Five Nights at Freddy's and the Nature of the Jumpscare
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
I can understand your desire to react to the fear with some kind of ability to respond, but a couple of important points are that thinking that you are fully capable of dealing with the terror somewhat destabilizes any of the tension that was built up (Resident Evil, and Mikami in general, have a bad habit of doing this by blowing the load early and then settling into a stock standard survival game), and that FNAF actually DOES build the tension up with the whole red light/green light bit where they incrementally get closer to the office and start doing disturbing things in view of the camera instead of dumping everything on you right away. The story also expands every day, but it is basically being told to you instead of being discovered (albeit in half truths that you need to later investigate the game carefully to unravel), so I'll give the benefit of the doubt there. I'll admit it falls apart when you get to the point where luck becomes the main factor in survival, but they do actually try. The success rate of the ratio of pressure to nuance is definitely debatable.
I'll also argue that Yahtzee's roguelike horror game did a bad job of explaining how to avoid the kill screen before adding the hint (which then runs into QTE input disruption issues simply by having to choose which part of the design to sacrifice) and fumbles a bit in favor of obscuring the path to plot resolution (especially when notpyramidhead appears and will likely cause several near to impossible to recover from injuries just to escape or just death if you attempt to fight back), so there are definitely more lessons to be learned on how much to allow about fighting back. Perhaps there isn't a "right answer", and these elements are just at odds with each other.
I'll also argue that Yahtzee's roguelike horror game did a bad job of explaining how to avoid the kill screen before adding the hint (which then runs into QTE input disruption issues simply by having to choose which part of the design to sacrifice) and fumbles a bit in favor of obscuring the path to plot resolution (especially when notpyramidhead appears and will likely cause several near to impossible to recover from injuries just to escape or just death if you attempt to fight back), so there are definitely more lessons to be learned on how much to allow about fighting back. Perhaps there isn't a "right answer", and these elements are just at odds with each other.
no, I don't hate it just for bad graphics, I ALSO hate it for bad gameplay, if a game can't deliver gameplay it doesn't MATTER what the graphics look like. Though good graphics can get attention even if the gameplay is bad, this game clearly has neither.Bindal said:
Well simple does not equal bad and not every game is for everybody. Bashing a game without trying it or really knowing about it isn't really constructive. Yahtzee did not like it because it feels really constrictive and the anticipation makes it too scary for him to enjoy. Just elements that really don't appeal to him for what i gather. To be honest i've not tried it because i came to same conclusion. I'm really bad at handling that much tension that the game at least seemingly has. But the game has fans for a reason. It does what it does pretty effectively and there are few similar experiences. And aesthetic can often easily trump graphical fidelity, the animatronics are ugly, but for me they are really unnerving.angel85 said:
As a point of reference, i usually can't make it further in silent hill 2 or similar games than 2 or max 3 checkpoints in a single session even if i'm really enjoying myself.
As a person who doesn't like horror of any kind (I overthink the psychological stuff and stress myself out, and I overstress the jump-scary stuff and stress myself out), I feel like Yahtzee is underselling what the game is trying to accomplish with its brand of horror.
The unique thing about FNaF is that you come into the game, for the most part, knowing when the jump scare is going to happen. You lose the game - you're 'punished' with a scare. You do the wrong sequence - you're 'punished' with a scare. You run out of electricity - you're 'punished' with a scare. It's not trying to be sneaky, and with the exception of the Golden Freddy, you, as a player, KNOW when every jump scare is going to happen.
So if the jump scare isn't the focus, then what is?
Well, in my mind, it's obviously the tension. The game is trying to capitalize on that tension factor. It wants to stress the player and make them unnerved through that simple change of focus.
Not to try and make an unfair comparison, but try to think back to Spec Ops: The Line. It wasn't a good FPS. It wasn't even that great of a game. Yet it was compelling because it deconstructed the genre it represented with its story. FNaF's deconstructs horror by making the focus not about fear, but about the tension and stress that preludes fear; something that, as you've pointed out, Yahtzee, bugs you far more than even the scariest of games ever made.
And I think that shows it did its job EXCELLENTLY.
The unique thing about FNaF is that you come into the game, for the most part, knowing when the jump scare is going to happen. You lose the game - you're 'punished' with a scare. You do the wrong sequence - you're 'punished' with a scare. You run out of electricity - you're 'punished' with a scare. It's not trying to be sneaky, and with the exception of the Golden Freddy, you, as a player, KNOW when every jump scare is going to happen.
So if the jump scare isn't the focus, then what is?
Well, in my mind, it's obviously the tension. The game is trying to capitalize on that tension factor. It wants to stress the player and make them unnerved through that simple change of focus.
Not to try and make an unfair comparison, but try to think back to Spec Ops: The Line. It wasn't a good FPS. It wasn't even that great of a game. Yet it was compelling because it deconstructed the genre it represented with its story. FNaF's deconstructs horror by making the focus not about fear, but about the tension and stress that preludes fear; something that, as you've pointed out, Yahtzee, bugs you far more than even the scariest of games ever made.
And I think that shows it did its job EXCELLENTLY.
So Five Nights At Freddy's is the equivalent of Terrence and Philip? I wonder how long before Freddy shows up in South Park? Will the South Park kids be the kids who disappear in Freddy's? Parker and Stone have built an episode or two around Pewdiepie. I don't see how they can resist this.
FNAF is more like the horror equivalent of a snack than an actual game; sure, it's spooky and stuff while you're playing it, and it provides some cheap scares, but once you're done with it you feel that there's really no substance to it. I guess I can understand that some people prefer quick, cheap horror that doesn't require a lot of time or investment (See: the ridiculous popularity of Slender), and I suppose that it can be preferable to trying to digest the lightly salted cardboard that is the majority of AAA horror, but I'd still prefer something with a little more substance. It's hard to be picky when it comes to horror games.
One other thing: people actually felt that FNAF had a good plot? Really? The story feels like it was just tacked on as an after-the-fact sort of thing. It has all of the cleverness and composition of some 8th grader's Sonic the Hedgehog creepypasta.
One other thing: people actually felt that FNAF had a good plot? Really? The story feels like it was just tacked on as an after-the-fact sort of thing. It has all of the cleverness and composition of some 8th grader's Sonic the Hedgehog creepypasta.
This:
The other thing the jumpscare can do is signal the call to action: something's jumped out and it's time for you to think fast and deal with it. I don't dislike Doom 3 as much as some people for its monsters constantly pulling the jump-out-of-cupboard trick, because I was carrying a shotgun, and could give them some immediate constructive feedback of what I thought of their clever prank. So it's kind of obnoxious when the jumpscare is itself intended to be the climax.
Is all too true.
I find that a shotgun in a game is a great insulator from the horrors that I am watching. It fights against hopelessness. I guess that is why I disliked the Dead Money expansion in FO:NV. I lost everything, now, while that kept things interesting for a while - I quickly reached the point where the only thing that really hurt me were the damn clouds - about which I could do nothing.
In any case, fun article, thanks!
The other thing the jumpscare can do is signal the call to action: something's jumped out and it's time for you to think fast and deal with it. I don't dislike Doom 3 as much as some people for its monsters constantly pulling the jump-out-of-cupboard trick, because I was carrying a shotgun, and could give them some immediate constructive feedback of what I thought of their clever prank. So it's kind of obnoxious when the jumpscare is itself intended to be the climax.
Is all too true.
I find that a shotgun in a game is a great insulator from the horrors that I am watching. It fights against hopelessness. I guess that is why I disliked the Dead Money expansion in FO:NV. I lost everything, now, while that kept things interesting for a while - I quickly reached the point where the only thing that really hurt me were the damn clouds - about which I could do nothing.
In any case, fun article, thanks!
I usually agree with Yahtzee's views, sometimes it's more of a hit and miss, but this is one of the few times when I completely disagree.
I mean, I get the jumpscare hate. I dislike them too. It *is* the cheapest sort of horror. Yet I heavily disagree that FNAF is simply a glorified screamer. Yes, the game does contain jumpscares. Yes, they are an integral part of the game. But they are just a part of why (in my opinion) the game does 'horror' very, very right.
There are two fronts where I personally think FNAF succeeds very well. The first one is that it is one of the most perfect renditions of what it feels to actually be in a nightmare that I have ever seen. Whoever had a truly scary nightmare can easily identify all the elements - atmosphere full of dread, an immediate, usually hidden yet absolutely horrifying danger, and - most importantly - helplessness. In a nightmare stuff isn't logical, isn't rational. There is no rhyme or reason, no backstory, the rules aren't clear. You are at the same time perfectly aware of the situation and still hopelessly confused. This is btw also the reason why I heavily dislike arguments like "why can't I have a weapon", "why can't I roam around" or "why is the power needed to keep the doors open, instead of the other way around". The answer is simple - nightmares have their own internal logic. They can't be dissected, or rationalized. They are what they are, and this is what makes them scary. When you know too much about something, or can explain it logically, it stops being scary. Why does the guy keep returning? Who cares? He just does, and you need to accept it. There's no reasoning with a nightmare.
Second thing I think FNAF does right is how it manages to make the entire experience cerebral and immersive, and this is EXACTLY because of the dreaded jumpscare. Character actually stuck in a horrific situation will a) be scared, b) paralyzed by anticipation of what might happen to him, be it fear, pain or death and c) probably do everything in his power to avoid an undesirable fate. And this is extremely similar to what player goes through while playing FNAF - the scary atmosphere immediately provides the elements of fear, and the jumpscare is the undesirable fate which both provides the anticipation part AND the motivation to find ways to avoid it. Again, this is also why the game isn't merely a glorified jumpscare - horror which relies exclusively on jumpscares doesn't give you tools to avoid it, doesn't provide the motivation to actively search for ways to nullify it. It's just there to appear suddenly and yell BOO!! But in FNAF, you know there is a method to avoid it completely, to play the game and NOT get scared... which, again, is the parallel of actually living through a horrific situation and surviving. And not just surviving, but surviving as a result of your own actions. I honestly can think of very few computer games which manage to succeed in this so well. In your regular AAA horror games you actually strive to find the next scary thing, you relish it, but in FNAF you are doing everything you can to avoid seeing it. Which one is more true to actual horror, what do you think?
If I have to pick an actual flaw of the game, it is that is somehow got too big. Too popular. Everything that scrounges such internet fame will eventually become insufferable, be it because of the overenthusiastic fanbase, or the inevitable hatred which always accompanies something popular. I love FNAF for what it is and for what it does, but I dislike almost everything that accompanies it outside of it, be it endless Let's Play videos in which people try to outdo themselves in making silly faces while pretending to be scared, lore nuts who start dissecting every pixel for hidden meaning or haters who start foaming at the mouth at the very sight of a brown bear's head. I love that FNAF's author managed to make money out of it, but part of me truly wishes if this stayed a niche title, an underground hit which noone would be aware it even existed except for a few lucky people who managed to stumble upon it and subsequently appreciate it just for what it is.
I mean, I get the jumpscare hate. I dislike them too. It *is* the cheapest sort of horror. Yet I heavily disagree that FNAF is simply a glorified screamer. Yes, the game does contain jumpscares. Yes, they are an integral part of the game. But they are just a part of why (in my opinion) the game does 'horror' very, very right.
There are two fronts where I personally think FNAF succeeds very well. The first one is that it is one of the most perfect renditions of what it feels to actually be in a nightmare that I have ever seen. Whoever had a truly scary nightmare can easily identify all the elements - atmosphere full of dread, an immediate, usually hidden yet absolutely horrifying danger, and - most importantly - helplessness. In a nightmare stuff isn't logical, isn't rational. There is no rhyme or reason, no backstory, the rules aren't clear. You are at the same time perfectly aware of the situation and still hopelessly confused. This is btw also the reason why I heavily dislike arguments like "why can't I have a weapon", "why can't I roam around" or "why is the power needed to keep the doors open, instead of the other way around". The answer is simple - nightmares have their own internal logic. They can't be dissected, or rationalized. They are what they are, and this is what makes them scary. When you know too much about something, or can explain it logically, it stops being scary. Why does the guy keep returning? Who cares? He just does, and you need to accept it. There's no reasoning with a nightmare.
Second thing I think FNAF does right is how it manages to make the entire experience cerebral and immersive, and this is EXACTLY because of the dreaded jumpscare. Character actually stuck in a horrific situation will a) be scared, b) paralyzed by anticipation of what might happen to him, be it fear, pain or death and c) probably do everything in his power to avoid an undesirable fate. And this is extremely similar to what player goes through while playing FNAF - the scary atmosphere immediately provides the elements of fear, and the jumpscare is the undesirable fate which both provides the anticipation part AND the motivation to find ways to avoid it. Again, this is also why the game isn't merely a glorified jumpscare - horror which relies exclusively on jumpscares doesn't give you tools to avoid it, doesn't provide the motivation to actively search for ways to nullify it. It's just there to appear suddenly and yell BOO!! But in FNAF, you know there is a method to avoid it completely, to play the game and NOT get scared... which, again, is the parallel of actually living through a horrific situation and surviving. And not just surviving, but surviving as a result of your own actions. I honestly can think of very few computer games which manage to succeed in this so well. In your regular AAA horror games you actually strive to find the next scary thing, you relish it, but in FNAF you are doing everything you can to avoid seeing it. Which one is more true to actual horror, what do you think?
If I have to pick an actual flaw of the game, it is that is somehow got too big. Too popular. Everything that scrounges such internet fame will eventually become insufferable, be it because of the overenthusiastic fanbase, or the inevitable hatred which always accompanies something popular. I love FNAF for what it is and for what it does, but I dislike almost everything that accompanies it outside of it, be it endless Let's Play videos in which people try to outdo themselves in making silly faces while pretending to be scared, lore nuts who start dissecting every pixel for hidden meaning or haters who start foaming at the mouth at the very sight of a brown bear's head. I love that FNAF's author managed to make money out of it, but part of me truly wishes if this stayed a niche title, an underground hit which noone would be aware it even existed except for a few lucky people who managed to stumble upon it and subsequently appreciate it just for what it is.