Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit (2024) Official Mega Cat Studios Launch Trailer
‘FNaF’s Newest Spinoff Draws From the Books With A Different Art Style
Five Nights at Freddy’s, better known as FNaF, is one of the most extensive survival horror series to exist. The franchise itself gained popularity off of its games but also has its own books, merchandise, and films. The books in particular are a treasure trove of insight into the universe that FNaF takes place in, while also posing “what-if” questions to all of its readers. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit (2024) is a recreation of one of these books, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit (2019). Sporting a pixel art style, FNaF: Into The Pit (2024) follows a young boy named Oswald, whose plan to trick his father goes off the rails when he finds himself far back in the past at a Freddy Fazbear’s location.
Game Review
Players of FNaF: Into The Pit (2023) who have not read the short story that the game is based off of may find themselves confused. While the game and story have their differences, the central concepts remain the same — a terrified child, a yellow rabbit, and a time-traveling ball pit. No, that is not a typo. The main character, a sixth grader named Oswald, decides to hide in an old ball pit to teach his dad a lesson. When he emerges from the pit, he finds himself in the past, when the pizza place in the present used to be a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. For those who have read the book, FNaF: Into The Pit (2024) is a rather faithful interpretation of the story. FNaF: Into The Pit utilizes a pixel animation art style, similar to that of the hidden minigames in various other mainline FNaF titles but much more detailed. It gives the game a nostalgic, retro feel that emulates the time it takes place in.
The gameplay can grow tedious the farther into the game players go. The thrill of a new gameplay style in the FNaF series is enough to satiate players for the first couple days and nights. FNaF: Into The Pit is a puzzle/adventure horror game as opposed to a survival horror game like the vast majority of the franchise. Because of this difference in genre and thus gameplay, FNaF: Into The Pit does not feel like a FNaF game. This is not to say the gameplay is bad — in fact, the gameplay is very creative. In chase sequences, when Oswald is hiding from the Yellow Rabbit, players will have to succeed at quick-time events, or QTEs, to make sure they are not found. These QTEs range from ducking away from line of sight to swatting spiders away. While the game offers interesting and fun mechanics, it does not line up with what a FNaF game should feel like.
Sound Design
Something FNaF: Into The Pit relies heavily on is its audio design. The sound bytes used in each section are eerily realistic, whether it be labored breathing or children crying. In each survival section, while wearing headphones, players can determine where the Yellow Rabbit and other animatronics are based on what side of the headphones the audio comes in on. It also grows louder or quieter the closer or farther Oswald is from an animatronic. This focus on audio takes the game’s immersion to a whole new level. Audio has always been important in FNaF games, but the sound design in FNaF: Into The Pit is most reminiscent of FNaF 4, which is deemed the scariest of the games in the series.
Sound is also a mechanic in-game. If Oswald makes too much noise in any way, the animatronics will be drawn to his location. This includes carrying heavy objects and even running. Noise can be used to the player’s advantage via scattered loud items in each location. In the house, there are items like a vacuum and a sewing machine, while the pizzeria holds old radios and TVs. Using these comes with its own risks: if the player does not leave the area quickly, they will be caught. This especially happens in dead-end rooms with no way out. Players must keep a careful eye on how much noise they make and the audio cues of the animatronics, plus differentiating ambient noise from Oswald’s or the animatronics’ movements.
Final Rating
All in all, FNaF: Into The Pit (2024) is a fine addition to the Five Nights at Freddy’s game lineup. Its gameplay and art style shake up the franchise a bit and finally begin to bridge the gap between the games and the books. It is a phenomenally terrifying game, but a lot of the game’s meaning and significance is lost on casual players or players who have not read the FNaF books. Big fans of the FNaF franchise or those wishing to learn more about the series’ universe should seriously consider picking up this game. But be careful — you might just fall into the rabbit hole of Five Nights at Freddy’s games.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into The Pit is available to play on Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
Source: Dead Talk Live
Contact Information:
Email: news@deadtalknews.com
Phone: +1 (646) 397-2874
Dead Talk Live is simultaneously streamed to: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, Vimeo, and LinkedIn
Shop official Dead Talk Live Merchandise at our Online Store
Source: Dead Talk Live
Contact Information:
Email: news@deadtalknews.com
Phone: +1 (650) 308-4023
Dead Talk Live is simultaneously streamed to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, and Twitter daily at 9:30 PM Eastern U.S. Time.
Shop official Dead Talk Live Merchandise at our Online Store
Author
Cailen Fienemann is a current student at Le Moyne College pursuing her BA in English and Communications with a film studies minor and a creative writing concentration. Though uncertain about her career end-goals, any job that allows her to write is a cherished one indeed.