Review: Five Nights at Freddy's
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:You can resume the game at the beginning of the last night you reached, but there is no way to save your progress or even pause during the game. Time needed per session:Each night lasts for six hours in game, which works out to roughly nine minutes in real time. Since you'll probably want to play through several nights (or just need to restart the same one multiple times), plan on playing for at least fifteen minutes.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | Some players may have concerns While this game functions like an evil jack-in-the-box (in that players have limited control over the monsters popping out at them), the larger issue is the backstory, which suggests the robot puppets (animatronics) are possessed by the spirits of dead children. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/five_nights_at_freddys_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/five_nights_at_freddys_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/five_nights_at_freddys_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Five Nights at Freddy's, often shortened to FNAF, is a major part of modern gaming culture. But, if your only knowledge of this franchise was via this specific game, you might not have expected the massive following it developed. As this was the first entry in the series, it's a simple, short indie game that doesn't seem to have much going for it beyond a handful of jump scares.
Now, before I start talking about this story or the gameplay itself, there's something that may need clearing up. This franchise introduced a lot of people to the word animatronic. Most of us have already encountered animatronics in real life - they are commonly seen at theme parks, arcades, and other attractions - and some of us may even have animatronic Christmas or Halloween decorations. Yet, until FNAF became famous, most of us didn't know there was a word for them. An animatronic, put simply, is a puppet controlled via mechanical parts (usually pneumatics). It's a "robotic puppet".
This is important, as the main cast of Five Nights at Freddy's are all animatronics. Like the "bands" that perform at Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza Place, they're a collection of happy, singing animal friends, and are the mascots of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. During the day, they sing songs, celebrate birthdays, and generally give the children who visit a good time.
It's what happens after dark that you need to worry about. To prevent their joints from getting stuck due to inactivity, the animatronics are toggled to "free roaming mode", allowing them to wander around the restaurant. Rumor has it that they used to roam freely during the day too, but after an undisclosed incident, this feature was disabled.
Speaking of these incidents, when I said that you, and you specifically, need to be concerned about what goes on after dark, it's because the player is assigned the dubious honor of being the night shift security guard at this restaurant. There's a risk (read: 100% chance) that the animatronics will "mistake" you for an endoskeleton that's out of costume. This violates their programming, so they'll attempt to fix the problem by stuffing you into a spare mascot suit. However, since these costumes were never meant to be worn by humans, there's a bunch of mechanical parts inside them. You'd be crushed to death if you attempted to wear one.
Thus, your task is to survive five nights by monitoring the locations of the different mascots and preventing them from entering the security office. This is not going to be easy, as your only options are to toggle the office doors or view the different cameras. You can't fight or hide, and to make matters worse, you're only provided with a small amount of power to cover the entire shift. Viewing cameras or keeping the doors closed drain this power supply, so you'll need to weigh your safety against your power needs. Run out of power during a shift, and the most you can do is wait to become a mascot yourself.
But, if you pay close enough attention, you might notice hints that there's more going on than just some glitchy AI. Every so often, something strange happens. Cryptic messages might be visible on your cameras for just a second, or maybe you'll hear something unexplained. Sometimes the posters on the walls change, and there are rumors about a fifth animatronic - a ghost of sorts - that shouldn't be there.
And that's the hook that made FNAF so famous. This game alone isn't enough to answer the question it raises. In order to truly get into the lore and find the answers, you'll need to play the rest of the series. Maybe even read the books or other supplemental material too.
Unfortunately, I didn't particularly find this game to all that fun - in this case, it's the fandom and theorizing that developed around it that's the fun part. On the other hand, if you want to start digging through the lore yourself, then you'll need to start where it all began, and that's with the original game. Just be ready to jump out of your skin a few times.
Now, before I start talking about this story or the gameplay itself, there's something that may need clearing up. This franchise introduced a lot of people to the word animatronic. Most of us have already encountered animatronics in real life - they are commonly seen at theme parks, arcades, and other attractions - and some of us may even have animatronic Christmas or Halloween decorations. Yet, until FNAF became famous, most of us didn't know there was a word for them. An animatronic, put simply, is a puppet controlled via mechanical parts (usually pneumatics). It's a "robotic puppet".
This is important, as the main cast of Five Nights at Freddy's are all animatronics. Like the "bands" that perform at Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza Place, they're a collection of happy, singing animal friends, and are the mascots of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. During the day, they sing songs, celebrate birthdays, and generally give the children who visit a good time.
It's what happens after dark that you need to worry about. To prevent their joints from getting stuck due to inactivity, the animatronics are toggled to "free roaming mode", allowing them to wander around the restaurant. Rumor has it that they used to roam freely during the day too, but after an undisclosed incident, this feature was disabled.
Speaking of these incidents, when I said that you, and you specifically, need to be concerned about what goes on after dark, it's because the player is assigned the dubious honor of being the night shift security guard at this restaurant. There's a risk (read: 100% chance) that the animatronics will "mistake" you for an endoskeleton that's out of costume. This violates their programming, so they'll attempt to fix the problem by stuffing you into a spare mascot suit. However, since these costumes were never meant to be worn by humans, there's a bunch of mechanical parts inside them. You'd be crushed to death if you attempted to wear one.
Thus, your task is to survive five nights by monitoring the locations of the different mascots and preventing them from entering the security office. This is not going to be easy, as your only options are to toggle the office doors or view the different cameras. You can't fight or hide, and to make matters worse, you're only provided with a small amount of power to cover the entire shift. Viewing cameras or keeping the doors closed drain this power supply, so you'll need to weigh your safety against your power needs. Run out of power during a shift, and the most you can do is wait to become a mascot yourself.
But, if you pay close enough attention, you might notice hints that there's more going on than just some glitchy AI. Every so often, something strange happens. Cryptic messages might be visible on your cameras for just a second, or maybe you'll hear something unexplained. Sometimes the posters on the walls change, and there are rumors about a fifth animatronic - a ghost of sorts - that shouldn't be there.
And that's the hook that made FNAF so famous. This game alone isn't enough to answer the question it raises. In order to truly get into the lore and find the answers, you'll need to play the rest of the series. Maybe even read the books or other supplemental material too.
Unfortunately, I didn't particularly find this game to all that fun - in this case, it's the fandom and theorizing that developed around it that's the fun part. On the other hand, if you want to start digging through the lore yourself, then you'll need to start where it all began, and that's with the original game. Just be ready to jump out of your skin a few times.
Points of Interest
Easy to play, hard to master
Each of the animatronics has their own pattern. At first, you'll only need to worry about Bonnie or Chica, both of whom are fairly easy to work around. Later on Foxy starts coming after you, and Freddy's behavior is much less predictable. This can make it hard for a new player to just survive the first couple of nights, and things can get really crazy by the end of the week. The 4/20 Custom Night is also notoriously hard, and for good reason.
Custom Levels
If you manage to survive every night (which is already a big "if"), then you'll unlock the option to play a Custom Night. This allows you to play through a single night with the aggressiveness of each animatronic set to a value between 0 and 20. At 0, they won't come after you, while 20 makes them downright bloodthirsty. For those players who enjoy the base game, setting up your own scenarios can keep things interesting.
The start of something big
In a way, you could consider this game to be the first act of a bigger story. While this series became known for hidden codes and mysterious minigames, neither appear here. The story is just getting started, and this is the player's first taste of what would become known as "controllable helplessness"
Gets old after a while
To be blunt, there's not much to this first game. Once you've survived all of the nights and found the easter eggs, you've seen it all. Unless you feel like scaring yourself over again, there isn't have much reason to replay it. And that's okay: every story needs to start somewhere.
Concerns and Issues
Jump scares
Jump scares have been called the fart joke of the horror genre, as anybody can startle someone. However, while there certainly are a lot of jump scares in this game, they aren't what makes it scary. Since you have limited control over when the robots will attack, there's a growing tension as you anticipate the fright that may never come. In a way, it's like watching a toaster make toast - you don't know exactly when the toast will pop up, but the anticipation of it causes you to startle when it finally happens.
Mild gore
If you get caught, the animatronic that got you will scream and lunge at the screen. Seconds later, you'll be presented with a game over screen that shows a beaten up Freddy Fazbear costume with a pair of human eyes poking out of its head. It's dark enough that you can't make out any other details, and even then, it's pretty tame. After all, it's not the gore or violence that makes this game unsettling - it's the waiting that does.
Rumors and dark topics
During one of the taped message, the narrator makes a passing reference to an incident known as the Bite of '87. This happened back when the animatronics were allowed to wander around in the daytime. At some point, one of the animatronics bit a child, tearing off a portion of their head. Exactly which one did this and what caused the attack isn't explained at this point, though there's a hint that players may catch (see below).
Also, sometimes the posters change into newspaper clippings about missing children, suggesting that some other, possibly more gruesome, incidents have occurred at this location.
Both of these points will be covered in more detail by later games in the series.
Also, sometimes the posters change into newspaper clippings about missing children, suggesting that some other, possibly more gruesome, incidents have occurred at this location.
Both of these points will be covered in more detail by later games in the series.
Reportedly causes anxiety and nightmares in children
FNAF is basically the video game equivalent of an evil jack in the box. Just by playing, the handle turns, and eventually the horror contained inside will pop out and scare you. Surviving the night is almost more terrifying than losing, as you'll have spent the entire time waiting for the scare that never came.
Unsurprisingly enough, this has been negatively affecting young children who have played FNAF. Yes, this is all fictional, but the anxiety it can cause as you're waiting for 6 AM to roll around isn't. It's safe to say that very young children, especially those with a vivid imagination, really shouldn't be playing this game until they're ready to handle scary things.
Unsurprisingly enough, this has been negatively affecting young children who have played FNAF. Yes, this is all fictional, but the anxiety it can cause as you're waiting for 6 AM to roll around isn't. It's safe to say that very young children, especially those with a vivid imagination, really shouldn't be playing this game until they're ready to handle scary things.
Not a drug reference
Normally, the number 420 (also written 4/20) is a reference to marijuana. Here though, it's a reference to a specific setting for the Custom Night. To be more specific, 4/20 mode refers to a custom game with all four animatronics set to the highest possible level of aggression (20 out of 20), making it the hardest possible version of the game you could ever play.
Who dun it
It's subtle, but there is a clue to which animatronic snacked on a child. You can see it better by taking a screenshot and increasing the contrast in an image editor: one of the mascots has a child-sized hand imprint on their head, suggesting the child was pushing against the animatronic's face. I'll let you figure out who it was - figuring stuff like this out is a good part of the fun, after all.
Golden Freddy
It's rare, but under the right circumstances, a crumpled Freddy Fazbear costume will appear on the office's desk. Unlike the actual Freddy Fazbear, this one is bright yellow or golden, earning it the nickname "Golden Freddy". You're pretty much screwed when this ghostly apparition appears, as the eyeless face will fly into the screen with a shriek, and instead of the usual game over scene, your game will crash.