I had followed the Five Nights at Freddy’s series since sixth grade. When I heard that a new game was coming out, I was so excited. I watched a playthrough of it and loved the storyline. But It wasn’t until this year, I bought Sister Location. I had remembered how much I liked watching gaming youtubers play it when I was 12, so it pulled me in. And , I was thoroughly satisfied with the in- game experience of the game.

Five Nights and Freddy’s Sister Location by Scott Cawthon is part of an indie horror game series called Five Nights at Freddy’s. In this game you play as an employee at Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rentals whose main task is to upkeep the animatronics that are stored away in an underground facility. The player is taken down in an elevator to an underground facility where the player checks on animatronics with electric shocks to “pep” them up, perform untrained mechanical work, and listen to the monologues of a clown animatronic that is reminiscent of a little girl. Unlike the prior games in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, this game features a moving storyline, voice acting, and the ability to leave one room. 

The gameplay is thrilling, taking the fear of the dark to a whole new level. You are purposely forced to leave your comfort space of the control module. You are basically like a chicken to these wolves made of metal —but luckily for you they have some mechanical limitations that will help you. For example on Night 2, you are tasked with restarting the circuit breaker and to do that you have to enter the Ballora Gallery. You are stuck in a pitch black room with an 8ft-dancing-ballerina-animatronic and the only indication of where she is in the room is the sound of “My Grandfather’s Clock” that gradually gets louder and quieter as she moves around. She can’t see (even though every other animatronic can) so you just pray and hope that she doesn’t hear you walking until you reach the circuit room where once again there is an animatronic. 

The original series was mostly jumpscares but this game adds the uneasiness of having to leave your comfort space, which you were previously confined to. The jumpscares made me jump out of my seat. Even after the 10th time seeing the same one, I was still flinching with the surprising high-pitched dying scream.

Throughout this game, I was scared my A-key on my Xbox One controller would fall off due to the amount of frustration I had. I hadn’t had any complaints until Night 4. Although this night is only 3-minutes long, I have spent hours on it. After 30 minute of gameplay I was stuck. I looked up how to beat it to see people saying it is “near-impossible”. So I tried again for what seemed like hundreds of times each resulting in the familiar death screen but, thank god, there is a little 8-bit mini game to try and settle that anger. 

 My friends and I played up until Night 4 to which we got stuck. After actually playing the game my thoughts were different than I had when watching the playthroughs. Fear sets in easier while actually playing the game. The experience makes you feel like you are the one in that underground complex, surrounded by dangers that are unknown to you. Also, the scares feel more personal. You are directing the character, focusing on their every move, which only makes them hit harder when you die.

this game surpassed my expectations; I thought that because I had watched it before it would be less scary, but I was proven very, very wrong. I recommend getting this game as it leaves you with satisfying feelings of frustration and fear of the dark, but overall, enjoyment.