A personal comment from me about how I wish catnap had been

Catnap has been one of the most famous characters in the series since the release of the third chapter of the game. But I didn't particularly like what we had from him in the chapter. Not compared to what we saw of him in the trailer where he first appeared. To explain it better, let's recap the entire trajectory of the catnap character. From his first appearance, the theories surrounding him, his form, his history to the revelation of his name and finally the release of the chapter.

In the game's first trailer. We see playcare, an abandoned, narrow, cramped place, full of blood-stained corridors and writing on the walls. You see dark pictures of children and the scariest part. Children's drawings accompanied by a purple creature that is not well drawn and defined. In each design seen in the trailer, the purple creature is drawn in a different way. Making it enigmatic. You think "what the hell is that? A rabbit? A cat? A dog?" You can't clearly see what this monster is.

And then, the music becomes intense and the sounds of children's screams become louder. You see that narrow and cramped corridor, full of blood and writing on the walls and as the screen goes to the side you see huge claws passing through the walls and making those writings that we see. And then the trailer cuts to show a dark, empty environment. With only white eyes staring at us fixedly, without making any noise, without revealing its shape, completely enigmatic and mysterious. He releases a red gas from his mouth and gives a jumpscare on the screen, barely showing his face and still keeping viewers asking "what the hell is that?"

The trailer ends without revealing the game's release date.

And to this day I remember the incredible feeling it was to see that trailer for the first time. Several YouTubers commenting on every detail and all asking the main question "what is the purple monster"? "What is that mysterious creature that hides in the shadows?"

Initially, before we knew that that monster is a cat and that it's called catnap, many called it "bogeyman".

Many made theories about what that monster was, whether it was a cat, a dog, etc. Because the trailer didn't make it clear what that monster's true form was. And seeing YouTubers' theories was one of the best moments for all Poppy Playtime fans.

Time passed and fanart and videos began to appear to theorize what the shape of that monster was. Many said it was a bird, many said it was a rabbit like a bonie and so on.

This was what I expected poppy playtime 3 would be. A chapter taking place mostly in several dark and cramped corridors where you would be constantly chased by a shapeless monster, which would use a red gas to cause hallucinations in the player and hide its true form. He could appear as a rabbit, a dog, a bear, a deformed monster and several other forms and only at the end would he reveal his true form. And only then would we defeat them.

But instead. We had chapter 3 which lasts more or less 3 and a half hours (the same time as Little Nightmares 2) and catnap, the chapter's main villain and hype, doesn't appear for even 30 seconds.

Once he had his true form and his name revealed, catnap, a purple cat. He lost his charm completely for me. He wasn't at all mysterious and enigmatic like he was in the trailer. He didn't give it as much time as in the trailer. And for me, the presence of the smiling creatures only made everything worse, they took the focus away from the catnap and took away his screen time.

For me, it would be better if catnap appeared for most of the chapter without showing his true form, acting as a mysterious and enigmatic shadow predator. A nameless creature that you seek to discover the true form and identity of, only following this task at the end.

The way he is defeated I keep the same. I have nothing to say about this part.

But one thing they could have done to make it scarier is to put more corridors and tight spaces in the game like home sweet home. Dark and tight places where you could easily be caught by catnap and you would have to pray just like you do in fnaf to not be found by him. Seeing the red smoke appearing in the background and already knowing that a new encounter with that mysterious monster is about to happen and that he will reveal himself to you in a new form.

That's how I wanted catnap to have been in chapter 3. (And particularly, I preferred him to be alone. Without the smiling creatures) That's how the trailer suggested he would be but the game didn't deliver on that.

We may have had some catnap scenes in the game. But what I say now I say with desire.

The best catnap scene is not in your game. But in your trailer. For me, that trailer CAPTURED the essence of catnap much better than the game itself. Now that was a scary catnap. At the time we didn't know its name or its shape. Now that was a horror monster.

The catnap scene in the trailer is much better and scarier than his entire appearance in the game and I'm very sad to see how badly catnap was used. Watching the trailer I just imagine everything it could have been but it didn't even come close to being.

Do you agree with me?

Leave your opinions in the comments.