Five Nights at Freddy's

Developed in 2014 by Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy's is a point-and-click adventure game that is designed to be used in conjunction with Windows operating systems. Boasting an interactive storyline and truly frightening scenarios that the player must solve, Five Nights at Freddy's is certainly not for the faint of heart. Other notable features of this platform include suspenseful game play, terrifying characters and amazingly realistic sound effects. Let us take a bit of a closer look at a handful of the most unique characteristics of this game.

The Plot

The story begins with the player taking a job as a night watchman at a local pizza restaurant. Unfortunately, this place of business also doubles as the home for a carnivorous animatronic musical group that is made up (of all things) of a group of teddy bears. The basic idea is that the player must survive through the night without falling victim to his or her furry nemeses. Avoiding being eaten is the main goal although it is much harder than it actually sounds.

Game Play

When starting, the player will be given little information other than a rather cryptic message that was left by a previous night security guard. The total time for each "night" lasts 8 minutes and 36 seconds of "real time". However, much can happen within this seemingly short window. One interesting feature of Five Nights at Freddy's is that the player must remain within an office. The only means by which the bears can be tracked is through the use of cameras. Not all areas are covered, the rooms themselves are dimly lit and there are certain cameras which only supply an audio feed as opposed to a real-time video link. Also, the characters are distorted and some of the main entrances to the office are hidden from view. The only actions that the player can take are locking a few select doors and turning on lights to discover if any bears are making their way to the office. As there is only a limited amount of electrical power, such decisions should be taken sparingly.

As the title suggests, there are five different levels within this game. Each one is more challenging and frightening than the last. There are four primary bears to be concerned with over while a fifth "golden bear" only appears at certain times. Each of the bears will become tougher to track as the levels increase in difficulty. Should the player make it through all five nights unscathed, the game is completed.

The Use of the "Jump Scare"

Five Nights at Freddy's utilises more psychological horror than the action-packed sequences which can be seen common role-playing games. Therefore, suspense may very well be the worst enemy of the player. As there is only a limited amount of electrical power available, the darkened rooms can become quite frightening. Also, note that the supply of electricity will drop as one ascends through the levels.

When a bear suddenly pops up out of the dark, this is known as a "jump scare" and the player will almost always be killed. He or she will then have to repeat the level in question. Footsteps, unknown crackling noises and hisses from the bears are a few of the audio effects which have allowed this game to be so terrifying.

System Requirements

With a file size of only 219.3 megabytes, Five Nights at Freddy's is able to accommodate most Windows operating systems. It is recommended to be used with two gigahertz of processing power. A memory of one gigabyte and a video requirement of an additional gigabyte are also standard capacities to support game play. Like similar platforms, it is recommended that the Direct X 9.0 codec is used. Current operating systems that are compatible with Five Nights at Freddy's include Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Please note that this is only a demonstration version (thus the lower memory requirements). Android and iOS systems are also able to support this game should it be played on a smartphone.

Summary

Those who are looking for white-knuckle thrills and a true psychological challenge will be happy with what Five Nights at Freddy's has in store. Let us finally look at some of the perceived benefits and drawbacks of this platform.

Pros

• Thrilling game play
• Excellent audio effects
• High levels of suspense
• The use of the "jump scare"
• The game is relatively easy to play

Cons

• Some feel that a lack of control in regards to the overall action may be a slight downside