Five Nights at Freddies, the best designed indie horror game of recent memory?

[veloper]

I played the demo for a bit. Not sure if I like it, though I appreciate what the dev is trying to do on a minimal budget.

The game isn't easy, but the difficulty does feel very artificial. Often a death just seems like a case of bad luck.
When Freddie camps for a while near your closed door(which becomes a continuous power drain) early in the game, running out of power before dawn is pretty much guaranteed, but sometimes they leave you alone for a while and you can play more safely during the rest of the night.

Then the camera feeds you have to look at are atrociously low quality and that's just plain annoying and tiring on the eyes. The cameras are also placed in ways to have blindspots and suffer from static.
The animatrons don't actually walk around, but rather teleport around and the feed simply cuts to static if it happens while you are watching.

The 4 camera's on the 2 routes towards your room and the 2 door lights are somewhat useful and obvious, but to make sure you waste your precious power on the other rooms, they have this monster that only pops up and kills you if you don't watch his closed blue curtain frequently enough.

I may still want to win at this evil little game, despite the negatives.

 

[WindofHawks]

To be fair I can't really judge on whether this is a good horror game because I am a wuss. It's obvious that many others are scared by this as well, however. Some people are saying that it seems bad because it isn't scary, but I think horror and comedy are the 2 most subjective forms of media.

 

[Moriim]

So I'm normally a total pansy when it comes to horror games but this doesn't really have the same impact that Amnesia, Slender, or even Doom 3 had on me. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that things staring at me isn't as unsettling as an unseen threat. What made me literally unable to complete Amnesia was the tension of the time between when I heard/knew a monster was nearby and when it actually appears and the chase that follows.

In Five Nights at Freddies the threat is always right there and you stave it off, rather than attempting to avoid it. Because there's no tense atmosphere for me, it ended up just being a sort of puzzle game that "punished" me with a jump scare when I failed.

 

[Rex Prime]

I literally just made an account to correct all the wrong misconceptions and assumptions that are going around here...let's start.

1. This is a $5 dollar game, will be coming to Steam soon http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=270684111

2. For all those who are "I want to get it but not sure" or "I doubt, but I didn't play it" people. THERE IS A FREE DEMO! YOU HEAR ME RIGHT! FREE!

A FREE DEMO THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS. I am amazed nobody pointed that out yet, and nobody knew about it....

Here, because I am afraid some of you won't notice even though I have caps on, I will post THREE...THREE DIFFERENT LINKS to the demo download.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Nights-Freddys-DEMO-Download/dp/B00M292RFS

http://www.indiedb.com/games/five-nights-at-freddys/downloads

http://www.moddb.com/games/five-nights-at-freddys/downloads

Is that enough? Or do I need to post them again?

Just telling you, those two nights are NOWHERE near what the actual in-game experience is. Actually...Night 2 felt harder when I got the actual game. The demo has things toned down a bit for some reason...though not entirely sure. It could be because the A.I is so random and different every time, it happened to go aggressive in the 2nd night.

And yes..THIS HAS A REPLAYBILITY VALUE!!!

I'll start with the least obvious (cuz hahaha). Back when I only had the demo, I got addicted after finishing the second night, so I kept re-playing the 2nd night until I found out the game 2.50. I almost thought the 2nd night was enough for me because EVERYTIME I RE-PLAYED IT...IT WAS DIFFERENT! Yes, the overall difficulty was the same. The A.I, the way it moved, it was like playing another night.

For example, my first try had a rather polite Pirate's Cove guy, who stayed in his place most of the time. But DAMN BONNIE AND CHIKA! Bonnie was constantly camping at my left door. Causing me to keep it closed for prolonged amounts of time, even when he actually isn't there! That is until I discovered a trick with the lights and the shadows. Bonnie would then suddenly go to a far corner of the building, only for Chika to be right at my doorstep! It was as if they were constantly changing roles. Near the end of the night, they started to get impatient, and both attacked at the same time. But 6AM came before they could do anything...thankfully *nervous laugh*

The second time had Foxy going CRAAAZZZZZYY! Even while phone guard was talking, the guy was out of his curtain and with his knives...*cough* *cough...hook out. He ran and sprinted at me twice that day...

On the contrary, Chika was very polite, staying with Freddy in the little robot room for more then half of the game. And when she sprung up, he only alternated between the dinner area and the bathroom...Thanks Chika for being a nice robot!

Bunny did pretty much what he did in the first night, but less aggressive and campy. Sometimes moving away from my room.

Much examples...eh?

Anyways, the the three other nights bring new things to the table, such as Freddy himself (he does not appear in the demo...unless you *censored for spoilers, and to keep the surprise *

That reminds me, the game is a little less scary if you read ten-thousand guides and let's play to teach you every single thing about the game. Don't do it, you will ruin the surprise of ######-###### ####

Anyways, I almost forgot, I was going to tell you about the obvious replaybility options!

There are actually 7 nights. Yes, the title is lying. After finishing the 5th, there is a 6th night. The Nightmare/You Will Die/Impossible mode. That one is a tough nut to crack, and it will take you a lot to finish it (Though one guy finished it on his first attempt due doing a what-would-be-a-mistake on the other nights, but is actually very effective in night 6, and the A.I was instance in that one was rather easy.

After that, we have the true replaybility option. After finishing the 6th night, you get a 7th, custom night. In this one, you can change up the A.I of your adversaries from a level of 0-20. A total of 21 difficulty levels. Some people say you can unlock a new ending by setting the difficulty levels to certain numbers/order. some people say it's 20/20/20/20...ERRGHH..THAT IS IMPOSSIBRU! Others say it's 1/9/8/7, Night 2-3ish difficulty. You will also get out of it without your frontal lobe.

Ahh...I think I am finished now. But I want to insert my personal opinion about things into this..

I don't think they actually want to put you into a suit. It is obvious they don't want to help you into a suit because you are a fellow robot without his stuff on. The way the creep you out, the IT'S ME. The way they come in, get out, scream, yell, move, twitch....and the NIGHT 5 CALL...OH MY GOD...It's obvious they want to KILL YOU. Get you...torture YOU!

I think that your character is hobo, who, like everybody, did not know about the dangers of the job until they were given the first night call. Of course, the ad seemed to give you an easy money job of sitting in a security room and sneezing still 6AM, though that is far...far...from the truth.

Finally, I want to say...a sequel is confirmed http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/270684111/34095131801828993/#c34095131820810002

 

[MintSM]

Here, because I am afraid some of you won't notice even though I have caps on, I will post THREE...THREE DIFFERENT LINKS to the demo download.

You know, acknowledging that having caps doesn't attract attention and then using it to attract attention doesn't nullify anything. You're still talking in caps.

But yeah, 2 things:

1. About the whole replay value thing; Slender is a game that has a lot of randomized events. Slendy appears at different times, the notes appear in different places and the locations appear at different sides of the map. Does that make the game replayable? Not really. Once you find the 7 notes, Slender pops up behind you and you wake up in daytime (I'm not putting that in spoilers, because if you actually didn't know that, where have you been? XD), there's no more incentive to go back and try and reach the same goal but with different placements. What exactly does Freddy's have that actually gives incentive to play it again other than "THE AI MOVES DIFFERENTLY OMG."

That's like saying Braid has replayability because you can step on an enemy 2 seconds later and still reach the same ending.

2.

That reminds me, the game is a little less scary if you read ten-thousand guides and let's play to teach you every single thing about the game. Don't do it, you will ruin the surprise of ######-###### ####

...kind of like what you just did for literally the previous 6 paragraphs?

 

[Rex Prime]

Hehehe. The caps thing was just or humor

And yes, perhaps I did spoil a teeny weeny tiny bit. But I did not spoil about the actual in-game scary stuff, only the rewards you get for finishing that stuff.

But, seeing your post, seems like you have a totally different mindset then me! To you it seems replaybility = different ending. To me, replaybility is when the experience itself is very different. Because, if replaybility is about the goal changing, then that means Skyrim does not have replaybility! Because it doesn't matter if you make a new character, that's a new race, that uses different weapons and tactics. It doesn't matter! Because all quests will still have the same ending and Alduin will still get killed by you at the end.

Yeahh...no. It's not about the ending, it's about the experience itself. Actually...in the game all nights except for the last three nights have the exact same ending! Which is 6AM popping up and cheering kids sound effect. The only differences is harder A.I/Some new A.I being activated.

Get what I mean?

 

[MintSM]

Hehehe. The caps thing was just or humor

And yes, perhaps I did spoil a teeny weeny tiny bit. But I did not spoil about the actual in-game scary stuff, only the rewards you get for finishing that stuff.

But, seeing your post, seems like you have a totally different mindset then me! To you it seems replaybility = different ending. To me, replaybility is when the experience itself is very different. Because, if replaybility is about the goal changing, then that means Skyrim does not have replaybility! Because it doesn't matter if you make a new character, that's a new race, that uses different weapons and tactics. It doesn't matter! Because all quests will still have the same ending and Alduin will still get killed by you at the end.

Yeahh...no. It's not about the ending, it's about the experience itself. Actually...in the game all nights except for the last three nights have the exact same ending! Which is 6AM popping up and cheering kids sound effect. The only differences is harder A.I/Some new A.I being activated.

Get what I mean?

Ah. Well, to each his own, I guess. Whatever. :/

Anyways, my thoughts on the game; it's nice for the most part, as in it's tense trying to balance between saving power and examining the AI patterns, but once you figure it out, there isn't too much more reason to play. It just kind of turns into jumpscares for the next while as you just go by the routine. I say just stick to the demo; it doesn't take too long for the novelty of the idea to get a little dry.

 

[veloper]

A FREE DEMO THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS. I am amazed nobody pointed that out yet, and nobody knew about it....

People did already point this out, you crazy ALL-CAPS you.

Just telling you, those two nights are NOWHERE near what the actual in-game experience is. Actually...Night 2 felt harder when I got the actual game. The demo has things toned down a bit for some reason...though not entirely sure. It could be because the A.I is so random and different every time, it happened to go aggressive in the 2nd night.

Probably the randomness. I won the 2nd night when the doglike animatronic camped a little less and also less early at my left door, than on the previous tries. I still had juice left before 6 AM and no worries. My first tries were harder.

I don't think they actually want to put you into a suit. It is obvious they don't want to help you into a suit because you are a fellow robot without his stuff on. The way the creep you out, the IT'S ME. The way they come in, get out, scream, yell, move, twitch....and the NIGHT 5 CALL...OH MY GOD...It's obvious they want to KILL YOU. Get you...torture YOU!

Not really. Not actively atleast.
If the roles were reversed and I had control, even if only over just the dog and the bird, I would simply move them to either side of the guard room and stay there. It would at the longest only be a couple hours before my sure victory, as the guard's battery quickly runs out with both door closed.
The AI doesn't really appear to be any motivated or focused, with the violent urges boiling up only when coming close to a person.

It's probably the management who want to(or need to) sacrifice very stupid and/or desperate people at Freddy's.
I'd like to imagine as part of a demonic pact where the owners received these animatronics, with their incredibly advanced bipedal locomotion.
The crummy safety features may then be either an allowed compromise, installed by a less willing owner, or a part of a scheme to add to the terror, or both.

And that's all okay, because the player character probably has a death wish.

 

[Rex Prime]

To be honest, I think the character only continues beyond the first night because YOU (The Player) press that continue button after the first night. It's a meta thing. Quitting the game is pretty much changing the story so that your guy just quitted after Day 1. The reason he stays is the same reason you press continue, pretty much.

Huh...and weird..I have only seen two people who mentioned a demo. And people posted stuff, before and after them, of things like "I wanna try this game but not sure it's good", etc.

I know some people were aware of it's existence, but just to clear it up for those who don't, my post exists. I also apologize for going on an all cap madness. Was it overused? Not so much, not enough to warrant a ban/warning, thankfully. But should I have used the caps like that? No.

 

[Torque2100]

I love this game even though it freaks me out so much that I cannot stand to play this game for more than a few minutes at a time.

Part of what makes Five Nights at Freddie's so effective is something that I like to call "Capitalist horror." It's the horror of being treated like a disposable drone. Anyone who has had a shitty job can tell you about being forced to make do with inadequate tools, saddled with ridiculous rules and told to put up or shut up or they can fire you and bring in one of the legions of unemployed shlubs lined up behind you.

Why don't they fix the generator? Because that would cost money. Why don't they fix the robots? Because corporate did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded that hiring disposable security guards (and covering up their deaths) was cheaper than hiring a repairman. Why aren't you allowed to fight back? Because Freddy and his friends are worth more than your entire salary and GOD help you if you damage them.

That's the real brilliance of this game, and why it hits so close to home for me.

 

[Ishal]

Resource management of this type? Sure. Not all resource management is the same.

Unless you're going to tell me that Outlast's batteries are analogous to a death countdown.

It's a new coat of paint on the same idea (perhaps not with outlast, because I don't know what you're talking about).

Everything's a new coat of paint on something else. The best we can hope for in innovative terms is a new color and pattern we've not seen before.

Five Nights At Freddy's is that: a really nifty coat of paint with tight designs on it.

Pretty much this. Hit the nail on the head.

Jim Sterling said it best when he was on the Co-optional podcast with TotalBiscuit. So many people just look down their nose at jump scares and other "cliched" types of scare tactics. Thing is, they're valid. As for things being cliche? Everything is cliche, and everything has been done before in some way or another. What matters is if they can put a spin on it to make it interesting, or just execute it so well that it doesn't even matter.

This game did something really clever with it's limited design. It put so many subtle nuances behind the small amount of mechanics that it's constantly keeping you on your toes. If you're looking at the cameras, then you might be missing out on something. If you're not, then they like to move around. Each thing you do has a consequence that is either seen, or heard, immediately. That kind of thing builds dread, and constantly being on the lookout stops you from recognizing patterns so quickly. Most weaknesses in horror games are due to players becoming accustomed to the environment, then the game just becomes a bore. They wear themselves thin. Outlast had this problem. Five Night's is short enough that it doesn't have this problem, at least not in such a big way.

 

[Genocidicles]

Ummmmmm, It sucks, its literally the 10 dollars version of a screamer youtube video, Why everyone appears to be afraid of clowns or theme park animatronics? Was a carnival style apocalypse that I missed?

(disclaimer, I don´t know the real price of this thing)

First of all, it's like three dollars.

Secondly, they aren't screamers or jump scares or whatever. You get plenty of warning to know the monsters are coming.

 

[Everything.]

Ummmmmm, It sucks, its literally the 10 dollars version of a screamer youtube video, Why everyone appears to be afraid of clowns or theme park animatronics? Was a carnival style apocalypse that I missed?

(disclaimer, I don´t know the real price of this thing)

First of all, it's like three dollars.

Secondly, they aren't screamers or jump scares or whatever. You get plenty of warning to know the monsters are coming.

Uh.. they are actually jump scares / screamers. Whatever you'd like to call it. They last for about a second then your screen goes static > game over.

Most of them give you plenty of warnings, yes - and you need to take note of it. That's what the game is. You're in a room, from 12AM to 6AM you have to monitor them and do things to prevent them from jumping you and making you shit your pants basically. Some examples:

Spoiler

Like Foxy, for example. Yar. You'll see him in Pirate Cove, you need to watch him, because I think..? shit, well he moves faster than the others. He's the worse, if you don't watch him at all times he'll fuck you fast. Watching him slows his speed down but he's still pretty fast.

Once the curtains are fully open, Foxy will probably be running the left hall like so

Spoiler

In that case, if you don't want a jump scare, you better hit that fucking button on the left, and you better have enough power. You'd need about 10% for each time you encounter him because his banging on the door uses power.

Chica and Bonnie -

Spoiler

Chica and Bonnie.. well they're not as fast as Foxy and will not jolt into your room but you have better chances to avoid a 'jumpscare' on these two than Foxy (if i can recall anyway), although they are more common and are a ***** when dealing with both.. Bonnie will appear outside the left door and Chica will appear a bit above the right door.. I don't know how long you have until they jump yo- actually, I'm pretty sure they are the can't-jumpscare-you-in-real-time ones like Foxy and Freddy. If you see them and the doors are not shut AND you look into a camera for another, the moment when you leave the camera feed, you will get jumpd by one of them instantly. If you're playing in one of the later nights then the power usually locks up either randomly or by Freddy so you can't operate doors.. if that happens and you see one of them outside your room starin' at ya.. Chance is you have low power anyway.. yeah you're dead. You might as well quit the game.

Freddy, I don't know much about. But I do know that..

Spoiler

Once the power runs out, Freddy's face starts blinking to the left and you either hear honking or some tune for a bit then by complete random chanc, Freddy will jumpscare you. I've watched bigbugz stream and I recall once it took a while to get Freddy to appear then the next time it was like he appeared RIGHT after the damn song ended

Then there's of course at around Day 6 or so.. Freddy, if not watched will pretty much ninja his way into your room and jump you, I'm not really sure what triggers this.

There is another.. not shown on Custom Night.. don't know much about..

Spoiler

Apparently it appears in your room sometime during the game and if you stare at it long enough, it crashes your game? I don't know

Anyway, sorry for the spoiler tags. But hey, didn't want to spoil, even if it's small. Yes, again, they're jump scares and there are tons of hints. Freddy's jump scares look funny because unlike the others trying to maul you with their mouth, Freddy wants to hug you.

I find the game to be amusing and frightening at the same time.

However, nope nope nope, I will never.. ever play this game. I can only watch people playing it and I have to keep the sound relatively low. I don't have the heart for it / I FUCKING HATE jump scares, they're stupid and cheap as hell. I like being touched by a game's creepy atmosphere, story or something like that, yeah?

But I just.. love it. This is so good. But again, no sir, not going to play it.

 

[infinity_turtles]

I feel like some people are selling the game really short. It isn't just jump scares, it's the way you play the game. Constantly checking the camera, switching cameras, and checking the lights outside your doors? The way you play the game forces you to constantly flicker your focus from one thing to the next. These are paranoid habits, and by forcing you to act paranoid, it messes with your head. The jump scares aren't the thing that makes this game great, it's the way the mechanics of the game build suspense and paranoia in the player.

 

[Dragonbums]

After watching some LP's of Friday Nights at Freddy's (Freddie's?) I feel that these are one of the few games in this day and age where gameplay is in perfect tandem with the aesthetic of the game.

I like the general setup. I mean, you have some people in the comments of Youtube saying "Why not just beat them up?" but you can't. Not because anything is really stopping you, but, you know- they are animatronics for a kids pizzeria. In other words, your employers bread and butter. You can't wreck the shit out of them. So you basically do what your average lazy cop does. Check the cameras and hope to god they aren't right there.

I recently watched Jim play it for a bit. He kept going on about jumpscares. But that's not really it. It's not the jumpscare part to me. It's just how they managed to get you in the small second you aren't paying attention to your blindspots long enough to get at you (also Pirate Cove). It also kind of tells a story, but not actually telling a story. I'm sure we all picked up on the fact that the pre recorded messages got awkward at Night 3, but looking back at it, they were awkward since Night 1.

Listen to what he says in the beginning- he says he's just finishing up his week here (at Freddie's), yet where is he? He certainly wasn't there on your first job that's for sure, and he was quite "surprised" when you managed to pass on to Day 3. I got a sort of GLaDOS feel to it. He's helpful, until you actually start....being good at it. And that's not to mention just how awkward the animatronic in Pirate Cove is. It ALWAYS knows where you are. ALWAYS. And it's by far the fastest one. Faster than an animatronic should be honestly. Makes you wonder...if that's a person in there. After all, it's eyes always reflect light in a similar matter to an organism's at night. (The other animatronics I chalk up to the LED lighting system installed.)

The devs who made this game most definitely deserve the money they get from this game.

 

[Wasted]

I like the game but it is really held back by its small budget. I think the game would be a lot more engaging if you patrol the building along with watching security monitors, maybe even deal crazy people that sneak into the building at night. Due to the game being short, the animatronics try to be as creepy and scary as possible. I prefer the more subtle creepiness like when an animatronic is staring directly at you in a security camera. I think every night shouldn't end with the animatronics moving, it should be less frequent and unexpected.

There is so much potential with this game, I really hope there is a sequel!

(one negative that I must mention is a door requiring power to stay closed, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard)

 

[lacktheknack]

(one negative that I must mention is a door requiring power to stay closed, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard)

That's actually not uncommon. I worked at a grocery store that disengaged locks if the power went out, to stop people from getting locked in the freezer or whatever.

 

[lacktheknack]

I FUCKING HATE jump scares, they're stupid and cheap as hell.

I need to address this.

Jump scares are only "cheap and stupid" if they come from nowhere with no warning and no way to properly anticipate them.

"Five Nights at Freddy's" is the King Of The Universe when it comes to jump scares being used entirely correctly. They're not cheap, they're not stupid. With a bit of observation, you quickly figure out exactly what causes them and how to avoid them, and they only occur when you screw up.

...

...excepting the Fifth Animatronic.

Screw the Fifth Animatronic.

But even he gets a pass for being so damn effective - and while he can't be properly anticipated and avoided, he's still not "cheap", because there's a Zalgo-esque cue of his arrival if you pay attention to the cameras (although, when you see it, you're doomed).

 

[BishopofAges]

(one negative that I must mention is a door requiring power to stay closed, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard)

That's actually not uncommon. I worked at a grocery store that disengaged locks if the power went out, to stop people from getting locked in the freezer or whatever.

A lot of people took issue with the doors requiring power when I saw the comments section on YouTube or other discussions, but you'd be right if you considered them security-type doors. It is true that Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria would benefit a heck of a lot more from good old fashioned locking metal shutters, you can't fault them for wanting to use the best technology available.

The two theories on the door's mechanism is either a pressurized door (requiring power to the pressure mechanism to keep the sliding doors down) or the idea of electromagnetic locks which require power running through the locks themselves to keep the magnets working. Both theory's would explain how these animatronic figures are strong enough to stuff a man into a metal suit, yet not strong enough to destroy the security doors._

 

[Reaper195]

Watching a couple of let's plays were pretty funny, and I jumped once or twice when playing it. But it focuses too much on ump scares. Not enough subtlety.