2 
0 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit is a new game created and published by Mega Cats Studios. Although it’s based on the book of the same name, it only tells one of the three stories. The game has been out since August 7th on Steam and looks great from some of the screen shots I’ve seen. It’s available for £16.75.
May be a short game, but it’s gonna be a long night.
I’ve always enjoyed the Five Nights at Freddy’s games and the lore surrounding them. I admit, however, that the books are something I haven’t touched. Not for any political reason but because it’s not my preferred media of choice. When I heard a game was being made based on (I think) the first book, I was happy to check it out. This way I can enjoy the book without having to read it!
Gameplay
Within Into The Pits we play as Oswald, a young strong-headed kid. The story begins with Oswald being dropped off by his father at the local pizzeria called Jeff’s Pizza. Oswald’s father then drives off on his merry way to work, just like all responsible parents do! Bored waiting, Oswald he overhears a nearby family talking about an old ball pit. With child-like curiosity, this is where the real fun begins.
The Pit itself
As you can guess given the title of the game, The Pit itself plays a major part within the story. Stepping into it transports Oswald between the past and present. Over the course of Into The Pit, you’ll be switching between time periods for both story, surviving and puzzles purposes. Most puzzles will have you go to the present to find items you can use in the past, such as finding a Token Collector and placing it back into a machine.
Hiding from the creature.
While playing Into the Pit, your best chances for survival are hiding and running. From what I hear you ask. Well from what I’ll call the Abomination. I’m not sure if it has an official name but I feel this fully conveys its horror. There are several areas you can hide scattered around the pizzeria. For example under tables or in vents. If you decide to hide after being spotted and the Abomination is still in the area, a mini-game will appear. I encountered two main mini-games. The first involved swatting away spiders by pressing the correct button. The second had me holding my breath whilst holding my space bar.
The Abomination itself wanders the halls searching for you and will give chase if he sees you. You will know if he is in the room nearby by two audio cues. The first is creepy music and the other is his hefty feet stomping around. Beware as some audio devices around the location will provide a distraction and lure the Abomination to your location. Use this to your advantage when you need to get him out of one area in order to solve a puzzle or explore the environment.
Graphics & Audio
I’m a huge fan of anything horror. Over the years I’ve seen many things which felt overdone or like they missed the mark with the creep factor. Into The Pit astonished me with how it presented itself. The pixel art style is fantastic, and the in-game animations are super smooth. The lighting is brilliant, from the way the arcade machine screens blare in the darkness, to the twitchiness of flickering lights.
It was dark enough to add tension to the moment without leaving me squinting at the screen. Dialogue, though spoken through text boxes, adds so much more to unnerve you alongside the incredible audio cues. The ambient music was even better, having an empty hollow quality to it. The sound team have perfected the echoed whistling sounds an abandoned building would have within the music. This was only topped by the abomination’s audio lines. Hearing it wheeze for breath, the raspy low-toned threats, and all too fleshy gurgles and growls made my heart race. The soundscapes do some heavy lifting in making the game experience even more nerve-wracking as you hide from the creature.
Moving on from the stellar audio I come to the graphics. And thus leads me to the absolute cream of the visual crop in this game; the animated close-up sequences. I’ve seen many hiding scenes and jump scares in my time with horrors, but these are some of the most impressive I’ve seen in a while. Animated beautifully and executed in such a terrifying way, the suspense is breath-stopping and intense. All while listening to metallic growls and screeches as you’re pinned in place. The first of these moments blew me away the first time I saw them. Don’t let that fool you though, these were just as terrifying with each subsequent capture! These moments are probably one of my favourite things about Into The Pit.
Longevity
Into The Pit isn’t particularly long but has multiple endings and secrets to discover. During my time playing the game for this review I did manage to achieve two ending. But I couldn’t say how many there are to unlock. For anyone who is brave (or insane) enough, there are higher difficulties to tackle. The highest of these include permadeath. If you’re up to the challenge, then before starting a new game, check the advanced options to increase the enemy’s hostility meter.
Final Thoughts
Into the Pit was a top-notched horror experience. The game lets the high detailed cinematics do the talking and isn’t reliant on jump scares or loud noises for the fear factor. The creepiness of the Abomination itself had me saying “Naaah” out loud. The overall gameplay is simple, although I did find on the fifth night some button prompts wouldn’t work now and then.
As I previously mentioned, I haven’t read the book of the same name. I did, however, look into if this game follows the story to a T, and from what I could find there are some differences. Having previously had no interest in checking out the books, playing Into the Pit has made me want to read them, just so I can compare the stories. In the end, what surprised me the most was how great this small three hour game was. I really hope that Mega Cat Studios adapts the other short stories from the books for more visual splendour, creepiness, and scares.
I’m awarding Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit the Thumb Cultures Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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