Download.it search icon
Advertisement

Wacky and disturbing Windows 8 horror game filled with eerie cartoon monsters by Jonochrome

Wacky and disturbing Windows 8 horror game filled with eerie cartoon monsters by Jonochrome

Vote: (86 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Jonochrome

Works under: Windows

Also available for Android

Vote:

Program license

(86 votes)

Free

Developer

Jonochrome

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Android

Pros

  • Two dimensional cartoon art style is truly gorgeous
  • Builds on an existing formula in smart if iterative ways

Cons

  • Still feels very much like an homage to Five Nights at Freddy's

One Night at Flumpty's may leave players initially feeling like they're playing a cheap ripoff of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, but those who decide to stick around will be rewarded with a surprisingly strong horror game that actually manages to outshine its inspiration in a number of key ways. In fact, Flumpty's does a pretty savvy job of shoring up one of the main weaknesses of survival horror games. They typically have to find a balance between challenge and jump scares, because the repetition of having to accomplish a task over and over again means that there are bound to be diminishing returns for players looking to be frightened. Once the systems underpinning the scares are bared, they cease to be scary.

But you're unlikely to notice that at first. Flumpty's appears initially to follow the same formula that made One Night at Fredddy's so famous in the first place. You sit in a security camera, forced to shift between different cameras to prevent a small army of ludicrous and cute creatures with dark intentions from savaging you. But there's a lack of transparency to what the monsters are here and what they can do. A sense of randomness pervades the game, and while that can sometimes feel unfair, it also helps to keep the tension up. Moreover, each of the cameras serves an important role in keeping yourself safe, so there's nothing extraneous here. Players really do go in blind, and combined with the spontaneity of the characters, this results in a game that can consistently frighten even as the systems become familiar.

On its surface, the monsters of Flumpty's are even more ludicrous than the Chuck E. Cheese ersatzes of Five Night's at Freddy's. The leader of the bunch is a purely harmless looking anthropomorphic egg, but once you see him at his worst, he's very likely to give you nightmares. The other threats are similarly as unnerving, but the real heavy lifting is done by the setting design. F;umpty's is clearly a place of sorrow and terror, and while the game design may follow a practiced formula, there's a huge amount of care that's gone into making this look like a real hellscape. Everything from the peeling wallpaper to the strewn newspapers evoke a sense of menace, and it's one only complemented by the art style. It may seem simple at first, but there's a depth and a layering to the two dimensional animations, and they surprisingly bring a level of terror that's unmatched in the name that Flumpty's is mimicking. Whether you're a Freddy's fan looking for something new or a player fresh to horror games looking for something a little unconventional, Flumpty's is worth a visit. It's a parody game that manages to do a lot more than just riff on its source material.

Pros

  • Two dimensional cartoon art style is truly gorgeous
  • Builds on an existing formula in smart if iterative ways

Cons

  • Still feels very much like an homage to Five Nights at Freddy's