Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Scott Cawthon, Scottgames, Clickteam
Released 4th December 2017
When you go to buy this game on Steam or any other storefront, its exterior disguises itself as a fun little 'pizza tycoon' spin-off of the main series, but as you can expect with Scott Cawthon by now, it was merely a facade as the game's tie-up story and multiple entertaining gameplay mechanics revealed this to be the 6th main instalment in the beloved franchise.
Story
The lore finally concludes the story of a saga. It’s not an end to the franchise, but an end to the narrative and theories of the previous titles. This game serves up as a loose-end tie up and I admire it for that. I'm glad to see Sister Location's quality story pacing and lore be continued while remaining true to the original 4 games. This time around, you play as someone who ends up buying and kitting out a Fazbear Pizzeria, while having a special, nighttime job of sitting down and salvaging the horrors of the previous games. This is an amazing 2-hour journey to play and it finally explicitly tells us, the players, the secrets of the other games, all while doing so through hidden minigames, secret dialogue, etc.
Gameplay
The gameplay is enjoyable and might be the best in the series, however, it suffers for its difficulty. A reoccurring problem with the more recent games is the difficulty, which is predominantly comprised of ridiculing RNG or poor game design. In this FNAF entry, the gameplay consists of 3 different styles - tycoon-like restaurant management, classic stationary camera monitoring and the interrogatory animatronic staredowns. I enjoyed this idea a lot. It manages to fit the variety of tasks from Sister Location, while still demanding a learning curve. If you would like extra activities to perform in between the 3 core gameplay loops, then you can always indulge in some arcade minigames that might lead to some fascinating secrets.
Firstly, the tycoon aspect was fun to manage. To be able to see scrapped animatronic ideas, manage multiple assets like minigames, or get lawsuits for your animatronics being too violent, this whole tycoon system is entertaining - not the best tycoon, but still entertaining. There is a small level of focus needed when purchasing things as you can accidentally have animatronics with an ill-intent sneak-in via the "high-risk" objects you buy, but that's part of the fun.
Secondly, the classic FNAF experience of being a stationary target with minimal defences stays somewhat true to the original foundations of the series, however, it does have some differences. For example, instead of surviving for a set amount of time, you have to now complete a list of manager-like tasks before you can log off for the night. Print flyers, unclog the toilets, etc. For your defences against incoming, metallic threats, you'll be able to scan the vents, use audio cues as lures and more. This drastically changed the pace of the game and led to some terrifying moments in that I knew I couldn't luck my way out, one of the many reasons this is a better FNAF game. The scanning of vents and audio lures is reminiscent of FNAF 3 and how you had to "get good" at adapting to the animatronics' behaviour. However, if that isn't enough for you, then you also have to maintain your temperature with a fan, which has the added consequence of attracting the animatronics due to its volume.
Third and finally is the interrogation sequences. While playing some unsettling audio cues to evoke a reaction out of the animatronics, you'll have to balance your safety as these monsters can jump out at you if you don't pay enough attention to them, tase them too much or tase them too little. The best part about this is how they can affect your night shift. If you decide to take them in or fail to secure them as scrap, they will then be added to the team of predators that hunt you at night. You can do a no-animatronic run, or you can send yourself into hell and accept all the lethal threats your way. But those creepy messages that the animatronics leave behind are fantastic, yet nerve-wracking.
The problem with this whole game, however, lies in how absurdly difficult it can get with just 2 animatronics. 2 animatronics has caused me more pain and suffering than any Night 5 in the original trilogy did, and because of that, it strongly discourages me from uncovering all the satisfying secrets.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is finally back. The perfect tense and dread-filling feeling of FNAF 1 makes a return. While I can't view any horrific imagery via cameras or any other means for that matter like in the original trilogy, I found myself, panicking and making mistakes due to how purely terrified I was. The jump scares don't deliver the same punch and horror, but their designs are something to be jittering at (except for Springtrap, he looks wack). The effect of barely hearing anything unless you have all things turned off, and the realisation of "oh no" screams throughout this game and I love it to bits. The sound effects are done a little more poorly compared to other games but it makes up for it with the mocking-yet relaxing main menu music when you die.
Story- 8/10
Gameplay- 7/10
Atmosphere- 8/10
Good
A great entry into the franchise that spins the already over-used formula to its advantage and makes something terrifying out of it.
