Fans of Fall Guys, Five Nights at Freddy's and Squid Games starting today with Finding Frankie The perfect game that combines these three concepts. A playable game show that lures you with a huge prize, but also demands a high stake: your life. Sounds like fun? Yes, if you have a bad idea of what fun is. Finding Frankie The ultimate challenge? We tested this crazy game show.
Finding Frankie promises a horror experience that sometimes resembles Five Nights at Freddy's oriented while you are at participating in a crazy show, which combines escape room, parkour, and puzzle elements. Escape creepy animatronics, swing through challenging parkour courses, or master deadly labyrinths and traps. Sounds like a fun Saturday night activity? Certainly, if a potential heart attack doesn't bother you.
$5 million for your life
It all begins with an ominous invitation that comes in a package. Frankie's brand muesli Hidden away. Whoever finds them gets to participate in the infamous show. Sounds harmless? Not really. Because what starts as a fun parkour game show quickly turns into a bloody elimination game. The once cute characters Frankie and Henry Hotline shed their cheerful cartoon masks and reveal themselves to be merciless hunters.
As you battle your way through increasingly complex and dangerous obstacle courses, you quickly realize: It's not the best who wins, but the last one standing. Your fellow competitors? They fall victim, one after the other, to the sadistic madness of this show.
Mirror's Edge meets Squid Game
In Finding Frankie It's all about sheer survival. Running, jumping, swinging, and sliding – these are your main activities as you desperately try to avoid being caught by animatronic nightmares or treacherous traps. The game boasts a variety of parkour mechanics that evoke a certain flair of Mirror's Edge spray, including:
- Pole swings
- Wall jumps
- Rail grinding
- Trampoline jumping
- and more …
But the opportunities for exploration, the collectibles, and the sheer fascination of such a place also draw you back to this world again and again. After the final challenge, you can freely explore it, making the whole thing a true "lost place" experience.
One special feature is your loyal companion. Deputy DuckThis adorable duck isn't just cute, it's also helpful: it lights the way, scans radar areas, and helps you find switches. Sounds useful? Yes, until it suddenly starts quacking in a dangerous situation and gives you away.
One of the most exciting levels is the dark neon labyrinth, where you have to activate six phones without being spotted by Henry Hotline, who silently stalks the corridors. This is where you'll see how well you've mastered the mechanics – or whether you've only survived this far by sheer luck. While there is a safe room, reaching it in time is virtually impossible once Henry has found you.
Besides classic parkour courses, there is also the Frankie Parkour PalaceA cross between an indoor trampoline park and a nightmare house, concealing dark tunnels and narrow ventilation shafts. Another highlight is the water park with its giant water slides, which – surprisingly – turns out to be one of the more relaxed zones and can be explored in peace and quiet. Who hasn't dreamed of having such a place all to themselves?
Fairness? Only for the audience.
A word about fairness: Forget about them.
Finding Frankie It's not just tough, but in parts mercilessly unfair. 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 it's just bad luck when you're running out of time and unintentionally get stuck in a tricky spot. Anyone who likes to complete perfect runs will find themselves pushed to their limits here.
My first playthrough took about two and a half hours, and that was just the beginning. The real challenge starts when you try to master the game and climb the leaderboard. By my second playthrough, I only needed a third of the time. Sometimes, though, I wished the levels offered more interactivity and that objects like slot machines weren't just decorative. All in all, however, the game offers varied and fascinating environments, as long as one of the crazy animatronics isn't hot on your heels.
Somewhere between retro charm and a creepy art project
Visually, Finding Frankie It boasts a vibrant yet eerie funhouse aesthetic. Bright colors, but with a subtle touch of horror – exactly what a wacky game show scenario needs. The characters are a mix of cuddly mascots and absolute nightmare figures, with parallels to... Five Nights at Freddy's are impossible to miss.
The soundtrack is just as wicked as the gameplay: cheerful elevator music punctuated by abrupt horror sounds and eerie voices, or driving metal beats that send your adrenaline soaring. Perfect for keeping your nerves on edge. Visuals and sound design work seamlessly together, perfectly complementing this crazy game show.
