One Night at Flumpty’s
Developed and published by Jonochrome
Available on PC, Mac
Scared of eggs? You will be. Seriously. Five Night’s at Freddy’s has seen many reincarnations, but none have captured the creep factor in the way that One Night at Flumpty’s does. Flumpty’s is a parody of Freddy’s that condenses five wild nights into one terrifying shift.
Flumpty is a giant smiling egg that doesn’t play by the rules, and isn’t afraid to tell you so himself. He is friends with Birthday Blam Boy, a stylish little guy with a rectangular head. Rounding out Flumpty’s gang is the Beaver, who enjoys catching up on the latest news while on the john, Redman, who ominously causes cameras to malfunction, Grunkfuss the Clown, who really puts you to the test at the end of the night, and Golden Flumpty, who you will hopefully never see. Oh wait…
What sets Flumpty apart from the numerous Freddy parodies online, aside from the fact that Flumpty’s takes an extremely non-threatening egg, and makes it absolutely horrifying, is the move to beautifully seamless 2D animation. In Freddy’s it was hard to see what was happening in any given room. Lights were dim, shadows were long, and imaginations ran wild. Flumpty’s is the complete opposite, and yet still manages to creep players out.
While Freddy’s took on the appearance of a family friendly restaurant gone awry after hours, Flumpty’s does not hide the fact that it is a gruesome establishment where people have perished. Torn wallpaper, holes in the floor, black goop oozing from the ceiling, and eerie tentacles piercing the walls all have one thing to say. Run.
The security office, and the players safe haven, fairs no better. Familiar childhood artifacts litter the office. For example, Dr. Mario’s decapitated head sits next to half of Winnie the Pooh (it is unclear where the other half went, though I do have a few ideas). On the wall are posters of Donkey Kong and his brood, Ronald McDonald, Dog, and a map. There is also an unsettling hole in the wall that comes into play at the very end of the night.
Perhaps the only room that seems safe is the room where Flumpty and Birthday Blam Boy initially begin the night. The room is designed to make you feel as though you are on another planet gazing out into the serene night sky. Which of course makes it all the more off-putting when you are flipping through cameras. It’s Flumpty’s way of getting into your head and saying “No need to be afraid. Look at how cozy this room is.” Two seconds later something will be lurking in the doorway with an unnerving smile plastered to their face.
Flumpty’s has a knack for messing with players. Not only does the game purposely withhold what the rules of the game are, Flumpty’s also refuses to tell players what each character is capable of. Until players have died a few times, there is no way of knowing how to keep tabs on Redman or what to do when Grunkfuss the Clown starts crawling into the office.
Even the newspapers have something to say. One of the headlines players come across reads “Flumpty kidnaps person because he felt like it.” Another says “You should be watching the cameras.”
One Night at Flumpty’s is every bit as scary as the Five Night’s at Freddy’s series, and is just as difficult to complete. A big jolly egg wandering the halls might not sound all that scary when compared to a haunted animatronic, but believe me, Flumpty Bumpty is no yolk (I had to!).
Kudos to Jonochrome and his pals for making a top notch game. And if one night of terror isn’t enough One Night at Flumpty’s 2 is also available for your jump scare pleasure.