst games of all time, but they do leave a lot to be desired. for fuck's sake, there's a gameplay loop or story formula or whatever you want to call it. there's a puzzle section where you run around pushing buttons or flipping switches, and a chase sequence. rinse and repeat. it's almost like the devs forgot about the grabpack mechanics, or wanted to write in excuses to not use it.

the chase sequences are far too frequent, and are used as opportunities to learn new mechanics rather than serving as a culmination of all the tricks the player has learned thus far. harken back to the comment i included when discussing garten of banban. instead of serving as moments for a player to feel smart for using what they've learned, chase sequences are being used to introduce new concepts and subsequently pull the rug out from under the player. no wonder it seems a lot of players and fans feel frustrated after every failed attempt of a chase sequence, or after every cycle of puzzles and chases.

i've heard several people suggest that Poppy Playtime be turned into a movie because the gameplay is so frustrating, and the story is the one saving grace. i beg to differ, because the story itself has a lot of odd moments. in chapter 4 when poppy yells while going up the lift, to look out for- WHEN SHE CLEARLY COULD'VE KEPT YELLING. the story being communicated solely through tapes and notes makes it frustrating for the players who can't find those tapes and notes and therefore are missing a huge part of the lore and motivations. the opening to chapter 1 and then one line in chapter 3 suggest that the player character is someone who used to work at playtime, but it kind of doesn't make sense. if literally every last employee was killed during the hour of joy, then how is the player character still alive and none of the toys recognize them?

in the case of poppy playtime it misses almost everything we've learned from many other notable mascot horror games.

i think that's everything i wanted to say but i have one last, major frustration with Poppy Playtime: missed opportunities. in chapter 5, i fell in love with lily lovebraids. the fact that she was ms. gracie but likely developed some kind of DID is really upsetting and narratively compelling. rather than the player running from and killing her on her own, why not use the voice of ms. gracie to her advantage? it's long gone now, but i remember seeing a comment left on a video proposing that lily could've commanded huggy wuggy with her voice, and she and huggy could have some kind of emotional bond. additionally in chapter 4, before leaving safe haven poppy suggests that the player talk to the other toys because they'll miss you. i distinctly remember markiplier hearing that and then walking around safe haven, and none of the toys moved from their spots or talked or became interactable. it was so ridiculous that the game tells you what to do, and then it's not possible. do the devs want to add emotional depth and character relationships or not????

#diary