CRAP!
Or Why I Simply Adore Five Nights at Freddy’s

Breath bated, my sweaty palm hovers near the mouse. Where are you? Why can I not find you? From the slowly fading screens, my right eye has developed a nervous twitch, and yet the corner of my mouth curls upwards in a challenging grin. Come out, come out, wherever you are…  Alas, my frantic search through the fuzzy cameras is fruitless. Then I see it. A blood-stained metal carcass of a fox flicks through the hall, its mangled maw hanging ajar.  My fingers jerk, but I know before it happens that I am already too late. SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! A slew of appropriate curses and my bowl of Cheetos catapult into the air like a fluffy cat from a sudsy bubble bath.
Behold. You have witnessed the death of a gamer. Okay, okay, so I’m not an avid gamer, and the only REAL trouble I face is at the hands of my clean-freak mother (powdery-orange stained keyboard, anyone?) However, the “indie horror game” Five Nights at Freddy’s has certainly enthralled me with its compellingly grotesque plotline, realistic graphics, and petrifying jump-scares. Who doesn’t love being scared out of his or her mind by haunted animatronics?

The nightmare begins when you accept the night shift at a rundown pizzeria for kids, aka Freddy Fazbear’s Family Pizzeria. After situating yourself in a cramped, dim office, you are ominously warned by a mysterious phone-caller, supposedly another experienced security guard. He informs you that the ancient animatronics seem to get “quirky” at night. Easy, right? Nothing to worry about…except that they might mistake you for the endoskeleton of an old animatronic, and try to stuff you inside a suit. With metal crossbeams. And wires. Lots and lots of wires. Not the most comfortable costume to don unless you like that sort of thing, yeah? Yet, with all the excitement to look forward to, you also might notice certain news articles that are hanging in your oh-so luxurious office, the poorly lit passages to your left and right, or in the background between nights. These juicy bits of material provided by the master programmer Scott Cawthon give a most intriguing account of five innocent children who had mysteriously gone missing several years ago, contributing to the decrease of the pizzeria’s popularity ever since. The most popular theory is that they were murdered and placed within the animatronics. When you play the game, you will hopefully observe that there are only FOUR animatronics; Bonnie (the most active, not your average cottontail), Freddy (the title character, a particularly murderous bear), Chica (a rather creepy chicken), and Foxy (the animatronic that is pretty quick for being out of order…). If this theory is accurate, than where did the fifth child go? If you are lucky, you will catch a rare glimpse of another enigmatic character, deemed by the most prestigious of gamers, “Golden Freddy.” Golden Freddy is appears exactly how he sounds: a ghostly yellow version of Freddy, supposedly the carrier of the fifth child’s restless spirit. Caution! He might just catch you unawares. With enough searching, you can discover an abundance of theories and stories that are woven into this intricate plotline. Which one of these insane ideas to believe is up to you.

Not only are the plotline and theories extremely fascinating, but also the heart-stopping graphics that cause even the bravest to wet their Skyrim pajama pants!  Scott Cawthon, the mastermind behind this madness, had gone through some difficult times before he was inspired to create this masterpiece. Prior to Five Nights at Freddy’s, he had programmed Christian children’s games, which had been “lit up” by a group of well-known videogame reviewers. They deemed the protagonist of the game to be similar to a “scary animatronic animal.” Scott was devastated, but from this field of ridicule sprang the idea to produce something much more terrifying, something that strikes fear and inspiration into the many that take pleasure in these splendid horror games. My absolute favorite detail would have to be the “rare screens” that every so often, should you happen to trigger it, will come upon your computer. Bonnie’s twitching face or Freddy and the message, “It’s me” are just two of these splendid options. From the lifeless stare of the pink cupcake above your monitor, to the whirring fan and flickering lights that threaten to extinguish themselves with every decline in energy, these graphics add to the constricting panic that chokes you in the most critical of moments.

Finally, what would this game be without its jump-scares? The most well known of these split-second scenes of terror can be attributed to Bonnie, the most active of the five characters.  Fortunately, your impending death isn’t the only time you see him at your door. Accompanied with a clanging note that hangs grimly in the air, Bonnie’s face can appear when you turn on the bluish hallway light that shows the left passage. Most of the time you are able to slam the door in his ugly mug, but a doomed few can be stuck when Bonnie somehow gets his “foot in the door” (if you will) and are unable to shut it, thus ending their life. Each character has its own form of attack, but all are mostly the same. Panic converges upon you no matter the animatronic. Freddy’s jump-scare is a completely different animal itself…Freddy only comes out when it is dark or when the doors are kept closed for too long. If you run out of power (and you will), two blinking spheres will emerge from the black of the corridor, sputtering to the lilting notes of an eerie German waltz. His ebony top hat and bruised-purple bowtie are illuminated by his gleaming gaze. In mere seconds, the demonic eyes putter out. You sit in the lifeless office for what seems to be an eternity, praying for your shift to be up. But we all know that just when we are least expecting it, that is when the most perilous and cleverest of villains strike. I will be the first to admit that I cover my eyes at the prospect of an instantaneous and surprising death. Jump-scares? Ten out of ten, Scott!
Words cannot express the fear of hundreds as they sit in their seats, mouths dry, fingers twitching, and knees bouncing. Was that Bonnie beyond the camera’s sight? Is Foxy preparing to charge your door? May your fingers be nimble, your energy level high, and your gaming endeavors successful. I wish you the best of luck should you choose to engage the monsters that go bump in the night in this horrifically fun task of a game.