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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is the prequel to the indie game Five Nights at Freddy's, developed by Scott Cawthon. The game was released on Steam on November 11, 2014, earlier than the original planned release date in 2015 as well as its second date on December 25, 2014 due to issues with releasing the demo. The mobile port for Android was released on November 13, 2014. A version for Windows Phone, was published on December 05, together with the first Five Nights at Freddy's.

The player plays as security guard Jeremy Fitzgerald, instead of Mike Schmidt from the first game. It features six brand new enemy characters as well as redesigned versions of the original four enemy characters from the original game. Unlike the first game, there are no doors to close; instead, the player must put on a Freddy Fazbear mask to avoid being killed by most animatronics.

Gameplay

As in the first game, Five Nights at Freddy's, the player must survive a night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, from 12 A.M. to 6 A.M. game time (usually 6-8 minutes), without being attacked by any of the animatronic enemy characters (11 in all) that wander from room to room. The player cannot leave the security office, but can track the animatronics' movements via a network of surveillance cameras placed throughout the building. The office has three entrances, a hallway and two side air vents; in a departure from the previous game, none of these can be sealed off to block enemies from entering. Each vent is equipped with a light that can be used to check for any characters that are about to crawl into the office.

The player can put on a Freddy Fazbear mask to ward off approaching animatronics, and a flashlight is available to check the hallway and darkened areas of the camera feeds. Unlike the other animatronics, Foxy cannot be fooled by the Freddy mask, and will only eventually leave if the player shines the flashlight repeatedly on him while he is standing in the hallway. Although the power supply for the cameras and vent lights is unlimited, the flashlight does have a finite battery life; if it runs out, the player becomes vulnerable to attack. In addition, a music box has been placed in one room and can be remotely wound up through the camera interface. The player must keep the box wound and playing all night in order to avoid being attacked by an enemy that appears when the music stops.

Unlike the first game, after the player is killed, there is a chance that rather than the Game Over screen, one of four low-resolution minigames will appear (often dubbed "Death Minigames"), with instructions given at the start of each. These minigames provide insight into the backstory of the events that have given the restaurant its troubled reputation.

The game consists of five nights, increasing in difficulty. Completing all five unlocks an even more difficult sixth night, which in turn unlocks a "Custom Night" upon completion. In the Custom Night, the player can adjust the AI difficulty of the individual enemy characters or play one of 10 pre-set challenges.

Plot

The main character, who is later revealed to be named Jeremy Fitzgerald, has started working as a nighttime security guard at the "New and Improved" Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Phone calls left by one of the employees (the fan-named "Phone Guy" from the previous game) explain that the animatronics are able to roam around at night, and that Jeremy should wear a provided mask of Freddy Fazbear to prevent them attacking him. He also mentions a remotely wound music box that must be attended to, in order to keep a different animatronic known only as the Puppet, dormant. Phone Guy lets Jeremy know about some mechanics that used to be available in the previous restaurant that are now different. For example, there are no more doors and that the player has unlimited power in the restaurant. To the player, it is assumed that he is referring to the restaurant seen in the first game. However, it is implied (and eventually confirmed by a cheque received at the end of the fifth night) that he is not comparing these events to the restaurant in the first game but rather the original restaurant "Fredbear's Family Diner" which closed for unknown reasons (but it is hinted to be because six children were murdered by a man in dressed in purple).

As Jeremy progresses through each night, Phone Guy's messages start to imply more sinister events are afoot. On the fourth night, he says that an investigation into the building is being held and that Jeremy should avoid making eye-contact with the animatronics. On the fifth night, the building is apparently on lockdown, with nobody allowed in or out, "especially concerning any previous employees". At the end of that night, Jeremy is given a cheque for his work. Dated 1987, this confirms that the game is a prequel, happening before the events of the first game.

On the sixth night, Jeremy gets a very distressed call from Phone Guy, stating that he is not supposed to be on his shift, because the restaurant is closed down. He also mentions that somebody used a yellow suit in the back of the restaurant, and that none of the animatronics are acting right. If Jeremy is able to survive his shift, Phone Guy states that Jeremy will be moved to the day shift for a birthday party happening the next day (which is heavily implied to be when an event known as the Bite of '87 happens). He is told to stay close to the animatronics, and prevent them from hurting anyone. Phone Guy also mentions that he himself will take the night shift from then on.

Reception

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 received generally positive reviews from critics. Omri Petitte for PC Gamer gave Five Nights at Freddy's 2 a score of 70 out of 100, commenting that what he wanted in the sequel "was more mind games and more uncertainty. I wanted the plodding animatronic suits to find me and rip my face off in new and interesting ways. I wanted working legs. What I got was a horror game dipping heavily into deception and subtlety, a wonderfully cruel cocktail of supernatural mystery and jolts of panicked adrenaline. Enjoying the good parts, though, comes with a cost of a frustratingly steep difficulty."

References

1. "Five Nights at Freddy's 1 and 2 creep their way onto the Windows Phone Store". Windows Central.
2. Lionet, François (November 5, 2014). "Interview of the author of a top paid game in AppStore". Clickteam. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
3. Jeffrey Matulef (11 November 2014). "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 sneaks out on Steam". Eurogamer. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
4. "Five Nights at Freddy's 1 and 2 creep their way onto the Windows Phone Store". Windows Central.
5. Carlson, Alex (October 21, 2014). "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Hits Steam Greenlight, Removes Doors". Hardcore Gamer LLC. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
6. Prieststman, Chris (October 24, 2014). "Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Let's You Wear A Freddy Mask". Siliconera. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
7. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 for PC". GameRankings.com. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
8. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 for iOS". GameRankings.com. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
9. ^ Petitte, Omri (November 24, 2014). "Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

External Links

• Official website
• Five Nights at Freddy's 2 on IndieDB

• Indie video games
• Psychological horror games
• Windows games
• Android games
• 2014 video games
• Point-and-click adventure games
• Video games featuring anthropomorphic characters