We can all agree that the closing seconds of Broken Things left us with our jaws on the floor after exclaiming 'what!?', right? There's no way it's just me who couldn't believe we were standing face-to-face with the eye on a computer screen once more. What to expect from The Doctor in the next installment is just one of many Poppy Playtime Chapter 6 theories that I'm contemplating.
Poppy Playtime's Prototype finally showed himself, with us becoming privy to even more fascinating information about him. In Chapter 4, we discovered that he was really Poppy Playtime's Ollie; then, in Broken Things, we learned that he was Elliot Ludwig's son, Oliver. Absolutely massive information that indicates a sibling relationship between him and the titular character, and it seems that there's a lot of jealousy on the Prototype's side.
Naturally, Chapter 6 is likely to drop more bombshells concerning Experiment 1006 and Poppy, but what could they possibly be? In our Poppy Playtime interview with Mob Entertainment's Senior Director of Creative, Film, & Games, George Krstic, he revealed that "at one point, it was uncertain" whether or not Chapter 5 would conclude the story. Still, the team "ultimately decided there was more world and narrative to unpack, so it evolved into a major turning point instead. Chapter 5 answers some long-standing questions while opening others in a way that shifts the momentum of the story."
He's not kidding; I'm sure you'll agree that one minute in Broken Things, you're thinking 'oooooh, that's what's happening' only for that to change as quick as a flash into '… what?' That feeling was especially true for me after witnessing the Prototype attack Kissy Missy and Huggy Wuggy. The tall, pink, fluffy monster is my favorite Poppy Playtime character, and, honestly, I have a soft spot for Huggy Wuggy, too. I often thought of that lanky lad, wondering how he was in the deep, dark pit until we saw him again at the end of Chapter 4.
While I think I need to prepare myself for Broken Things being the definitive end of Kissy Missy (though I hope it's not), I don't believe that the Wugster is dead. In fact, I reckon he's about to become an unlikely ally who no longer has any interest in killing you, and would rather work with you to bring down the brutal monster who killed his beloved Kissy Missy. The two were sharing such a precious moment before the Prototype ruined it - join us, Huggy; let us avenge Kissy together.
Huggy's return is nothing more than speculation at the moment, but we know that Poppy Playtime's The Doctor is back in Chapter 6 after his surprise appearance in the final seconds of Broken Things. To me, it seems certain that Harley Sawyer is about to team up with us in a very reluctant alliance. However, while I think Huggy is going to be our pal for the rest of the story, The Doctor is going to be biding his time, waiting until he gets what he wants, and then he will turn on us and try to finish the job he started in Chapter 4.
Beyond the characters I've talked about already, there's still Giblet and Chum Chompkins, two new characters you meet in Chapter 5, with Giblet even saving our life at the end of the chapter, and Chum hides us from the Prototype partway through. Odds are Chum Chompkins will appear again, though in what capacity, I'm not sure. As for Giblet, it saddens me to say, but I foresee him being another casualty, though it'll result in him getting that heroic moment he's been running from.
Dr. Preston Willard may also make an appearance; at least, I'm hoping he does. After the release of the Restricted Tapes ahead of the release of Chapter 5, I was sure we'd see him as the third tape ends with the Prototype turning him into a toy, a Cat-Bee, to be precise. We can only see his eyes move in the video, but I'm sure he's wandering around in the factory somewhere, and who's better to give us answers about the process of turning people into toys than one of the Playtime Co. scientists? Especially one who clearly regrets his actions, being the one to let the toys out, resulting in The Hour of Joy. I think he'll be able to divulge even more secrets about Oliver Ludwig and the relationships Elliot had with his children.
While I can't hazard much of a guess as to who it might be, Mob is likely to introduce yet another secondary antagonist - I live in hope of Boxy Boo arriving in the main game. The studio seems to prefer introducing brand new villains in each chapter, though. Either way, whoever it is has a tough act to follow, as Lily Lovebraids is quite an interesting character, also being a former employee of Playtime Co.
So, I've spoken a fair bit about the characters, but what about the story at large? Is Chapter 6 going to be the final installment in this arc of Poppy Playtime? Personally, I don't think so. In our interview with Krstic, we took the plunge and asked if Chapter 6 is the concluding part of this story, and he tells us, "While I can't give you a definitive answer on this just yet, I will say that we know where we're taking the story and we're excited about it." I might be wrong, but with the twists and turns in Chapter 5, the new questions it raises, and the potential new characters that can still make an impact, it seems that Chapter 6 may be the penultimate Chapter instead.
Even if it does turn out to be the final installment of this arc, we know it's absolutely not the end of Poppy Playtime overall, as Krstic explains that "the world of Poppy Playtime is bigger than one storyline. We've built a company with history, different divisions, different projects, different eras. That gives us room to explore." Adding that "the world of Poppy Playtime is far larger than a single factory could hope to contain. Playtime Co. wasn't just a small, local operation, after all. At its peak, it was a global entity with some big ambitions. As to whether we'll see those other locations in the future, we aren't ready to answer that just yet, but what a fun concept to explore."
While I have thoughts on where the series can go after the first era of Poppy Playtime comes to a close, I think I'll dive into those another time. As new trailers and information arrive for the next installment, you can be sure I'll have more Poppy Playtime Chapter 6 theories to share - now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to encounter the Prototype once more now that Chapter 5 is on Nintendo Switch.