Thinking Outside the Jack and the Box: An Analysis on the Project Playtime Cinematic Trailer.12/9/2022 By Diego Campbell Halloween may have been a month ago, but that doesn’t mean the horror game genre has been slowing down. Long awaited games like “Bendy and the Dark Revival“ and “Choo-Choo Charles” have recently made their way onto the scene, garnering massive support from their respective fandoms. But one horror game has caught the attention of millions of fans eager to return to a world of monstrous toys and nightmarish secrets. From the creators of the hit horror game “Poppy Playtime” comes “Project Playtime,” a brand new co-op game with a new set of rules and monsters. At the time of writing this article, only two trailers have come out for the new title; a cinematic trailer and a gameplay trailer. This article will solely focus on these the Cinematic Trailer and what it reveals. The trailer begins in a dark room and reveals four workers in hazmat suits. These workers use arm-cannon devices called “GrabPacks” to collect toy parts scattered around the room. (This is an in-game mechanic that allows the player to interact with the environment.) As they gather more parts, one of the workers notices a furry blue plush lying on the ground. This is a toy called “Huggy Wuggy,” who was the very first monster the player encounters in the main game. The worker picks up the toy and shows it to the other workers when suddenly, it opens its tooth-filled mouth and starts screaming. It startles the worker, who drops it on the ground. The monster continues screaming on the floor until the worker stomps on it, killing the noise and the creature. (This is not confirmed to be an actual mechanic in the game.) The workers relax for a second when they hear a noise come from the darkness. Out of nowhere, a giant mouth reaches out and snatches one of the workers. The workers back away as a monster-sized Huggy Wuggy walks out of the gloom, with one of the workers arms hanging out of his mouth. (Huggy Wuggy is one of three monsters who players can hunt as in the Project Playtime game.) The workers make a run for it, but Huggy chases them down. He manages to catch one of them in a tight hug, and devours them easily. The remaining two workers see a gate up ahead, and one of them aims their grab pack hand at the handle. The hand grabs the handle and the worker retracts the hand as the duo clears the gate, slamming it down behind them. (This is confirmed to be a feature that will allow players to get away from the monster, if only briefly.) The pair of workers race past a sign that reads “Train Station.” They continue running when suddenly a pair of pink noodly arms with elongated fingers reach out from the darkness. They belong to a monster called Mommy Long Legs, a pink doll with long stretchable arms who resembles a spider. (Mommy Long Legs is the second of three playable monsters that players can choose to hunt as.) A maniacal cackle rings out around the room as the arms wrap around one of the workers. The worker struggles against the arm, but it’s no use as the arms drag them into the darkness. The lone survivor speeds toward the train up ahead and manages to climb aboard, safe behind the closing doors. (The train is confirmed to be how players can leave and win after all the parts are collected.) The final worker catches their breath before noticing a strange box at the end of the train car. It’s blue with a giant star on its front side and a crank with a red handle on its right side. It looks like a giant jack-in-the-box. Without warning, the crank begins turning and a small jingle plays out. The survivor watches the box with curiosity as the crank continues to turn on its own. As the jingle winds down, the crank suddenly stops. At the same time, a hidden door on the left side of the box opens up. The survivor can only watch as what looks like a red bear paw slowly reaches out of the side of the box, flexing its claws. More hidden doors explode open as another paw and two furry square feet spring out of the bottom. The hands and feet are attached to the box by springs that act like limbs. The springs lift the box up so that the body is standing, and the box lid flips open. A red, furry, cuboid head rises out of the box, with dilated black eyes and a fang toothed maw. The beast screeches as it extends towards the survivor. Its head bites down on the poor worker, and then instantly retracts back into the box. The car is silent. The train begins to leave the station, and the scene fades away to the game's logo: Project Playtime. The video ends with a release date of December 6, 2022. The Jack in the Box monster is the final monster that players can hunt as, and had been teased in an online ARG (Augmented Reality Game; a mystery/scavenger hunt done online) for a whole month. This is Boxy Boo, the current face of the new game. The video outlines the goal of the new game. Multiple players (up to six) are sent on a mission to find six toy parts for a giant toy. Once all the pieces have been collected, these survivors can board a train and escape the monster, effectively winning. However, a seventh player can play as the monster hunting down the survivors. No matter who the player picks, the monster's single goal is always the same: find and kill everyone.
Project Playtime’s cinematic trailer was an incredible showcase of what’s to come. It brings back fan favorite monsters and properly introduces a new nightmare with a spring in his step after weeks of buildup. While the concept may seem familiar, the game looks to be a promising experience if the monsters are as brutal as they are shown to be in the trailer. At the time of writing this article, the game is not yet available. But even now, it’s a safe bet to assume that this game will receive a lot of Playtime.
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