In recent years, the horror genre of video games has seen a resurgence in popularity, largely driven by indie game developers creating unique and terrifying experiences. Two of the biggest breakout hits in this genre have been Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends, both featuring disturbing takes on children’s toys come to life.
Released in 2021 by MOB Games, Poppy Playtime quickly gained a massive following online. Players take on the role of an ex-employee returning to an abandoned toy factory where a murderous, blue doll named Poppy roams the halls. With its unique hand-holding mechanic and creepy atmosphere, Poppy Playtime became a viral hit.
Rainbow Friends, created by Diddy37 and released in 2022, features a similar premise of exploring an abandoned toy factory where the toys have gone rogue. The player must survive and escape the clutches of deranged characters like Mr. Longlegs, Kissy Wissy, and more.
Gameplay and Mechanics
On the surface, Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends share many gameplay similarities. They are both first-person survival horror games set in abandoned factories overrun by living toys. Players must explore, collect items, solve puzzles, and run and hide from the murderous toys hunting them down.
Specifically, some of the gameplay mechanics are remarkably alike between the two games:
- The player can pick up and freely move around various household objects in the environment for use as weapons or to solve puzzles.
- Interacting with old children’s toys in the factory triggers disturbing jump scares or chase sequences.
- Both games feature a hand attachment mechanic that allows the player to grab and swing from anchor points.
- Hiding from enemies and carefully timing movements to avoid detection are key to surviving encounters.
On a core design level, the repetitive loop of exploring, collecting, puzzle solving, and evading horrors is nearly identical between Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends.
Story and Setting
The narrative setup and environmental design for both games share many commonalities as well:
- The player takes the role of an employee returning to an abandoned toy factory they used to work at.
- Both factories were wildly successful before suddenly closing down and being left to rot.
- Toys that were manufactured in the factory have taken on a life of their own and stalk the halls.
- The setting is a rundown industrial building with warehouses, assembly lines, testing chambers, and office spaces.
- Notes and audio logs are scattered around that slowly reveal details of what went wrong in the factory.
While not identical, the core settings and backstories clearly share major similarities in both games.
Character and Art Design
Visually, Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends overlap in their use of deranged living toys as the main antagonists. Both games feature extremely creepy character designs that warp classic children’s toys into horror icons.
Specific character archetypes are repeated between the two games:
- Poppy and Kissy Wissy are both demented doll characters with massive mouths filled with sharp teeth.
- Huggy Wuggy and Mr. Longlegs are lanky, stretchy-limbed monsters.
- Mommy Long Legs and Casey both resemble creepy mashups of dolls and spiders.
General elements like dirty factories filled with toys and machinery are also present in both games. The visual tone of everything being grimy, broken down, and decidedly creepy is very similar.
Viral Popularity
Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends both gained huge popularity shortly after release by leveraging YouTube and online influencers. Let’s compare their viral journeys:
| Poppy Playtime | Rainbow Friends |
|---|---|
| Released first chapter October 2021. | Released June 2022. |
| YouTubers like Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and Pewdiepie played it early. | Also promoted by major YouTubers right away. |
| Jump scare reactions and Huggy Wuggy memes exploded on YouTube and TikTok. | Mr. Longlegs and Casey widely shared on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. |
| Multiple fan games and mods expanded the IP. | Fan community growing rapidly with fan art and songs. |
Leveraging YouTube and online influencers was clearly critical for both games to reach a mass audience. Their viral journeys beyond that, driven heavily by fan creativity, are remarkably similar despite launching nearly a year apart.
Monetization and Expansion
Capitalizing on the viral fame, Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends have taken comparable approaches to monetizing their IP and expanding it beyond just the core games:
- Both games feature in-game stores with purchasable skins and accessories.
- Plush toys, action figures, costumes, and other merch are sold for both franchises.
- Plans for television shows, mobile games, and feature films set in the game universes have been discussed.
- Additional game chapters are in development along with potential spin-offs.
Monetizing the IP through merchandise while expanding it across mediums like TV and film follows the same playbook established by Poppy Playtime first.
Reception and Criticisms
Despite their popularity, both Poppy Playtime and Rainbow Friends have received some backlash and criticism:
- They have been called overly derivative of previous horror games like Five Nights at Freddy’s.
- Some feel their viral nature and popularity with young children is concerning.
- The excessive merchandising and monetization tactics have been called out as shameless money grabs.
- The frequently repetitive and frustrating gameplay has been criticized.
While beloved by fans, especially younger ones, the similarities between them and reliance on generating viral moments rather than focusing on gameplay depth have drawn mixed receptions.
Conclusion
While not a complete carbon copy, Rainbow Friends shows strong inspiration taken from the formula established by Poppy Playtime just a year prior. The core gameplay loop, settings, character archetypes, viral marketing approaches, and monetization strategies all align very closely between the two games.
This speaks to how the indie game development scene moves in cycles, with breakout hits quickly inspiring waves of similar titles trying to capitalize on popular trends. Poppy Playtime clearly sparked the inspiration for Rainbow Friends to follow in its footsteps.
However, just because Rainbow Friends is derivative does not necessarily make it bad. The game still executes on the creepy toy formula very well, further demonstrating it is an appealing concept. Only time will tell if Rainbow Friends can emerge from Poppy Playtime’s shadow and establish its own unique identity in the process.