Finding Frankie

It seems that horror games have been on an unstoppable upswing for a few years now. Thanks to technological improvements, it is not surprising to see that these types of titles are becoming more and more common: better audio, better graphics, greater immersion, and developers with interesting ideas to explore. But not all that glitters is gold. We observe a pattern that is repeated excessively in the horror projects of this new generation, which largely kills the originality that characterised this genre, both in novels and films and, now, in video games. At the end of the review there is a small personal reflection on the current panorama but, in my humble opinion, we are on the wrong track. With nothing more to add, let's talk about Finding Frankie, the first title developed by Superlou.

After its release at the end of 2024 for PC via Steam, the game received good reviews from the platform's users. But what is the title about? Well, it puts us in the shoes of a protagonist who gets one of three exclusive invitations that came with Frankie's sponsored cereal. These lead him to a contest where he must compete with two other contestants in what, at first, looks like a parkour show. However, everything takes a 180-degree turn. It's still a parkour contest, but with enemies like Frankie, Henry Hotline, and others hunting you down. In addition, there is also a mystery to solve, which you will only discover when you reach the end of the game.

This whole story will resonate in your head as something we've seen many, many times before, and you're probably shouting at the screen: "That's from Squid Game!" And you're absolutely right. The premise has been one of the most used in recent years to make thrillers. Koushun Takami, creator of Battle Royale, probably didn't expect the amount of inspiration his work would bring to 21st century creators. Also, the aesthetics are similar to Hwang Dong-hyuk's series, but with a more abandoned setting, closer to Poppy Playtime. It has that playground feel, but as if the kids are killing each other. It still generates a lot of grim feelings among players, but it's being pushed to its limits, and its sell-by date will come when the public gets tired of it.

Moving on to the gameplay, the studio stresses that the main focus of the title is parkour through different areas, allowing you to run, slide, jump from wall-to-wall or with a trampoline, among other features. The big problem is its lack of polish. The sliding is very uncontrollable: one touch of the trigger and you're off. When you're in the air, you can press to sprint and the character does indeed sprint, which makes the controls strange. In the moments when you have to run away from enemies, you feel a constant fear because you don't know if you'll have to jump or slide... causing your decision making to falter. The keyboard and mouse control may be different and more manageable, but with the DualSense it was a bit of a struggle.

Moving onto a key part of the horror genre: the sound effects and music. The first thing I'd like to point out is that, when playing with a fairly good headset, the music in the start menu is a bit shrill, causing some people a headache due to the high-pitched tones it uses. When you start the game, you already notice an aural improvement, but I wanted to emphasise that initial moment. Once inside the game, the music is limited to certain key moments, with the aim of reinforcing that feeling of emptiness typical of the genre. The silence is perfect to set the mood of the place you are in. A playground in complete silence feels eerie, emphasising that sense of dread. However, as far as the sound effects are concerned, I think there is a certain abuse of volume in the situations where you are being chased or when a jump scare appears. I understand the intention, but with a better regulated audio it would have worked much better.

As for some details that I found strange, there is an animation that is quite out of place for a horror game. We all remember how Walker trapped us in Outlast, ripping our heads off, or the brutal death animations in the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, with Tyrant and Nemesis, respectively. In this title, when Frankie catches you, he sometimes starts a short cinematic sequence where he gives you a flying kick. It looks more like Street Fighter than a horror game, really. I'd also like to highlight the optimisation of the title. Despite having been released a few months ago and having had time to improve performance on consoles, when playing it on an original PlayStation 5, it feels like you're playing on an oven. And it's not such a technically demanding game for the console to get to that point.

As for the length of the title, it's usually between two and three hours, depending on how many times you have to replay a section or how much exploration you want to do. It is not a particularly replayable game, as it has a fairly linear and uncomplicated story. The content is not enough for many games, unless you liked it a lot and want to challenge yourself in speedrun mode or without dying. Due to its length and features, the price on consoles seems a bit high, especially considering that on Steam you can find it much cheaper even without a discount.

By way of conclusion, and from a more personal approach, I think we should all reflect on the situation of this type of video game. We see too many similarities between them, and that is understandable; it has always happened in all artistic disciplines. But with animatronic or semi-humanoid doll games, since the release of FNAF, we have seen how they have become a kind of golden goose: a resource to cling on to when you want to develop a horror project. And I think we have lost a bit of the essence of the genre that characterised great titles, be they video games or other audio-visual products. Silent Hill, Amnesia, among others that may come to mind, played with the psychological component, seeking to unsettle the player beyond the simple scare. Today, on the other hand, a few jumpscares are enough. Finding Frankie is a victim of this current moment. Surely the studio has good ideas for future projects, and it's always better to hope that the next title will surpass it. But we need a paradigm shift for the horror mainstream to make another 180-degree turn.