Toony’s Daycare Review (PC)

̶ ̶P̶o̶p̶p̶y̶ Toony’s ̶P̶l̶a̶y̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶Daycare isn’t the least bit similar to that other mascot horror that we dare not mention; it’s of another branch altogether. Heck, it isn’t even in possession of the same setting, storyline, or puzzles. Well, technically, it is. And not just a little of it, but most of it. The pre-school biome? Check. The missing children? Check. The roaming mascot foes with warped characteristics and ulterior motives? Check, check, and check. Sure enough, if it had Huggy Wuggy in it, then it would no doubt come across as a fan-made mod for Poppy Playtime. And yet, even with all of these on-the-nose similarities that it shares with Mob Entertainment’s cult franchise, Toony’s Daycare does actually do something that wets the ears and leaves a lasting impression. And for what it doesn’t bring to the table, it substitutes with several crucial elements. But more on that later.

Toony’s Daycare follows the same breadcrumb trail that so, so many other mascot horrors have opted to sketch out since the genre took a gradual turn toward the mainstream. To echo, it isn’t Poppy Playtime, nor is it Five Nights at Freddy’s. Heck, it isn’t even My Friendly Neighborhood. Yet, it shares a lot of the same basic principles, as does it foster several of the core gameplay ingredients, including daring chases, thought-provoking puzzles, and a smokescreen that disguises a disturbing reality beneath an otherwise innocent setting. The only thing missing from the saucepan is a camera room and a catchphrase.

It seems that I’ve given Toony’s Daycare the cold shoulder before giving it the opportunity to breathe. Fortunately for the team behind it, the game does contain some signature qualities that deserve to be celebrated here. If you’re interested in hearing more, then stick around for a while.

The Not-So-Innocent Nursery

Toony’s Daycare has a secret, much like Poppy’s has a secret. But that very secret isn’t within the opening quarters of its seemingly innocent backdrop; it’s in the darkest depths below, in the ominous chambers that lurk beneath the foundations of adolescent dreams and schoolyard tales. And that, in short, is the exact thing that you are looking to accomplish in the game: to venture beyond the chalky walls of a dubious pre-school and into the bottomless pits of a mysterious universe, where gloomy laboratories lay in wait and a secret yearns to be discovered.

In a similar fashion as its adversaries, the game takes you on a tour through an interconnected world of underground quarters, puzzle-filled rooms, and not-so-adorable schoolyard facilities. There are items for you to collect, environmental challenges to overcome, and, above all, a suspecting sense that something is amiss and watching you from the shadows. With all of that in tow, you have a rather simple job: unlock its secrets, and carve deeper into the underworld to find a solution to the underlying question that plagues your mind. What is the daycare’s role in its children’s questionable disappearance, and how can you contribute to its downfall?

Behind the Veil of Innocence

Although Toony’s Daycare isn’t with the power of longevity on its side, it is one that bears a good amount of weight in its short yet oddly inviting tale. The puzzles that it harbors, too, aren’t overly difficult or daunting, nor are they made to feel like filler in an otherwise empty campaign. Granted, they aren’t as unique as, say, using a GrabPack to build an electric current or what have you — but the ideas are there, and it doesn’t feel as if they’re pointless additions. That’s a huge plus in my books, even though they don’t necessarily amaze me.

From an audiovisual standpoint, Toony’s Daycare sits on a fence between a classically rendered horror—a design that comes suited and booted with the usual dank corridors and dimly lit facilities—and a modern mascot SCP-like design, which features all sorts of familiar atmospheric elements and frequent frights. It isn’t original, though to give credit where credit is due, it is one that makes the best of what it’s given by incorporating a wide variety of puzzles and other set pieces that compliment the theme. Again, not a lot to complain about on that front.

As with most indie horrors of this kind, a little pinch of technical polish could certainly be of benefit here. For example, the game has no settings menu of any kind, which means that you cannot alter any of the in-game features or adjust the composition to suit your preferences. And that’s a big thing that, quite frankly, shouldn’t have been an oversight on the developer’s part.

Verdict

Ever since Five Nights at Freddy’s amassed eternal fame in the mascot horror space, I have been yearning to discover another exceptional candidate to pique my interest. Frankly, I haven’t found enough to ignite that unrelenting enthusiasm in Toony’s Daycare, not because it lacks the secondhand spirit that binds with the genre, but because it just doesn’t do enough to curb my appetite for its contents. It does a lot of things right, I’ll admit. But then, it also leaves me wanting a little more—another lick of paint to scratch, or another avenue to explore, perhaps. To that, it sadly falls short of being a pristine successor.

Let it be said that, while the game does harbor various shortcomings, both in the audiovisual department and the gameplay itself, the bulk of the experience is still, in all honesty, a lot of fun to tiptoe through. It’s a short number that bleeds “independent” horror and unapologetically leans into its downfalls, yet at the same time, makes a commendable effort to bring some solid features to the existing blueprint. Granted, it isn’t always as bone-chilling as it could be, nor is it exactly the best bard to sing the genre’s praises. But, when all’s said and done, it is a love letter that emits a lot of creative energy. That does it for me, if only just.

If you’re a die-hard fan of mascot horrors and just so happen to be searching for a cheap alternative for your favorite franchise or prolific poster child of the genre, then I’d recommend giving Toony’s Daycare a shot. While it won’t leave you with a newfound love for the realm of mascots and Poppy Playtime-like love letters, it ought to scratch an itch or two whilst you wait for that next all-encompassing animatronic to spring out from beneath the woodwork to give you a good ol’ fright.