Review
On the surface, it might seem like the only similarity between the asymmetrical multiplayer game Dead by Daylight and single-player jump scare simulator Five Nights at Freddy’s is that they both occupy the horror genre, but that’s not quite the case. As a matter of fact, the games bear enough shared characteristics that Dead by Daylight and Five Nights at Freddy’s have teamed up to bring FNaF‘s iconic Springtrap villain into the former as its latest Killer, complete with a faithful recreation of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria as the backdrop.
Game Rant recently sat down with members of Behaviour Interactive, including Killer designer Jason Guzzo, to discuss this groundbreaking horror fusion coming to Dead by Daylight. When asked about any perceived similarities between the games, Guzzo had plenty of thoughts to share. In his mind, both titles take a similar path toward offering players unique, thrilling experiences every time they play. Guzzo also weighed in on the challenges of transposing FNaF‘s brand of jump scare horror into Dead by Daylight’s gameplay loop.
Dead By Daylight and FNaF Tell Unique Stories Through Gameplay
Guzzo believes that their ability to generate novel experiences with every session is what resonates with both games’ respective fan bases, though both games have a slightly different way of achieving this. FNaF‘s method is through randomization, ensuring that no two playthroughs are the same. It keeps things unpredictable, which is essential for maintaining tension in a horror game. Guzzo says:
«I think what resonates is that, despite being games with linear elements—you always have a starting point and an endpoint—both Dead by Daylight and Five Nights at Freddy’s give you unique experiences. My favorite thing as a game designer is giving players tools to tell their own stories. I’m not interested in just telling a linear story. If that’s what you want to do, you make movies. My joy is in giving players those tools to create their own moments.
Both FNaF and DBD do this in different ways. FNaF has a lot of randomized moments, which let players have those “Oh my god, I barely made it!” experiences. It’s the kind of thing you talk to your friends about, maybe while you’re streaming on Discord or Twitch. And it’s not just you—it’s everyone watching with you. It’s this communal experience where everyone gets to share in that moment.»
On the other hand, Dead by Daylight‘s element of unpredictability stems from its players. With a wide range of Killers like Chucky and Pyramid Head, countless perk combinations among the Survivors, and the unpredictable nature of human behavior, every match in Dead by Daylight is a small emergent storytelling moment, one that players are eager to share with friends or through their Twitch streams.
Springtrap Is Bringing FNaF's Jump Scares to Dead by Daylight
Behaviour Interactive has been tight-lipped about how exactly Springtrap and the new map will play out mechanically, but Guzzo was able to offer some insights into how things may shake up. Recognizing that jump scares are core to the FNaF experience, he ensured that Springtrap would offer those same experiences in Dead by Daylight:
«It was certainly a unique challenge. I’m more of a top-down designer—I try to figure out the aesthetic experience I want people to feel, and then I build the gameplay mechanics around that. So that was the first thing: Five Nights at Freddy’s is about jump scares. That’s what you play for. There’s other stuff—like management elements—but really, it’s about those big “oh sh**!” moments.
The challenge was figuring out how to translate that to Dead by Daylight. I guess I can tell you that yes, there are jump scares. It’s part of the gameplay. That’s all I can say for now.»
Along with this collaboration with FNaF, Dead by Daylight has quite a few interesting plans in store. A «choose your own chapter» event will see the player community making every decision about the chapter’s Killer and Survivor; meanwhile, Dead by Daylight also has plans to showcase a real-world folklore monster as a future Killer. For fans of horror films and games, it sounds like a good time to visit this veritable museum of horror icons.
