“Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator,” (FFPS) also known as “Five Nights at Freddy’s 6,” (FNaF 6) is the critically acclaimed sixth installment of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (FNaF) horror series.

The game’s creator, Scott Cawthon, wanted to create a fitting ending for the original timeline of the series, and I think he accomplished this goal in a spectacular fashion. 

In the game, the player’s character is Michael Afton, who is recruited by a man named Henry to become the owner of a new pizzeria. Unfortunately for Michael, there are haunted animatronics in the pizzeria. Ultimately, Henry’s hope is to gather the possessed animatronics that are on the loose in a final attempt to burn and dismantle all of them.

The game takes place over six days, and the player must undergo three phases for each day. There are also six different endings the player can achieve based on choices made and easter eggs found; this was nice as it extended the total duration of the game.

Each day starts in a phase called “Tycoon Mode,” where the player is able to customize and design their pizzeria. This was a great addition to the franchise because it gave fans a new perspective on the less apprehensive side of the FNaF world. 

The second phase of each day is called “Night Mode,” which will seem more familiar to long-time fans of the franchise. 

In “Night Mode” the player has to complete a series of tasks in a separate part of the pizzeria. Completing these tasks, however, will be a challenge because haunted animatronics will attempt to interrupt the player by creepily crawling through the vents and jump-scaring the player. I personally think the ambiance in this phase, such as the computer sounds, creates a suspenseful atmosphere, leading to a much more unexpected and frightening jumpscare.

The third phase is called “Salvage Mode,” where the player must end their day by choosing to either salvage or throw out any animatronics found in the back alley of the pizzeria. If the player chooses to undergo the salvage, they must balance completing tricky tasks while defending themselves from the looming animatronic in front of them. If the player is successful, they will be awarded a bonus revenue. 

The “Salvage Mode” is a great mechanic Cawthon added to make this part of the game more challenging because it forces the player to choose whether to use their taser or risk being jump scared. The player may use their taser three times before the animatronic starts losing value. If the player fails the salvage, they will get jump scared by the animatronic they were salvaging and lose the bonus revenue. I think what makes this part of the game particularly scary is when the player is blinded by the checklist and is not able to see what the animatronic is doing. The suspense reaches an all-time high as the player must hope the animatronic doesn’t move too much after viewing the checklist.

The “Completion” ending is the official ending of the game where Henry’s plan is successful and all the animatronics burn in one final fire. The ending of this game was honestly incredible; Henry’s speech was bone-chilling yet satisfying, showing that in the end, everyone achieves peace.

FNaF 6 in my opinion is the best out of all the FNaF games because of its uniqueness and cleverness. The night portions of this game revolve around audio cues, forcing the player to increase their volume. This is genius as one of the components of getting jump scared is the high-pitched screams of the animatronics, enhancing the horror aspect of the game. The atmosphere is also chilling as the cute and innocent portion of the first phase is mixed with the lifeless and petrifying portion of the second and third phases.

 I give FNaF 6 a 6.71/7.13 on the “Rucker Scale” and would recommend everyone to at least give it a try, even if they don’t like horror. My only recommendation is to play the previous games in the series before tackling FNaF 6.