Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted Review for Nintendo Switch

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, by independent studio, Steel Wool Studios, in partnership with ScottGames, Striker Entertainment, and global content leader, Lionsgate, is a survival-horror game that collects all previous installments of the FNAF games, in addition to minigames both new and classic. Scenes set in the FNAF universe have also been updated and curated, making the game a comprehensive experience perfect for veterans and new players alike. New players will be able to work their way through the series chronologically, or dip their feet into the quaking boots of the ill-fated security guards at any point of the series. Veterans who already own previous installments will also be pleased by new minigames, as well as the highly interactive “hub world” set right in the center of the haunted pizzeria. The atmosphere of the hub is deeply haunted, with secrets abound, to the point where even when I wasn’t playing the games, I still felt like I was trying to uncover some sort of mystery. There are all sorts of hidden candies for the player to crunch on, as well as tokens that allow the player to unlock prizes from the prize counter.

For the uninitiated, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted takes place in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza (think Chuck E. Cheese, but even more terrifying). You play as a security guard who’s in charge of watching the malfunctioning animatronic mascots and making sure they don’t cause too much trouble between the hours of 12:00 and 6:00 AM. Throughout your shift, the mascots will occasionally wander the premises, walking out of view of some cameras while walking into the view of others. The security system is in disrepair, so it’s very common for a camera to periodically lose its feed. There’s nothing quite as unnerving as noticing that the giant robot chicken with teeth has disappeared from view while the feed dropped. Stay alert, for if you encounter any of the animatronics in person, it’s curtains for you. As this is a timed survival game, the tension rises as you continue to play, with more threats approaching as you play.

While the game frames your survival as a six hour endeavor, each level only lasts for approximately five minutes. Wikipedia tells me that, in real time, the levels of the first FNAF game are closer to four minutes, but when you’re freaked out that Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, or any of the other bots are going to cram your body into an animatronic suit—which will crush you—those four minutes feel like forever. But when 6:00 AM finally comes and you hear the game cheer, the relief you feel is genuine.

As for some of the minigames, one of my favorites was Funtime Freddy, where you play as a child in their bedroom, and Freddy Fazbear lurks the halls. You must switch between sides of the room to watch for Freddy, and train your flashlight on him to scare him off. It took me a while to actually understand this minigame, as my first instinct was to duck away and hide from Freddy as soon as I saw him, when in actuality, it was better to have your sight trained on the big bear so you could shut the door on him. Just like in horror movies and car crashes, it’s the threat you don’t see coming that gets you.

Another that I really enjoyed was the first vent repair game, where you, a technician, are charged with fixing the air filtration systems so the pizzeria can remain a perfect 72 degrees fahrenheit. This minigame rewards patience. Foxy will retreat if you point your flashlight at him, so it’s important to drop what you’re doing to train your light on him. The game, smartly, punishes the player for being hasty and fearful. What’s more, unlike many of the other games, you have to keep your head on a swivel, as Foxy can even approach you from behind.

It wasn’t until round 2 of vent repair that I started to learn the limitations of running a point-and-click style game on the Nintendo Switch. While round 1 emphasizes patience and diligence, round 2 is about being able to repair the breakers in a service elevator as quickly as possible while being threatened by Ballora. Round 2 of Vent Repair is especially difficult because the player must oscillate between crude, fast motions to watch Ballora, and small, precise targeting to flip the breaker.

While some of the Switch’s features highlight the atmosphere of Help Wanted, such as smart speakers so you know where sounds are coming from, and vibrating controllers so jumpscares stay scary 30 jumps later, navigating with joysticks is sluggish and clunky. Not all games necessarily translate between consoles that well. One of the best facets of the Nintendo Switch is its function as a handheld console, which one can play on the bus or in a hospital waiting room—as if those places aren’t terrifying enough! But the FNAF series was originally developed for PC and Help Wanted is no exception. While being able to toggle “free aim” on and off helps the player prioritize their attention on a specific area, it doesn’t altogether remedy the transition from mouse and keyboard to the use of a joystick. The sensitivity adjustment settings are attached to the home screen, so you can’t make adjustments for when certain sections require a lighter touch. One elegant solution might be to expand the hit marker so that the player doesn’t have to be precise. Another would be to utilize the Switch’s touch screen functions. So if you’re used to playing these games on PC and are thinking about getting it for the Switch, be prepared for a much slower paced game where you’ll have to rely more on diligence and preparation rather than reflexes.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted is a welcome addition to the Switch library, and is great for veterans, and can serve to pull new players into this series. The core gameplay loop of “push buttons, survive until 6:00 AM” is simplistic without being repetitive. While many reviewers would score this game higher on other consoles, I do not feel that the Nintendo Switch services as well as it should, and will be giving the an 8/10.

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Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted is available for PlayStation 4, Windows PC via Steam, Oculus Rift, and Nintendo Switch. This game has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB. For more in-depth information about the game’s story, gameplay mechanics, please visit Steel Wool Studios’ official website for Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted and follow the game’s latest updates on their Twitter account.

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