Chances are I'm not the first person you know who's talked about the horror franchise Five Nights at Freddy's. Spawning from a single simple point and click jumpscare game, creator Scott Cawthon has created an empire, spawning four sequels, an RPG, 3 books, an upcoming movie, children's toys, clothes, and a cottage industry of fan created content.
In case you live exclusively in reality, the TLDR is this: you are a night guard at a Chucky Cheese style restaurant, Freddy Fazber's pizzeria. Your offical job is to watch the resturant, but unofficially your job is to keep the animatronics from stuffing you into a spare suit, IE killing you.
What is the draw? The first game was beyond simple, the horror mere jump scares (a pet peeve of mine), and the game play graphics were good, but not amazing. So what got people so interested? What got me, a non-gamer, and somebody who's never actually played FNAF into this?
A lot of the interest came from Markiplier and other youtuber gamers playing and getting spooked. Word of mouth spread, and then more games, increasing in complexity and plot, were piled on. The graphics got more...interesting.
For me, the lore is the draw. Beyond the simple jump-scares there's a rich backstory of child murder, ghosts, the undead, familial strife, revenge, and the psychopathic genius who spawned literal decades of pain and misery.
The story is...complicated. MatPat has put out many videos with theories, which are helpful, but not perfect. Even with five games there are a lot of unanswered questions, timeline inconsistencies, and noodle incidents. The book, The Silver Eyes, takes place in an alternate timeline, as will the movie, but they still add pieces to the puzzle. The horror and mystery mix is more than enough to keep me watching videos of others playing, reading the (albeit mediocre) books, and seeing the movie.
Something about the uncanny valley mixing with the supernatural. I can't put my finger on it, but the mix feels fresh and exciting. I've always been drawn to tales of lost innocence. Even as I write this an episode of Law and Order SVU is playing in the background. Different kind of horror, different kind of loss.
Ultimately, if you're a fan of horror, you'll probably find some aspect of FNAF to like, be it the characters, the games, or just the imagery. If you like mysteries with semi-opened ended status, it may also be for you.
If you don't like monsters under the bed, or at least in the closet, stay away.
This cutie is Mangle. I keep her head on my shelf, and she lives in unending pain!
In case you live exclusively in reality, the TLDR is this: you are a night guard at a Chucky Cheese style restaurant, Freddy Fazber's pizzeria. Your offical job is to watch the resturant, but unofficially your job is to keep the animatronics from stuffing you into a spare suit, IE killing you.
Also there's a cupcake with eyeballs. We don't get it either.
What is the draw? The first game was beyond simple, the horror mere jump scares (a pet peeve of mine), and the game play graphics were good, but not amazing. So what got people so interested? What got me, a non-gamer, and somebody who's never actually played FNAF into this?
A lot of the interest came from Markiplier and other youtuber gamers playing and getting spooked. Word of mouth spread, and then more games, increasing in complexity and plot, were piled on. The graphics got more...interesting.
This is Nightmare Bonnie. He's not even the scariest animatronic!
For me, the lore is the draw. Beyond the simple jump-scares there's a rich backstory of child murder, ghosts, the undead, familial strife, revenge, and the psychopathic genius who spawned literal decades of pain and misery.
All available at your local Toys R Us. Seriously.
The story is...complicated. MatPat has put out many videos with theories, which are helpful, but not perfect. Even with five games there are a lot of unanswered questions, timeline inconsistencies, and noodle incidents. The book, The Silver Eyes, takes place in an alternate timeline, as will the movie, but they still add pieces to the puzzle. The horror and mystery mix is more than enough to keep me watching videos of others playing, reading the (albeit mediocre) books, and seeing the movie.
Something about the uncanny valley mixing with the supernatural. I can't put my finger on it, but the mix feels fresh and exciting. I've always been drawn to tales of lost innocence. Even as I write this an episode of Law and Order SVU is playing in the background. Different kind of horror, different kind of loss.
Ultimately, if you're a fan of horror, you'll probably find some aspect of FNAF to like, be it the characters, the games, or just the imagery. If you like mysteries with semi-opened ended status, it may also be for you.
If you don't like monsters under the bed, or at least in the closet, stay away.
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