The iconic horror franchise “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” received its next installment in the game “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic,” having been released on June 13, 2025. The new title has received a mixed bag of feedback from fans.
The game follows the player as they are tasked to investigate an antagonistic threat known as the Mimic within an old entertainment workshop. The player throughout the game must avoid robotic threats while gaining access to different parts of the building. Through this method of gameplay its strengths and weaknesses can be found, with its atmosphere and its ability to provide a decent horror experience. But some players have pointed out some glaring flaws with the game, such as its repetitive puzzles and convoluted, messy story. With this in mind, it becomes clear that the franchise is moving in a new direction under the development of Steel Wool Studios.
As someone who grew up when the games were developed by Scott Cawthon alone, it’s easy to miss the indie charm the games used to have. However, there is a noticeable trend with the games as of late where the gameplay formula seems to be growing somewhat generic. The “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” games feel as if they are growing like other games in the genre such as “Bendy and the Ink Machine,” as well as “Poppy Playtime,” with a large strew of unnecessary puzzles, clunky chase sequences and a noticeable lack of the uncanny valley that the games were iconic for. They don’t even take place over the span of five nights anymore, with this trend starting with “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach.”
It isn’t a bad thing to try a new formula, as the five nights system could grow old if overdone, however, it was one of the gameplay features that separated “Five Nights at Freddy’s” from other horror titles. With more and more horror games seemingly following the same formula, it’s easy to see that mascot horror games are losing a sense of uniqueness.
