Did Poppy’s Playtime stroll in order that Garten of Banban might run?
It was a query I posed myself as I performed by way of Garten of Banban 1. However while there’s nonetheless no signal of Poppy’s Playtime on Xbox, Garten of Banban is right here to capitalise by releasing the primary 4 chapters in a single go.
As a giant fan of Poppy’s Playtime and all of the lore surrounding it, it might be a shock to say that till now, Garten of Banban has handed me by. However that modifications now, as I’ll be enjoying by way of the primary 4 chapters so as, reviewing them individually. Beginning proper now with the primary chapter.
Garten of Banban is about inside a well-known kindergarten; one wherein everybody has all of the sudden vanished. It’s as much as you to determine what has occurred in there however, maybe extra importantly, survive no matter occurred to the others too.
Garten of Banban is a first-person horror recreation with a giant emphasis on puzzle fixing. Early on you discover a drone that you would be able to management and it’s this that’s used to unravel the vast majority of the puzzles. There are keycards to seek out to open new areas, and a cool puzzle in the direction of the tip that can check you on how a lot you’ve been being attentive to your environment.
There’s an eerie uneasiness across the kindergarten you’re exploring. It seems like these liminal areas that create a forlorn environment that you simply’ve seen on the web. This place has been deserted, however all the things appears in its rightful place. No matter occurred right here, there was no fuss or panic.
That, or the sense of uneasiness might be brought on by the large chicken that seems to be keeping track of you…
That’s Opila Hen, the massive unhealthy for Garten of Banban 1. At one level you might want to feed this chicken six eggs. It isn’t stipulated whether or not or not these are the chicken’s personal eggs, thus making it a cannibal.
However within the one part that Opila Hen will chase after you, it’s laughably unhealthy if you happen to do get caught. I used to be anticipating the form of jumpscares made well-known by the 5 Nights at Freddy’s video games the place a creepy face fills the entire display screen and screams at you. As an alternative, you get the least scary scream accompanied by no further results. The stress main as much as that second is basically not definitely worth the payoff.
And that’s actually the one ‘scary’ second within the first Garten of Banban. Primarily as a result of it’s a very brief recreation. My preliminary playthrough took round thirty minutes, however with understanding what must be achieved, and resolve the puzzles, that might simply be minimize down to 10 minutes on one other playthrough.
That’s if you happen to would select to do this. Sure, Garten of Banban 1 is free on the Xbox Retailer, presumably to entice you to delve into the next video games, however there aren’t any achievements included with this one. Subsequent video games have achievements and all appear like simple completions.
As talked about on the high of the overview, there may be no denying that Garten of Banban is closely impressed by Poppy’s Playtime. I simply wasn’t anticipating by how a lot, notably on this first chapter. You’re given a gadget early on to unravel puzzles with, the principle baddie may be seen keeping track of you from afar earlier than chasing you down in the direction of the tip, even the places aren’t too dissimilar from each other. Deserted toy manufacturing facility versus deserted kindergarten. Garten of Banban 1 is nearly like a reskinned model of the primary Poppy’s Playtime, and a poorer recreation at that.
And but, it has drawn me in. It teases simply sufficient of a wider narrative to maintain the participant invested, and if it continues to observe the pattern of Poppy’s Playtime, these video games will solely enhance in scope. I’m remaining open-minded in the interim.
Pay attention, Garten of Banban 1 isn’t an excellent recreation. It appears to be like tremendous (maybe higher than I used to be anticipating to be truthful), it’s brief, nevertheless it’s removed from scary. It’s nonetheless, unsettling, full with fairly first rate puzzles, fortunately dangling the carrot simply sufficient that you simply wish to proceed on.
The comparisons between this and Poppy’s Playtime are innumerable, and I do want I used to be enjoying that as a substitute. However see this by way of to the tip I’ll, even whether it is simply to satiate my very own curiosities at this level.
