Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach Review: Jump Scares Galore, but is it Worth it?

Popular horror series Five Night’s at Freddy’s returned with Security Breach’s launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 16, 2021. Though the game had been released on PC earlier, the PlayStation 5 version saw upgrades in graphics and presentation from the earlier release.

Using the Unreal Engine 4 and developed by Steel Wool Studios – published by ScottGames – Security Breach had a night release of 9 Eastern Time in the United States, most likely to increase the scare factor by playing at night. It cost £34.99, $39.99, and €39.99 for PlayStation at launch.

This review will aim to avoid direct spoilers, but inevitably, some game and story details will need to be alluded to or revealed.

Our take on Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Security Breach took a different approach from the previous main installments of the series. It did not take place over five nights, but one night spanning from 11:30 to 6 – though your choice at the end determines whether there is more to play.

The main character, a young child named Gregory, is trapped within a large shopping mall and must make it until the doors open in the morning. The mall also serves as the largest setting for a Five Nights game. There are not only multiple floors of the main mall, but you will also find yourself beneath the mall at times.

For fans of horror and survival games like this, or those of the series, it’s sure to hit all those spots – though it is decidedly less violent than others in the genre. The animatronics are just creepy enough in their appearance, and the jump scares do make you jump nearly every time. The music is fitting, and the voice acting was done well.

The macro storyline of children disappearing and all of the issues with the mall and Freddy Fazbear and his pals – revealed through various collectible messages throughout the game – is also fascinating. The security guard, Vanessa, reveals that there’s no history of Gregory being a customer, so how did he end up in the mall?

The only real negative in terms of gameplay will come in the form of personal frustration, usually from a lack of patience. The cameras are critical to your success, and sprinting everywhere is more likely to lead to capture than success.

However, the main issue with the game – the PlayStation 5 version was played – was its repeated and constant crashes. In one boss battle against one of Fazbear’s band members, the game froze and crashed nine consecutive times before turning it off and waiting until later, only retrying after an update was released.

A nearly seven gigabyte update file dropped with the release of the game. On December 18, a second update file was released, and while that boss battle went smoothly with no crashes after the second update, it inevitably crashed again close to the game’s ending sequences.

A second, smaller issue is the game involves a lot of backtracking, sometimes that makes little sense except to extend missions. Why would the repair for a driver assist bot be located all the way at the Fazcade rather than directly in Roxy Raceway, where the bots are located?

For a game that’s already frustrating, the repeated crashes and sometimes tedious backtracking just added to the feeling.

Fun rating: 4 out of 10 (and that’s OK!)

Going by the traditional definition of “fun,” this isn’t exactly a fun game, nor was it made to be fun in that sense. Horror and survival games are meant to test your limits, anxieties, and more rather than let you sit back and relax.

However, even with that, there are fun aspects to the game, especially if strategy is your forte. Sometimes, the adrenaline rush of escaping Glamrock Chica, Montgomery Gator, and Roxanne Wolf keeps it exciting and yes, sometimes immensely agitating. Yet, because of its mission, the game isn’t about “fun,” and that’s fine. It still meets the goals and missions of the game without being traditionally fun.

If you want something to just escape and not think, then this isn’t the game for you!

Is Security Breach better than previous FNAF games?

The previous main installment of the series was a virtual reality game, Help Wanted, making it difficult to directly compare the immersive experience against the traditional gaming experience. It is also difficult to compare to the other Five Nights games because Security Breach is such a departure from those games as it takes place over one night with a more expansive story.

Looking at the game as whole, because it is more expansive with such a large setting and that overarching storyline, it can be easily argued that it’s “better.” Less pointing and clicking and more involved gameplay – outside of VR – makes it feel like a more engaging game.

How are the graphics compared to previous games and the PC release of Security Breach?

Using the power of the PlayStation 5, the graphics have a crispness to them that the PC version lacked and earlier versions of the game purposefully lacked. The graphics aren’t meant to be realistic, however, and are cartoonish in their presentation.

While the animatronics look like those you might see at Chuck E. Cheese locations, that’s because they’ve always been built cartoonishly to appeal to children. However, even the appearances of Gregory and Vanessa fit this mold with their large eyes and heads.

A good comparison would be that the FNAF characters look like they would have fit in with the old Jimmy Neutron series.

Security Breach gameplay

Security Breach is a first-person horror survival game where you are in control of Gregory and sometimes, Freddy Fazbear. You can sneak and sprint around, using hiding spaces to evade your pursuers – sometimes. The first-person nature is a holdover in the series, but Gregory gets to do a little more than others in previous games. Fazbear being a companion and not a foe is also different.

Many security bots roam the mall, and if you make it into their path or flashlight, a jump scare will hit and an alert will go out. Should one of Chica, Gator, or Wolf be in the area, they will chase you down and you have to escape them. If you don’t, it’s game over and you restart at your most recent save.

You can enter Fazbear to evade your pursuers as well, but he has a short charge on his battery. You will have to enter a charge pod, which are scattered throughout the mall. If you are in Fazbear when his battery hits zero, it’s game over as he turns on you!

You will also find various collectibles throughout the game, as well as the ability to cause distractions – like breaking plates – to draw the three main foes to the location, which can help you escape. You will also get a chance to add one of the Faz Camer or Fazer Blaster to aid in your survival.

Security Breach is solely a single player game, so you will have to make it to the morning without the aid of your friends, whether locally or online.

How long to beat FNAF: Security Breach?

If you just want to play straight through the story, only collecting the items necessary to advance the story, then it could take between four and six hours, dependent on how many times you need to restart.

If you’re playing a completionist run, then you will need at least two separate files as you can only obtain one of the Faz Camera or the Fazer Blaster and the subsequent items and trophies associated with these missions. There are trophies for collecting all duffle bag messages and gift boxes. Adding a certain character’s eyes to Fazbear will help you see these items through walls in a fuchsia color. This could add another two hours to your gameplay.

If you’re truly wanting a challenge – or maybe slightly masochistic – there is a trophy for playing the game while never using a hiding spot. This is one way to truly test your skills and ability to remain calm as you will undoubtedly need to restart many times. This may add a few more hours to your gameplay.

A conservative estimate, then, would be that the game will take anywhere between four and ten hours to finish. Good luck!

Is FNAF: Security Breach multiplayer?

Security Breach does not have a multiplayer mode. It is purely single player. However, it would be interesting to see if some kind of online battling system were created where players chose between the various animatronics, even those that don’t play a significant role in this game yet have a presence in the series.

Are there microtransactions and loot boxes in FNAF: Security Breach?

Security Breach does not have any microtransactions or loot boxes, aside from the in-game gift boxes and duffle bags containing messages.

What is the file size for Security Breach?

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach is given a size on the PlayStation 5 of 25.63 gigabytes. However, it is listed on the PlayStation Store as needing a minimum of 32.03 gigabytes to install the file. This includes the update files within the first two days of launch.

The game is a moderate size considering games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales is nearly 55 gigabytes and Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition is over 65 gigabytes.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach: Is it worth it?

The short answer: yes. At £34.99, $39.99, and €39.99, it gives you more excitement (even if anxious) than other games at a similar price.

The longer answer is that it’s a game that accomplishes its goals. It maintains that line of Five Nights horror while adding the twist of taking a place over a single night with a much more expansive and involved story. The macro story also seems like it’s ripe for a sequel, even if a few of the endings might hint that this is a standalone.

It has some replayability built in, mostly to obtain all collectibles and pop all trophies, though this can be achieved with multiple saves instead of a replay. There are also five endings dependent upon your actions throughout the game and crucially, toward the end.

Overall, frustrations over personal impatience and the repeated crashes aside, FNAF: Security Breach is a game that should help fill your horror gaming needs without any of the violence, blood, gore, and dementedness of many games in the genre. It is also a great way to introduce young gamers to the genre if they haven’t already played Five Nights as it’s tame even in its eccentricities. It is worth both your money and your time.