I have decided to do this article, because I found the Walten Files through being Five Nights at Freddy’s fan. I watched the reactions of the FNAF Let’s Play YouTubers and became engrossed into this new story, with a Timeline!!! But I thought I should share my opinions on the series, that brought me to the Walten Files, without rambling on about it.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014)
The original is a pure classic. The atmosphere created throughout this game, is pretty terrifying, until the inevitable jump scare. I think many forget how scary Freddy’s jumpscare was when he attacked you with power left. It remarkably looks better than the next three games in the franchise, in my opinion, and it still holds up, gameplay-wise. Golden Freddy is unforgettable. But the most important thing is, Rest in Peace, Phone Guy.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2014)
This game is not quite the classic of the original but is greatly improved, with the addition of the Puppet. The toy animatronics are a bit too cute, and not very scary, even if toy chica loses her beak. The trailer was brilliant and showed Scott knew what worked from the first game. He couldn’t quite get the atmosphere and tension of the original game. Maybe it’s Balloon Boys fault. Everything else is.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 (2015)
I remember the hype before this game. I remember watching the best FNAF trailer ever made. It was just a shame that Springtrap, didn’t have the jumpscare, his predecessors had. The minigames went up a notch in quality, whilst the phantoms were just a bit confusing. The lore made more sense, and we got the introduction of Phone Dude. But the game lacks the serios threats, with only Springtrap left, or so we thought at the time.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 – The Final Chapter (2015)
It is ironically, thought to be the first chapter in the FNAF lore timeline. Although it remains, the scariest game in the franchise to play. Returning to it, years later, and being older, and yet it is still just as scary. The lore got too mysterious, and it is the first game without the Phone Guy. With the easier to hear, breathing mechanic, it makes FNAF 4 a beatable challenge to play, but a nightmare to understand.
FNAF World 1.0 (2015)
An alright RPG, nuked by trolls. Admittedly, it was not amazing but, it had my dry sense of humour, the game was enjoyable to play, and obviously had a lot of time put into it. Some gamers wanted FNAF to be less popular, after FNAF 3, and they took the opportunity, to really hammer this game. How can Hot Cheese as an attack, be a bad game???
FNAF World Update 2 (2016)
I never knew a rainbow could be so annoying. A fun few hours to watch, but really difficult to play. But it did setup the next game, very nicely. But I want more of the PurpleGeist, unless that is secretly Glitchtrap, in a different incarnation.
Five Nights at Freddy’s – Sister Location (2016)
I never really got the love for this game. Minigames, with only a few good ones, it was alright. This might be the first FNAF game, where the games went from supernatural nightmare, to unrealistic science fantasy. This switch would ultimately harm FNAf going forward. Even the custom night DLC was not great, so maybe this FNAF game just didn’t work for me. But that open Funtime Freddy faceplate jumpscare, shows there are still great moments in this game.
Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria Simulator (2017)
I really enjoyed this game. Lots of lore, very replayable and was a great surprise in December 2017. I know a few people don’t like this game, but I really enjoyed it. It had a great sense of humour, mystery and still a bit of horror, left for the franchise. This felt like the best overall game in the franchise, in terms of diversity of gameplay, and different aspects to enjoy. But it just can’t beat the original for atmosphere and historical legacy. The best Scott Cawthon game after 2014, in my opinion.
Ultimate Custom Night (2018)
A fun game for a few hours. Replayable, if you are in the right mood. The cutscenes transform this ready for arcade game, into a much more achievement focused game. Also the winning music, is my ringtone, because now I actually don’t mind my mobile ringing. DeeDee, is just unfortunate.
Five Nights at Freddy’s – Help Wanted (2019)
What every FNAF fan wanted, delivered well by Steel Wool. Although that Baby plush minigame, still annoys many gamers to this day. I never have played this FNAF game, as I never had a VR headset, but I enjoyed watching it, and it seemed a lot of FNAF fans enjoyed it. Glitchtrap was interesting but, I think the game needed a superior sound design, to bring the pizzeria to life, a little more.
Five Nights at Freddy’s AR – Special Delivery (2019)
I never played Pokemon Go. So this FNAF game was not really for me. I had a fun hour, but I didn’t really need to play it anymore after that, as it just got more repetitive. The issue others have had with older FNAF games, of being too repetitive, I severely felt with this mobile game.
FNAF VR Curse of Dreadbear
Taking FNAF VR to the next level! It secretly makes me want to have more DLC to this game, with all-new minigames. As I said, I never had a VR headset, but I enjoyed watching gamers tackle these fun minigames. Most of them, much more fun than the minigames of the original game. Plus the small details and minigames, was very fun to see found on YouTube. But the corn maze game definitely looked hard!
Freddy in Space 2 (2019)
A great platformer, for 2019. It was created for a good cause, but separately, this game is just fun to play. The soundtrack is also brilliant. I just wish there were more levels to play through. It feels like the 1st world of a Mario game, or Warp Room of a Crash Bandicoot game. I would love to see Freddy in Space, take off as its own franchise, separate from the main series. Unlikely to happen, but never say never.
Security Breach: Fury’s Rage
Not my kind of game. A side-scrolling brawler, that feels more 1987 than FNAF 2. Not a game that I will play again, but I’m glad that some enjoyed it.
Five Nights at Freddy’s – Security Breach (2021)
Very ambitious and looks amazing. But, it just needed more development time. The game at times, feels empty, with non-playable arcade games everywhere, as well as far too many security droids, making exploration a chore. Less animatronics present, less of the time, would make the game better. Chica in the kitchen area, Roxy in the Raceway and arcade, and Monty in Golf and Maintenance tunnels. These spaces only. Fewer appearances, making them more special, and scary. And make Vanny the constant villain chasing you in the shadows. Wanting a FNAF GTA, but getting a Fallout 76, with fewer issues admittedly.
And there are my reviews for every FNAF game. I hope you liked this different kind of article. I made this, to just put my own feelings toward FNAF, since Walten Files, is firmly in the supernatural nightmare story, which is what FNAF started as, in the first few games. Hence why I care about the Walten Files, probably more than modern FNAF.
More articles focused on the Walten Files, to appear shortly.