Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery
Attack-based app may offer more anxiety than victory.
Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery is an augmented reality game for iOS and Android devices. While it doesn't show blood or gore, tension and jump scares are used to shock players -- which may make the experience too scary for younger kids. The app features augmented reality functionality and requires access to your device's GPS and camera. Players need to check messages sent through an in-app email system to get information about new game elements, which they may not realize at first. The descriptions are somewhat vague as well, making it difficult for players to fully understand. One game element, for instance, a shadowy Remnant, isn't described in detail, so its use is somewhat unclear. Gamers Kids don't necessarily have to buy anything to play, but a number of in-app currency packages are available, which range from $2.99 to $99.99. This title is part of a wildly popular franchise
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What’s It About?
Malfunctioning animatronic attacks are projected onto a player's real-life surroundings in FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S AR: SPECIAL DELIVERY. Players click on map locations in this addition to the horror series to engage with the animatronics or block them with a jammer. The robots are often invisible, so players will see static as they approach. A flashlight may help gamers spot the animatronics, and they can try to use a device to shock them as they pounce. Players can also deploy a basic version of an animatronic to collect parts for itself and later send it to scare friends.
Is It Any Good?
While the surprise attacks are entertaining, clunky controls and bugs scare up more frustration than frights in this experience. Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery has a fairly simple premise -- essentially, players are just trying to shock ghoulish-looking animatronics before they complete their attack. A second tool, a flashlight, provides illumination that may help you briefly see the creatures before they strike. You can also send a sparse Bare Endo robot out to scavenge for parts for a certain time period, ranging from 30 minutes to four hours, to help build it up, or direct it to freak out any friends you’re connected to through the app.
The AR element doesn't necessarily make the game scary -- players basically just see a view of their surrounding environment that's occasionally disrupted with wavy lines until the animatronic leaps at them. The noises the animatronic makes and vibrations you can feel heightens tension during its approach, though, and players may get a kick out of seeing the creepy devices lunge at them suddenly. But while the gameplay isn't complicated, it isn't easy. The window you have to shock an attacking animatronic is slim, and using your flashlight to spot them will also run down the battery you need to protect yourself. The robots strike extremely fast, which doesn't help. What's more, the shocking device has a cooldown period, so if you're too jumpy, it may not have recharged in time -- even if you determine the exact moment an attack will begin, which seems to involve as much luck as skill. Players hoping to figure out a strategy may find they're struggling to come up with a plan, or react in time, which can make the game more frustrating than fun. The developers also have a few bugs to work out, as the game can freeze while loading, leaving you unable to access or play it without deleting and downloading the app again. Fixing the glitches and adjusting the mechanics for fighting animatronics would go a long way in helping Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery provide an uninterrupted, consistently creepy, and enjoyable experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to behave in a crisis like the situation featured in Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery. If you were under attack, what should you do?
What makes scary books and films appealing? How can they affect younger audiences -- and why is it sometimes fun to be scared?
Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery's backstory features some dark humor, but does that make it less scary -- or change the way we view some of the more macabre elements of the game?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: April 12, 2021
- Category: Action Games
- Topics: Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Robots
- Publisher: Illumix, Inc.
- Version: 13.4.0
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 11.2 or later or Android 7.0 and up.
- Last updated: May 11, 2021
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