Cole Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit Review

I went into this hoping for a fresh (albeit familiar) addition to the FNAF franchise, which I guess I did get, but it was also kind of a mixed bag of pixelated nostalgia and some genuinely frustrating gameplay elements that made me wonder if this is going to be a slow-burn like some of its predecessors when it comes to growing on me. I mean, firstly, I didn't find it scary at all. I've seen some people in other reviews here praising the horror aspects and jumpscares, so clearly this is one of those your-mileage-may-vary situations, but for me it was just... eh. Fine. Maybe I've just become desensitised after years of being hunted by animatronics, but either way this one just didn't hit the mark in that department. Plot-wise, it's the usual FNAF kind of chaos with multiple endings that generally left me a little confused more than anything approaching satisfied. That's par for the course with this series, though, and if the past games are any indication the story might start to make more sense to me as I get more context or after a few late-night deep dives into theories, so while I'm not sold on it right now I'm willing to see if it all clicks later. I have to admit, I probably would have preferred another first-person experience rather than a third-person pixel adventure -- I get that they were going for something different, and to be fair it's a refreshing take, but it just didn't feel like FNAF to me beyond the antagonist designs. I missed the claustrophobic dread that comes with being stuck in one small room, waiting for something to get you. The pixel designs are well-done; they nailed the retro look, and the animatronics' sprites are just the right mix of creepy and cool. The sound design deserves a shoutout, too -- it's atmospheric and genuinely sets the mood, even if the visuals didn't have me on edge (though I did find it a little too loud sometimes). Gameplay-wise, I wasn't a fan of the quick-time events and stealth minigames. They were repetitive, and some of them didn't make much sense for where they were placed in the game; a couple of them were also super finicky, so they ended up being more frustrating than fun. It felt more like filler than something that added to the experience. Definitely not a bad game, but not exactly what I was hoping for, either. It's got some solid points -- the pixel art and sound design stand out -- but it doesn't quite capture the FNAF essence for me beyond the familiar faces. Maybe it'll grow on me as I dig into the lore more, but right now I kind of just miss the tension and terror of the earlier pre-Security Breach games.