Fans of Fall Guys, Five Nights at Freddy's and Squid Game will take place from today with Finding Frankie the perfect game that combines these three concepts. A playable game show that entices with a huge prize, but also demands a high stake: your life. Sounds like fun? Yes, if you have a lousy idea of fun. Is Finding Frankie the ultimate challenge? We put this crazy game show to the test.
Finding Frankie promises a horror experience that at times resembles Five Nights at Freddy's oriented, while your take part in a crazy showwhich combines escape room, parkour and puzzle elements. Escape creepy animatronics, swing your way through challenging parkours or master deadly mazes and traps. Sounds like a fun Saturday evening activity? Certainly, if you don't mind a potential heart attack.
5 million dollars for your life
It all begins with an ominous invitation that is hidden in a packet of Frankie's brand muesli hidden. Whoever finds it gets to take part in the infamous show. Sounds harmless? Not really. Because what begins as a fun parkour game show quickly turns into a bloody elimination game. The once cute characters Frankie and Henry Hotline throw off their cheerful cartoon masks and turn out to be merciless hunters.
As you fight your way through increasingly complex and dangerous obstacle courses, you soon realize that it's not the best who wins, but the last one standing. Your fellow combatants? One by one, they fall victim to the sadistic madness of this show.
Mirror's Edge meets Squid Game
In Finding Frankie it's all about survival. Running, jumping, swinging and sliding - these are your main activities as you desperately try not to get caught by animatronic nightmares or devious traps. The game features a variety of parkour mechanics that add a certain flair of Mirror's Edge spray, including:
- Bar swing
- Wall jumps
- Rail grinding
- Trampolining
- and more ...
But exploration opportunities, collectibles and the fascination of such a place also keep you coming back to this world. It can be freely explored after the final challenge, which makes the whole thing a real lost place experience.
A special feature is your faithful companion Deputy Duck. This cute duck is not only cute, but also helpful: it lights the way, scans radar areas and helps you find switches. Sounds useful? Yes, until it suddenly starts quacking in a tricky situation and betrays you.
One of the most exciting levels is the dark neon labyrinth, where you have to activate six telephones without being caught by Henry Hotline, who quietly sneaks through the corridors. Here you can see how well you have familiarized yourself with the mechanics - or whether you have only survived this far by chance. Although there is a saferoom, it is almost impossible to reach it in time once Henry has found you.
In addition to classic parkours, there is also the Frankie Parkour Palacea mixture of indoor trampoline park and nightmare house, which conceals dark tunnels and narrow ventilation shafts. Another highlight is the water park with its huge water slides, which - surprisingly - turns out to be one of the more relaxed zones and can be explored at your leisure. Who hasn't wanted to have a place like this all to themselves?
Fairness? Only for the audience
A word about fairness: forget them.
Finding Frankie is not only hard, but also mercilessly unfair in parts. The level design often forces you to find alternative solutions because the direct route simply leads to death. Sometimes this is a clever trick, but often it's just frustrating. Sometimes, however, it's just bad luck if you're running out of time and unintentionally get stuck in a stupid place. Those who like to complete perfect runs will reach their limits here.
My first playthrough took about two and a half hours, and that was just the beginning. The real challenge begins when you try to master the game perfectly and climb up the leaderboard. By the second playthrough, I only needed a third of the time. Sometimes, however, I would have liked the levels to offer more interactivity and for objects such as slot machines to be more than just decoration. All in all, however, the game offers varied and fascinating locations when one of the crazy animatronics isn't hot on your heels.
Somewhere between retro charm and creepy art project
Optically sets Finding Frankie for a gaudy but eerie funhouse look. Bright colors, but with a subtle horror touch - just what a crazy game show scenario needs. The characters are a mixture of cuddly mascots and absolute nightmares, with parallels to Five Nights at Freddy's are unmistakable.
The soundtrack is just as nasty as the gameplay: cheerful elevator music, interrupted by abrupt horror sounds and eerie voices, or driving metal sounds that get the adrenaline pumping. Perfect for keeping your nerves on edge. Visuals and soundscape go hand in hand here and round off this crazy game show perfectly.
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