With new development news regarding the franchise’s movie from Blumhouse Studios, interest in the ongoing “Five Nights at Freddy’s” series manages to survive. Developed by indie developer Scott Cawthon, the series is based around working security at a children’s pizzeria in the vein of Chuck E. Cheeses called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The catch is that the animatronic animal performers roam the restaurant at night and if they find you, the guard, the aftermath will be fatal.
The main crew includes Bonnie the bunny, Chica the chicken, Foxy the pirate and of course, Freddy Fazbear. In the first game released in August 2014, the player character that rounds out the cast is named Mike Schmidt. You play as Mike trying to survive your week-long night shift job at Freddy’s. This is a difficult trial in resource management, however, as everything you use to protect yourself drains your limited amount of power each night. Between using the cameras, checking the lights just outside your office, and closing the doors to keep the animatronics at bay, you’ll be chipping away at your energy faster than you may realize. If the power should run out, you’d better hope you’re nearing that 6 a.m. clock out time, otherwise you’re sure to meet with Freddy in a very unfriendly way.
You aren’t expected to automatically know how to handle it all, however. The game assists the player with pre-recorded phone messages from the previous night guard. He gives you tips on how to survive your shift as well as dropping bits of information about the darker secrets of Freddy’s that whisper to you from the walls. The game has rare Easter eggs showing hints at a darker truth behind the animatronics’ strange, homicidal behavior. These secrets would expand to cartoonishly complex degrees in further entries, but in the first game they are just enough to offer some potential answers yet keep the player theorizing.
Freddy’s is far from the magical wonderland the company tagline would have you believe. Water stains coat the walls and exposed wires pepper the corners of its cold, dark hallways. A metallic, industrial drone is the backdrop to many moans and music boxes that make up the general soundscape. All of this serves to already put the player on edge so that when the animatronics leave their stage, it’s all the more bone chilling. The cameras depict the building outside your office in a cold and objective way. No flattering angles help the business hide it’s horrendous upkeep. On top of this, the animatronics seem acutely aware that they are being watched and will stare into, and sometimes approach, the cameras’ position.
On top of all the base details that put a pit in the players stomach, additional hallucinations will flash on the screen leaving an almost subliminal messaging effect. Images of Freddy with bloodshot eyes, noises and the phrase “It’s me” overwhelm the player during an already stressful time.
There’s a strong case to be made that quality-wise the FNaF series peaked at the start. Regardless, it is clear it came out the gate strong. Though the series would grow, the first game stayed strong at the forefront of the marketing due to its great atmosphere, gameplay and character designs. So give it a play this Halloween season. You’re in for a good scare.