I should be annoyed at FNAF's sole developer Scott Cawthon for rushing this game out early, but at the same time I'm grateful because this is that time of the year when nothing else is coming out even though surely summer is the opportune time for games to be released because everyone's on holiday?
Since when did summer become a drought for not only games but art as a whole? Until us critics start earning millions, we can't afford to take about five weeks of the year off - and even going back to review older games only gets us so far before it's time to don our tight leather trousers and return to the alleys.
But then Scott came to the rescue by deciding "sod it" and throwing out FNAF 4 for all the YouTubers to scream at. In fact, it came out so early that I had to wait for a patch before I could play it because the fullscreen didn't work. You see, this is why big-budget developers wait for deadline day.
Don't know what Five Nights At Freddy's is? Then you obviously haven't browsed YouTube in the past year or so. But, for the sake of all two of you: Five Nights At Freddy's is an indie horror franchise concerning a kids pizza restaurant where all the creepy animatronics at night come to life to antagonise security guards who are 1) not being paid nearly enough and 2) really, really dedicated to their job. If I was this poor guard, I would've handed in my notice after night two...or at least pulled a sickie.
I don't know why this is a franchise, and I don't know why we already have four instalments after just over one year. The FNAF series has the same number of games as the Thief and Deus Ex franchises. And the third game came out March this year. That's four months ago. And people complain about the Assassins Creed series farming their games out...
Each game is very similar. The first one had two doors that you had to monitor and shut at strategic moments to stop animatronics possessed by eldrich horrors getting in. The second game innovatively had three doors, and the third messed about with audio and ventilation systems. The game is over if you get jumpscared to death.
This time, the formula is turned. Now you're monitoring three doors in a house!
OK, I jest. There's a bit more to it than that. Now you play as a child whose just trying to get to sleep with his terrifying teddy bear but keeps being harassed by mascots who for some reason want vengeance on this kid. Maybe he didn't eat his side-salad.
Actually, it's heavily implied that this child is the victim of domestic abuse which is probably not the best backstory for a horror game concerning animatronic mascots. In-between nights are several Hotline Miami-style interludes where pixellated figures spout ambiguous dialogue. These interludes use WASD to move, which would've worked much better for the actual game itself since the way you move around the house is really awkward and makes me pine for a full-3D environment at last.
The first three games weren't exactly masterpieces of control, but looking back the whole security camera setup was what really made the first game. It was fluid and added to the suspense as you saw the mascots running around causing havoc. Removing it and replacing it with a really ambiguous sound-based setup feels like removing the jump button from Super Mario.
Now, more than ever, you're just waiting around for the jumpscare to happen. This was what put me off the first three games the most. It's not like System Shock 2 where if a hybrid suddenly jumps out at you then it's a case of backpeddling whilst fumbling for your shotgun. Nor is it like Amnesia or Outlast where your only option is to flee and hide somewhere. Despite feeling cheap, I'm perfectly OK with jumpscares so long as they act as a device to create tension. It's not really about the buildup - rather, it's about the panic that occurs after the jumpscare as the fight-or-flight instinct kicks in.
The first game was so effective because when an animatronic showed up, 50% of the time there was something proactive you could do to prevent a game-over. Sure, the absolute worst moments were when a monster pops up out of nowhere, but most of the scares came from seeing one just outside the door and quickly shutting it whilst praying. Whilst the third game was the worst until this came along, it still had those moments when you'd put the security camera controls away only to find that giant teddy bear either creeping around or looking right at you through the glass.
Here, we have the breathing to tell you that somethings comming and that's all we get in terms of feedback and suspense. There's also those mechanical dogs on the bed, but they're not scary and are merely warded off by a flashlight. They're like the androids from Alien: Isolation: an annoyance, not a scare.
The breathing gives you little to no actual idea of precisely how screwed you are. It doesn't seem to get louder or quieter, and it barely even sounds like breathing. Sound is such an important part of not just horror games but any game that requires you to avoid something. Without good sound design, there is no way of knowing where the thing you should probably avoid is...thus it's impossible to avoid it. And - wait! How can an animatronic breathe?
Oh, and this game is bugged. Just like the second and third game, sometimes your actions will do nothing. You'll hear the breathing, close the door, and still get jumpscared despite you doing exactly what the game told you to do. Plus, for some reason FRAPS refuses to work with the game, so for this review I had to grab screenshots online instead of taking my own as I usually do. Again, this release should have been held back whilst the kinks were still being ironed out.
Any solo developer deserves praise. Considering all four of these games are just one guy banging out code in his bedroom, it's impressive how this series has taken the internet by storm. But is FNAF a game changer, or even a supporting strut of the indie market? Not really. I like the first game, but I prefer seeing other people playing it so I can laugh when they get jumped and scream effeminately. It's not a work of art, nor is it a particularly solid horror game. It's one of those things I respect far more than I actually like.
And the way these game are being chucked out alarmingly quick with no real improvement to quality is a 'how not to' lesson everyone should learn. Papers, Please by Lucas Pope was an accidental masterpiece. It's a genuinely good game made by just one person that's inexplicably become popular. But since Papers, Please hit, Lucas has now been working on Return To The Obra Dinn for over a year now; which is a 3D exploration game set on a pirate ship. It's about as different from Papers, Please as you can possibly get.
FNAF 4 has been billed as 'the final chapter,' but really the final chapter should have been two games ago. Ideally, it should have been the first one. If something becomes popular because it's unique then making a sequel is the last thing that should be done, let alone making three sequels. The only fourth games in any franchise I can think of that're good are Resident Evil 4 and Assassins Creed 4....and both those games aren't technically the fourth instalment.
