Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator
File:Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator.jpg Steam storefront header
Developer(s)	Scott Cawthon
Publisher(s)	Scott Cawthon
Composer(s)	Leon Riskin
Series	Five Nights at Freddy’s
Engine	Clickteam Fusion 2.5
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	Microsoft Windows WW: December 4, 2017
Genre(s)	Survival horror Business simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player

Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator (often abbreviated to FFPS and otherwise known as Five Nights at Freddy’s 6) is a point-and-click business simulation survival horror video game created by Scott Cawthon. It is the sixth official main installment of the Five Nights at Freddy's game series. The game was released on December 4, 2017 for free on Steam and Gamejolt.

Gameplay

Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator begins as an 8-bit game, where the player must control Freddy Fazbear, the titular character of Five Nights at Freddy's, and distribute pizzas to several children. The gameplay of that section of the game eventually ends in a "glitch", which was input on purpose.

The game then switches to a dark room where the player faces a broken animatronic with an appearance similar to Circus Baby from Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location (referred to as “Scrap Baby”). A voice from a cassette instructs the player to observe the animatronic and document their responses to various audio stimulations. A checklist must be filled containing the options "no", "yes", and "unsure". If the player feels the animatronic is about to perform a jumpscare, then they are able to subdue it using a taser. However, the animatronic loses value if it is tasered more than three times, lowering the amount of possible profit that could be obtained from it. If the player is successful in this portion of the game, they earn a cash reward. If the player is unsuccessful, no cash reward will be obtained. On the other hand, the player can refuse to salvage the animatronic, and discard it. The player must complete this task with a different animatronic after each of the first four in-game dayshifts.

An introduction cutscene featuring Tutorial Unit is shown to the player, then the game takes a turn to business simulation, where the player buys decorations for their fictional restaurant and places them around the restaurant. Buying these items can increase the atmosphere, health/safety, and entertainment standards, with the possibility of also giving them extra revenue. However, many of these items can also increase liability and lead to lawsuits which can be fought or settled, both at the cost of money. Sponsorship offers can be accepted for money but can cause audio distractions for the player later in the game. Arcade games placed in the restaurant can also be interacted with to play mini-games.

The next portion of the game sees the player using a computer to complete various tasks to maintain the restaurant. However, any dysfunctional or hostile animatronics loose in the establishment will try to attack the player. They can be stopped by shining the player's flashlight into the ventilation openings, or by using audio to lure animatronics away. The player can use a network of motion detectors to track the animatronics' movements from one location to another. Unlike the previous games in the series, all four animatronics in the game (Scrap Baby, Molten Freddy, Springtrap and Lefty) share the same behavior, as opposed to having different mechanics.

Noise from the computer and primary ventilation system obscures the sounds of the animatronics' movements. The player may upgrade the office equipment to increase efficiency and reduce the noise level. In addition, the player may switch to a secondary ventilation system that runs more quietly, but is not as effective in controlling the ambient temperature. Any sponsorships accepted will cause loud advertisements to be played randomly on the computer, attracting the animatronics and making the player unable to hear them or do anything for several seconds. The day ends with the daily tasks are done and the computer is logged off.

The main game ends after six days and nights have been completed. Several different endings are possible, depending on factors such as the degree of improvement made to the pizzeria, the number of lawsuits brought against the pizzeria by customers, and whether or not the player salvaged every animatronic.

Plot

The player character is a new franchisee of the re-branded Fazbear Entertainment Inc, with headquarters in Washington County, Utah. After making an initial investment (a small room, tables & chairs, and electricity), the player is left with $100 to spend on a new restaurant. After the first night, they are encouraged to prepare for their "ultimate test", which is a big party on Saturday. After the day is over, the player is instructed to either complete the maintenance checklist on one of four animatronics of different origin (meeting the criteria under paragraph 4 of their contract) or throw the animatronic back in the alley where they were found being the animatronics stated above. On occasion, the animatronics may already be hiding inside the facility, having been hidden in a previously-purchased low-quality object.

After Saturday, depending on if the player has salvaged all of the animatronics or not, the animatronic Scrap Baby tells the player that they are here to receive a gift and they will do what they are created to do (that is to lure and kill children), making her father proud of her. Cassette Man interrupts her, calling her Elizabeth and telling her that she and the other haunted animatronics are unknowingly trapped in the labyrinth of vents inside of the pizzeria. A cutscene plays, showing that the pizzeria has been set on fire with the animatronics inside; images are shown of the animatronics attempting to escape as they are destroyed by the fire. As it burns, Cassette Man (implied to be Henry from Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes) explains that the player’s attraction was made to lure the animatronics into a trap, and that the souls trapped within them would finally receive peace, with the exception of one, William Afton/Springtrap, who he tells "the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don't keep the Devil waiting, old friend." He tells the player (implied to be Michael Afton) that he had planned a way out for him, but he has a feeling that the player would rather not leave. Cassette Man then talks to his daughter (implied to be Charlie from the books) who haunts the Puppet who is heavily implied to be inside of Lefty, apologizing to her for not saving her. The video feed cuts out. Another cutscene is then played, which tells the player that they have completed the work week and earned the certificate of "Completion".

A series of alternate endings may also be achieved. If the player has not salvaged all of the animatronics, receives too many lawsuits, or becomes bankrupt, they will be fired from their job. The player may also obtain an ending where the player is deemed insane after discovering blueprints and secret information in their office following their purchase of the “Egg Baby” animatronic. In the "insanity" ending, Cassette Man reveals that he unwillingly helped William Afton to build the animatronics and his daughter was the first victim of Afton's mass murder.

If the player has discovered the secret endings within the "Fruity Maze", "Midnight Motorist", and "Security Puppet" attractions, a picture of a graveyard will appear at the end of the game, giving the player a certificate of "Lorekeeper" which has six gravestones with the names of Gabriel, Fritz, Susie, and Jeremy on four of them.

Development

In June 2017, Cawthon hinted towards the development of a sixth main game in the series, with a teaser on scottgames.com showing a picture that appeared to be Circus Baby from Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, but later announced his decision to cancel the game and instead develop a separate installment similar to FNaF World such as a "pizzeria tycoon". Teasers for a new game began appearing on Cawthon's website in late 2017. On December 4, 2017, Cawthon released Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator on Steam as freeware, which fans presumed to be the game he had referred to previously.

In February 2018, Cawthon announced on a Steam post that he would think about gaining help from larger publishers in making future games. In an edited version of the same post, he added that he would be developing an "ultimate custom night” for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator, which, as revealed on his website, has about 57 animatronics from the game and all other games in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series attacking the player. The custom night is due for release on June 29, 2018. However, in an article Scott made on Steam on June 22nd, Scott revealed that he was going to release the game early, on the 22nd, but because he had promised YouTuber Lewis Dawkins (AKA "Dawko") that he would not release it before he came back from vacation, he would wait until June 27th to release the game, the day that Lewis comes back from vacation.

Reception

Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator received mostly positive reviews. GameCrate called it the "best value in gaming right now", with Rock Paper Shotgun calling it "spooky as hell". The Ball State Daily News also gave a positive review, calling it "an interesting evolution of the Five Nights [at Freddy's] formula".