It’s been a point of consistent pain for me for months now that I never got to fully complete Steel Wool Studios’ Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2. What I did get to experience in very little time with the game on PlayStation VR2 has lingered in my mind since, so naturally I was ecstatic to hear that a non-VR version of the game would be available, and I’ve been waiting oh-so patiently to be able to jump into the game again. Now that Help Wanted 2 is available in flat mode and I’ve completed over half of what the game has to offer, I’m really pleased with how the game translated into its new format.
Everything that I would praise from the initial PSVR2 release of Help Wanted 2 is carried into my praise for its flat mode. The minigames format of progression is a nice break from games that often feel overly cinematic these days – there’s a lot of variety presented in the minigames, and they’re just as fun to experience in flat mode. In some games like Captain Foxy’s Log Ride and Fazblaster you’ll be shooting at targets, in some you’ll be making ride repairs or opening up the animatronics, you’ll learn how to fulfill food orders including the world famous pizzeritos, arts and crafts in the daycare, and more. On top of the variety, plenty of these games are re-playable without having to worry about getting too bored – you’ll never make the same food order twice in a row, for instance, and even on things like the Fazblaster it’s nice to go back to see how you can improve upon your personal best score.
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The games transfer well into flat mode, as do the controls. I’m playing through Steam and I’ve played using both a keyboard and DualSense controller with no complaints to share about either. I’ve run into zero functionality or performance issues overall and Help Wanted 2 has looked consistently great throughout the hours I’ve spent in it so far. Steel Wool nailed the settings for this game, with each one packed with detail and decor to properly provide the FNaF stylization. Of course, the animatronics are the stars of the show here, and the Daycare Attendant continues to shine above the rest for me, with Moon providing me with the most uneasy feelings of all which automatically makes them my favorite.
FNaF Help Wanted 2 doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with the franchise’s style of delivering horror to its players, which is appreciated in this particular instance. Rather than blood and guts galore, Help Wanted 2 instead relies on atmospheric sounds and lighting to build tension and fear in its players, and oh does it deliver. Like I mentioned above, Moon does this the best for me. The voice acting for this character, the way they laugh, the way they taunt – every time the tutorial for a new minigame mentions Moon, I know I’m about to have a great time and be at least a little on-edge. Plenty of these animatronics outside of Moon are creepy, and you will be jumpscared at least once – this is Five Nights at Freddy’s, after all.
Overall, I’m having a lot of fun with Help Wanted 2 in flat mode and can’t wait to finish it up and be more caught up with the franchise ahead of its 10 year anniversary in August!
