FNaF3’s only animatronic, Springtrap, is the cover model this time ’round.

Platform: PC

Developer: Scott Cawthon

Publisher: Scott Cawthon

Release Date: March 2, 2015

Genre: Horror, Point-and-Click

Nerd Rating: 7.5 out of 10

With a heavy sigh, I open the door to the security office, toss my keys down on the desk, while looking at the Bonnie, Freddy, and Chica figurines with contempt. The office itself is claustrophobic and the air is heavy with the smell of decomposing flesh. I hear a low grinding sound behind me, with slow and heavy footsteps. I turn around to see the infamous Freddy Fazbear, the son of a bitch, limping down the hallway towards my office, his eyes are huge black sockets, windows to the vengeful soul that fills the body of the beaten-down animatronic.

Shaking my head, I say to myself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this shit again.”

Ugh.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s series has finally ended.

I’ll admit, when Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 was confirmed for release, I wasn’t too excited. It was somewhat difficult to be excited when the games come out within a mere few months of each other. I was afraid that the third installment would be the same game as the first two but wrapped up in different packaging. It’s a rational fear, but it was a fear that I did not like having.

However, it was a fear that was immediately replaced by bigger fears because Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is fucking terrifying.

A few seconds in and I was already flipping off the screen.

It’s 30 years later, and Freddy Fazbear’s pizza has become a horror attraction, named Fazbear’s Fright, based upon the unsolved mysteries surrounding the illusive restaurant chain. Once again, your character fills in the boots of the night guard, overseeing the cameras and staying alive. Though staying alive is difficult when the Springtrap (the only animatronic, who is also mercilessly aggressive) is constantly teleporting from room to room, just barely visible on the camera, screwing with your mind before finally murdering you. Chica and Foxy, who are now dubbed as the “phantom animatronics” jump in your face and then disappear, and Freddy lurks in the hallway, looking right at you as he limps down to your office door.

And Balloon Boy is STILL A FUCKING DICK.

I continue to be impressed with how Scott Cawthon manages to pump out a solid game in such a short amount of time. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is delightfully scary and fun. And thankfully, this game is not entirely the same format from its previous installments. I was a tad thrown off by the different layout of the cameras. Firstly, there’s two maps, one is the normal camera layout ad one is of the air vents. The vents can be sealed off in case you-know-who decides to crawl through to get to you. The classic camera map now has an added audio mechanic that allows you to temporarily distract Springtrap and send him to another room.

Comin’ for da booty.
FNaF3 camera/map layout.

There’s a separate monitor as well that allows you to reboot the camera system when it goes snowy, reboot the sound system when that goes wonky, and the very significant ventilation system. The ventilation is shotty, so the lack of air inFazbear’s Fright causes, you, the night guard to have malicious hallucinations of the past animatronics, i.e. Phantom Chica, Phantom Foxy, etc. Rebooting the ventilation keeps you from having hallucinations of the phantom animatronics, and eventually blacking out, leaving you vulnerable to Springtrap’s whim. So, there’s not an entirely different format that’s too confusing, but just enough change to make it seem new. As the nights go on, it gets harder to keep Springtrap out of the office and stay sane. It’s challenging how consistent this “new” animatronic is, and just how much precision is required to stay alive.

One thing I’ve truly come to admire is Scott’s dedication to the story and how he chooses to tell it. Once

Chica’s Party mini-game.

again, the disturbing back story of how the animatronics became haunted is told through creepy mini-games with Atari-styled graphics and sounds. However, it is up to you, the night guard, to play these games in the correct order to achieve the ultimate good ending. Will you do everything you can free the souls trapped inside the beloved animated characters? Or will you just work your five nights, collect your paycheck, and call it a week? It’s up to you to decipher the horrifying back story using he clues tucked away in these games.

The other neat thing about Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is the change of environment. You’re not stuck in a pizzeria like the last two games, but in an actual horror attraction. I go to a lot of haunted houses, and have a slight paranoia that a legitimate serial killer could be hiding in the darkness, so the setting of this game is a fresh change.The greenish tint, the animatronic “carcasses” that just hang around, and the random limbs in a box in your office all add to the malevolence and bad blood of the Freddy Fazbear franchise. The creepy, suspenseful soundtrack adds to the atmosphere as well, but there aren’t as many audio cues to let you know when something is coming like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, so it feels like you’re drowning and never knowing what (or who) will pop up next.

“I told you I was comin’ for da booty.”

Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is actually the shortest game of the series, but it’s still obvious that a lot of hard work and love went into every element of the story, gameplay, jump scares, and character design. Springtrap is aggressive and provides an excellent challenge, and the phantom animatronics gleefully fucking with your mind is spine-chilling. Though not as strong as its predecessors, it’s still scary as hell,and finishes with a bittersweet conclusion. What started as a simple horror game that was perfect fun for Halloween became a cult classic series in the indie gaming world, and Scott Cawthon deserves all the pats on the back in the world.

With the newest installment concluding this unforgettable story line, Five Nights at Freddy’s has staked its flag in the ground as an iconic video game horror series.

R.I.P. “Retire In Peace” May artists stop drawing grotesque furry pornography of you guys.

Image credit goes to NerdyFriend!