Thoughts on FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy's)

This post is dedicated to my thoughts on the horror game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s. After watching a few videos of YouTubers playing the first game, I was hooked. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched every video that Markiplier has uploaded (games one through four) of or about the game. I also really love the theories that MatPat (Game Theory) has put out. While the overall gameplay can be very interesting, the real pull to the franchise for me is the lore. (Image: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/INMFlxEI538/maxresdefault.jpg) 

I think the first game is the best game of the four games that have been released. I personally love the designs of the main four, well five, animatronics in the first game. Yes, they are creepy (they are supposed to be, obviously. It is a horror game after all), but I think they are creepy-cute, especially Bonnie the Bunny. My favorite animatronic is Foxy the Pirate Fox. I’m not sure what drew me to Foxy being my favorite. I think one of the reasons was his special ability to run from his post at Pirate Cove to the security guard’s office. The idea of the first game is eerily real in tone. Being someone who has fond memories of going to Chuck E. Cheese’s as a kid, the setting of this game seems very close to home.

The second game has been proven to be a prequel to the first game. I think this was an interesting way to guide the direction of the franchise. I liked how we are put into a different location, even though the way you play the game is fairly similar to ways of the first game. In the first game, the office had doors that you could close to keep the animatronics out. This element was removed from the second game. Instead, you are given an empty mask to try and disguise yourself. I also like the addition of new models of the characters, with the old characters and new characters.

The third game, gameplay wise, is not my favorite. This game is set as a horror attraction with artifacts and training tapes from the locations of the first two games. I can totally see this happening in real life. The lore elements that come with this game are great, though still incomplete. The hidden levels and returning Atari-style mini-games from the second game make for great gameplay. The fourth game to me is a stretch. It takes place in a house instead of a pizzeria, and you are a child instead of a security guard. I like the overall execution of this game, even though some lore elements are still purely up for theorizing.

Check this game series out if you haven’t!