Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit Review: A Pit of Despair You WANT To Dive Into (We Promise)

Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit isn't just a good FNaF game - it's a good game period.

By Hannah Adkins

Mega Cat Studios have released the newest Five Nights at Freddy's game, and in doing so have set a new standard for the future of gaming in the franchise. Historically, I play any new Five Nights at Freddy's game purely for what it is by name, not expecting to be wowed by gameplay or mechanics and instead seeking to have a good FNaF experience. In that way, Mega Cat exceeded my expectations for Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit: not only is this a good entry to the franchise, Into the Pit is also a good game in general, and certainly what I would consider the best Five Nights at Freddy's game release in years – and easily one of the top-ranking for me across the board when compared to previous releases. 

I have been excited for Into the Pit since the game debuted its official trailer in June, patiently counting down the days until I'd be able to jump into the game. When the time finally arrived a day early, I was impatient to begin my time in the pit myself – I had high hopes, and honestly moderate expectations, again – I was just looking for another fun Five Nights at Freddy's game. Into the Pit is consistently everything that all FNaF games should be – atmospheric, immersive, and fun, but while delivering something fresh to the franchise. There aren't any groundbreaking mechanics, and Into the Pit doesn't reinvent the wheel. But what it does, it does well. 

From top to bottom Into the Pit is polished, and in the relatively short time since its initial launch Mega Cat has already addressed a number of bugs and issues impacting some players' experiences. The environments of the game are rich, offering plenty of interactions to further develop the player's knowledge of the digital world around Oswald (the player character of Into the Pit). The sound design is flawless and the game as a whole wouldn't be the same without it. The story is so well-written and deliciously intricate (as all FNaF should be) and demonstrates that Mega Cat's developers weren't just creating a new Five Nights at Freddy's game for the sake of doing it – you will be able to feel a genuine love and respect for the IP in every moment of the game. 

I'd be ashamed of myself if I didn't dedicate a portion of this review to the art of Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit. If you've seen the trailer or any screenshots online by now, you're well aware that Into the Pit's art is in a lovably retro 2D style, its pixelated settings and characters delivering a style that predates when most FNaF fans were even born – and to me, this is perfection. I knew I was going to love this art style choice from the game's initial reveal, but what I didn't expect is how Mega Cat has constructed environments that are just as full as the 3D games in the franchise. It's an aesthetic that just feels right with FNaF, and there are many moments I found myself reaching for F12 to be able to look at them again in my screenshots folder for many years to come.

An aspect of the game that stood out to me in how much it added to the overall experience was the sound design. After downloading the game for the first time and loading it up to play, there is a screen with a suggestion from Mega Cat Studios to wear a headset while you're playing their Five Nights at Freddy's game, and I can only reiterate this – plus add in my own note to have your space as dark as possible around you so only the glow of your monitor or PC lights can offer reprieve from what the environmentally immersive sound design will have you worried is lurking in the dark around you. 

On that note, as with any FNaF game it's vital to talk about the suspense and terror that Into the Pit inspires in its players (or at least me), and I can't believe it's taken me this many words into this review to type the words "jump scare" considering we're talking about FNaF. As I mentioned, the sound design will allow you to get immersed enough to fully grab your attention, and if you're not allowing distractions, you will be able to slip into enough of a comfortable lull at certain points for Mega Cat to swoop in and take you off-guard. In complete honesty, I personally had a jump scare within five minutes of loading up the game for the first time, and that's exactly what I want from FNaF. From that first moment of making me lift out of my desk chair briefly, Into the Pit offers plenty of suspense building and has a creeping sense of dread throughout, mechanics like breath holding while hiding from animatronics and a changing heartbeat sounding in your ears adding to the overall experience in the exact way a FNaF game is expected to. 

Outside of how polished the game's various aspects are, one of the things I respect Into the Pit the most for is its careful handling of adapting its source material. Into the Pit was first released as the first short story of the Fazbear Frights anthology novels, and while the game doesn't follow the exact same story line-for-line it's still faithful, and any changes or additions honestly make the game version of the Into the Pit story my personal preferred version. 

My only true complaint is a genuinely minor one and an additional compliment toward the game in itself – I was able to finish Into the Pit fully in a little less than five hours, and it's because I had such a fantastic time in the game, I wish it had been longer. This minor complaint does open up additional praise – I want to replay Into the Pit, and I want to do it soon. With multiple difficulty settings to challenge your skills with additional playthroughs and multiple different endings, Into the Pit has more to offer its players than the roughly five-hour commitment it takes to complete it. Completion, in this case, doesn't mean you have to be completely done with the game.

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Overall, I'm clearly incredibly happy with Into the Pit – I feel like it's a great game for veteran Five Nights at Freddy's fans as much as I feel like people who have never played a FNaF game before could enjoy it. Not only am I excited to see what other games Mega Cat crafts in the future in general, I'm hopeful we'll see them continue to release Five Nights at Freddy's games. 

Honestly, let them turn every Fazbear Frights short story into a game – and if not every, at least The Man in Room 1280, please. 

Rating: 5/5

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