Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF 1) – Overview:

Five Nights at Freddy’s (often called FNaF 1) is a landmark survival horror point-and-click game created by indie developer Scott Cawthon. Initially released in August 2014 (Desura Aug 8, Steam Aug 18) , it’s the game that sparked a multi-billion-dollar franchise.

Gameplay Mechanics:

• You play as Mike Schmidt, a night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, working 12 AM–6 AM each night (about 9 minutes real time on PC; ~4.5 min on mobile).

• From your office, monitor security camera feeds to track Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.

• You have limited power that depletes when viewing cameras, using lights, or closing doors. Letting it run out disables all protection and often results in a jumpscare by Freddy.

• Survive five nights of increasing difficulty; completing Night 5 unlocks a sixth “extra” night.

Horror & Lore:

• FNaF 1 blends suspenseful gameplay with chilling, minimalistic jump scares. Its tension comes from power management, audio cues, and limited camera vision.

• Lore hints—via the phone guy’s voice messages and eerie camera feed anomalies—introduce the Missing Children Incident, with animatronics possessed by vengeful spirits.

• A mysterious entity, Golden Freddy, appears under rare conditions, deepening the mythos.

Final Verdict:

FNaF 1 stands out for its simple yet deeply tense gameplay, its lore-rich world hinting at deep mysteries, and its ability to terrify with minimal resources. It shaped the modern horror genre and grew into an expansive multimedia franchise.