Five Nights At Freddy's 1: A Retrospective - #1 - T.E.C.

(This is the first part to an 8-9 part series about each of the games in the Five NIghts At Freddy's franchise. In this 'review,' I will be discussing a few key points in each game. These points include the gameplay, the lore, (minigames, easter eggs, etc.), and possibly a third category that I will include later on. With all that out of the way, please grab a snack, sit back, and enjoy my retrospective on Five Nights At Freddy's 1.)

Introduction

Five Nights At Freddy's (1) is a 2014-released indie game created by developer Scott Cawthon. It is a horror-indie, and at the time, was very unique. Instead of being a normal free-roam horror, the player stays in the same spot the entire time. It originally gained popularity from YouTuber 'Markiplier' when he played through the first game. Because of its uniqueness and originality, it became major hit and racked up tens of thousands of downloads overnight. It wasn't until December 2020 when I discovered this franchise, and i've been obsessed ever since. Because of its terrifying characters and its masterfully crafted overarching storyline, I was hooked from the start. This game started it all, and without it, FNAF as we know it wouldn't exist, so I think it deserves a good, strong retrospective to bring it justice! With that, let's get on to the first category.

Gameplay

Throughout the first game, you play as a night security guard working a 12-6AM shift. However, you are not alone in the pizzeria. 4 killer animatronics come to life at night to get to you in your office, and your only defenses are two doors on each side of you. There are two buttons on each wall, one to open/close the doors, and one to turn on and off the lights. You also have a camera panel showing where each animatronic is at all times. (Except for the kitchen. That camera is blocked. :1) Freddy, a bear and the main animatronic doesn't get too dangerous until the last few nights, when he's really hard to detect and stop. Other than the last few nights, he's not too much of a threat. Bonnie, a bunny and the second main animatronic, is the first one to move in the game. He comes to the left door and can be detected by flashing your light at him. While he gets more and more hostile as the five nights progress, he isn't too much of a threat. Chica, a chicken, (not a duck!) and the third main animatronic, moves around the same time as Bonnie. She hides in the kitchen alot and is honestly very similar to Bonnie. She comes in on the right side door and can be detected with the light. She isn't the biggest threat, but acts as another thing for you, the player to worry about. The final animatronic, Foxy, (obviously a fox), is the most unique, (and for some reason, most popular), as he doesn't stand on the main stage with the others, but resides in his own little area named Pirate's Cove. The only way to prevent him from running is to consistently check the camera slide on his cove. If not, well, you know what will happen.

Lore

While the series of Five Nights at Freddy's is absolutely filled to the brim with lore, there are no big "clues" or anything like that. Well, almost none. You see, besides little details that we discover were in the first game later down the road like how a certain someone, (more on him in just a bit), hides in the kitchen and how another animatronic named "Springtrap," (it's a long story), is hiding somewhere in the building, but the biggest and most obvious clue that Cawthon presents within the first installment of his series is the character of "Golden Freddy." Golden Freddy is a recolord and very withered version of the normal Freddy, and if you are lucky,you can get an easter egg of his image flashing across your scream along with some garbled noises and the message of "It's Me." It is later explained that this Golden Bear (originally named YellowBear) is possessed by a vengeful spirit named Cassidy, who is more hinted at in later games like "Ultimate Custom NIght," the 8th Installment in the FNAF series. All in all, the lore for Five Nights at Freddy's is extremely complicated, so watching a few videos on platforms like YouTube to get caught up on what is happening is a really great idea for someone who is invested in the lore and interested in learning more about this world. That is generally all the lore in the first game worth mentioning. There might be some I forgot to include, so if I find any, I will make sure to update this post!

Conclusion

In conclusion, the series of Fight Nights at Freddy's would not be where it i today without the great game that is "Five Nights at Freddy's 1." From the foreshadowing to the clues sprinkled throughout, this game is not only the arguable peak in some of is aspects, but it is absolute peak in terms of the indie (short for individual) horror genre of gaming. I'm so glad that this game was discovered by popular gamers on the internet and has become one of the highest selling video games ever, as the world and lore of Five Nights at Freddy's is not one to forget. Goodnight, Tri-State Area. - T.E.C.

(**This post is not necessarily an opinion piece, but the facts that I have included might not be totally correct. I am just a very big fan of the FNAF series so I wanted to put this out. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!)