Despite being the newest release in the franchise,Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimicfeels less like a classicFNAFgame and more like another indie game it helped inspire,Poppy Playtime. Though the firstFive Nights at Freddy’srelied on a nightly gameplay loop, jumpscares, and teased details of a story, the franchise has expanded in the decade since with new styles and genres, like VR, RPG, and free-roam. However, while this has helped keepFNAFfeeling fresh at the potential cost of losing its identity,Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimicmight have finally paid that price.
Thanks to early gaming content creators, such as Markiplier, CoryxKenshin, and MatPat,FNAF’s surge in popularity arguably led to a revolution of indie horror games based on children’s entertainment, products, and more, much likeFNAF’s source of inspiration, Chuck E. Cheese. But while players continue to debate whether it’s fair or accurate to claim these like-minded games copiedFNAF, it seems thatFNAF: Secret of the Mimichas fallen into thte same trap, As a far cry fromFNAF’s hour-by-hour, night-by-night gameplay fending off animatronics,FNAF: Secret of the Mimicseems closer toPoppy Playtime, one of its “clones,” instead of the games in its own franchise.
FNAF: Secret of the Mimic Plays Less Like FNAF and More Like Poppy Playtime
What initially started as Scott Cawthon’s response toChipper & Sons Lumber Co.’s negative feedback, one solo developer’s experiment in horror gaming has grown into the collaborativeFNAFfranchise spanning multiple genresand mediums, including spin-off games, novels, and live-action films. However, after Cawthon scaled back his involvement withFNAFfollowing backlash over political donations he had made, development of future games seems to have fallen to Steel Wood Studio. But with each new game from the studio, likeFNAF: Help Wanted, its sequel,FNAF: Security Breach, and nowFNAF: Secret of the Mimic, its gameplay and storytelling have become increasingly removed from the series' heyday.
WhileFNAF: Secret of the Mimicis not a directsequel toFNAF: Security Breachor itsRuinDLC, it could be considered its successor as they share the same free-roam, stealth, and puzzle-solving gameplay - and most importantly, the titular Mimic antagonist. But whileFNAF: Secret of the Mimicbreaks from the sameFNAFtraditions as its predecessor, it may have done so in ways that bear a striking resemblance toPoppy Playtime. Between the setting, gameplay, and even some story beats, it seems likeFNAF: Secret of the Mimicpotentially took more inspiration fromPoppy Playtimethan it did from theFNAFseries at large.
FNAF: Secret of the Mimic’s Similarities to Poppy Playtime are Hard to Ignore
Unlike mostFNAFgames set in or associated with a Fazbear Entertainment location,Poppy Playtimetakes place in a factory that experiments on and transforms children into monstrous “toys.” While it could have been argued thatPoppy PlaytimecopiedFNAF’s lore about slain children possessing animatronics, it might not be as egregious asFNAF: Secret of the Mimic’s setting and its ties toFNAF’s origins: a factory that researches, manufactures, and sells monstrous animatronics. It even features near-identical gameplay sequences, such as the player crashing through the factory’s lower levels or being pursued through its vents and shafts.
Beyond these settings and despiteFNAF’s creative potential for new animatronics,FNAF: Secret of the Mimicappears to take inspiration fromPoppy Playtime’s monsters instead. For instance, while the Jackie animatronic share the same stretchable limbs asPoppy Playtime’s Mommy Long Legs, the similarities become more obvious asFNAF: Secret of the Mimic’s scripted chases with Jackie, right down to its arms extending ahead of players as they make their escape. Moreover, though the Mimic itself debuted first inFNAF: Security Breach,its characterization, motivations, and even deceit when pretending to be an ally, like Ollie or Fazbear Dispatch, closely parallelPoppy Playtime’s Prototype.
