Developer: Mob Entertainment
Platform: PC
Genre: Action, Adventure
Publisher: Mob Entertainment
Escape From Playtime is a multiplayer horror extraction game developed and published by Mob Entertainment, the studio behind the Poppy Playtime franchise. Available on PC via Steam, the game allows up to 8 players to team up, explore the factory, collect valuable items and try to survive the dangers lurking within. I played the game on PC and the game is currently in Early Access.
Escape From Playtime was a game I was expecting a little more from, and unfortunately, I ended up feeling a bit disappointed. The game doesn’t really rope you in, and whilst we genuinely tried to enjoy it for what it was, we just didn’t find it particularly enticing.
First and foremost, I’m not sure how many people are familiar with Project Playtime, but I was hoping Escape From Playtime would offer a somewhat similar experience. Project Playtime did a wonderful job of creating a survival horror atmosphere where being chased, or even playing as the chaser, felt exhilarating. Mind you, the two games have no direct correlation, so this is more of a personal expectation than anything else.
Escape From Playtime plays quite differently, with players tasked with extracting loot from the map whilst surviving whatever happens to be chasing them. The overall idea is there, but I don’t think it quite captures that same sense of tension or excitement.
​First, I will say that I quite liked the atmosphere and visuals. It really captures that Poppy Playtime aesthetic, and I even liked how you play as these little toy cats, whilst the creatures you encounter seem to fit right into the Poppy Playtime universe. The game definitely captures that toy-esque aesthetic, and there is something quite charming about it.
Additionally, the multiplayer aspect, supporting up to 8 players, is very handy and works surprisingly well. You can easily host a lobby, and to be fair, it fills up almost instantly with players, which was nice to see. The game also has an in-game voice chat, which is decent, although I didn’t really come across many random players who actually used it. Everyone seemed to just do their own thing, and I wish the game incorporated communication a little more into the co-op experience.
There are some interesting mechanics, such as collecting limbs to revive other players or assisting teammates during a run. I also quite liked the idea that items collected towards your quota can double up as useful equipment, ranging from glowsticks to bombs and beacons. These little additions are nice, but I feel there is room to make the cooperative aspect much more engaging.
​Gameplay-wise, you’re essentially collecting items around the map, depositing them into a minecart and trying to meet your quota across a number of shifts. You can also receive strikes, which adds another layer to the extraction aspect. It feels like the game is trying to capture some of that Lethal Company-style loot extraction gameplay, but unfortunately, it doesn’t feel quite as exciting. The fear factor just doesn’t really settle in, and I never found myself particularly on edge or genuinely worried about what might be lurking around the corner.
That being said, the developers do seem to be actively working on improving the experience. Following its launch on 21 October, Mob Entertainment released an update introducing public lobbies for groups of 2–8 players, additional lore collectables in the form of notes, posters and VHS tapes, as well as adjustments to session and shift timings to make things more balanced for smaller groups. There’s also an early roadmap promising more items, cosmetics, emotes, puzzles, beginner-friendly tutorials and further enemy and gameplay improvements. It’s encouraging to see the developers taking player feedback on board, and hopefully these updates will help give the game a little more depth.
​We are thankful to have been given a few codes to test the game out with friends. One of the players, Vroggo, had the following to say: “I enjoyed playing Escape From Playtime, but the joyfulness of the experience doesn’t last long after playing a few rounds of the game.
​There is clearly an extraction-type style to the game that is similar to others in its genre, like Lethal Company or Repo. Although unlike them, there’s little randomisation in the game’s core gameplay loop in its current state. To summarise my experience, players salvage for items, avoid the monsters, and earn money. It doesn’t feel like there’s any other incentive to play a round and earn money other than to reach the quota and use the money to buy consumable items for the next round. Not to mention, the level design and monsters get stale quickly after encountering them only so many times.
​Nevertheless, I find it interesting that there’s a sense of verticality to the game both in movement and level design. It makes exploring more fun and provides alternative ways to evade monsters, so I hope to see more use for this feature in future updates. I also enjoyed the little puzzles to progress around the map, and didn’t experience much lag/delays while playing with friends or other people in the online matchmaking.
At the game’s current state, I would rate my experience as a 5/10. Enjoyable enough to play for a short while, but not enough to recommend.”
Escape From Playtime isn’t necessarily a bad game, but I think I was expecting something a little more engaging. I can appreciate what the developers are trying to achieve, and there is potential for the game to grow with future updates. However, at the moment, I was left wanting a little more from the experience. Hopefully, with some additional content and gameplay improvements, it can become something much more enjoyable.
Overall: 5/10
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