Five Nights at Freddy's is a game that needs little introduction. It perfectly captured the horror zeitgeist of the mid-2010s, leveraging the nostalgic horror subgenre long before the likes of the backrooms entered mainstream online culture. The simplicity of its premise, which helped it enjoy incredible popularity via the streaming community, made Five Nights at Freddy's endlessly emulated—and this is still the case today.
One of the more eye-catching Five Nights at Freddy's imitators is Hellmart, a horror-simulation game slated for a release this year. In Hellmart, players fill the role of a new supermarket employee, who is about to learn that their burgeoning career in the retail industry is about to get turned upside down. As it turns out, the name of the titular retailer is unfortunately poignant: once the sun sets, a form of Hell seems to descend upon the Hellmart market, as the kind-faced, docile customers of the day get replaced by unsettling fiends, whose bizarre behavior runs the gamut from uncanny and uncomfortable to violent and incomprehensible. Hellmart's quasi-simulation gameplay and horrifying spin on the mundane promise to make it appealing to FNAF fans; hopefully, the game offers enough to make it as impactful as its clear inspiration.
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Hellmart Looks Like a Natural Fit for Five Nights at Freddy's Players
Like FNAF, Hellmart Makes the Familiar Horrifying
One of the most effective aspects of Five Nights at Freddy's, especially within the context of the nascent nostalgia-based, analog horror of its time, is how it plays with everyday concepts to provoke a sense of discomfort. The game's focus on Chuck E. Cheese-esque animatronics as horror villains succeeds by digging into audience psychology: many players can relate to the sense of uncomfortable terror evoked by these uncanny valley robots, so recontextualizing this childlike fear inside an explicitly dangerous story makes FNAF that much more effective.
Hellmart appears to be doing something similar. Rather than pitting players against hordes of zombies or demonic spirits, Hellmart focuses on more pedestrian fears of "stranger danger," juxtaposing the familiar and boring setting of a supermarket with powerful threats of violence. In this sense, Hellmart leverages the uncanny valley aspects of liminal spaces, much like how Five Nights at Freddy's cashed in on the nostalgic horror that was becoming so popular during its time. This creative approach is reflected in Hellmart's gameplay as well: players have to tend to the store as usual during the day, and survive against the forces of evil at night, which could make its scares more poignant: it's easier to relate to an everyday grocery store manager than a special ops soldier like Chris Redfield, after all.
How Hellmart Separates Itself from Five Nights at Freddy's Could Make All the Difference
Considering the breakout success of the first Five Nights at Freddy's, it shouldn't come as a surprise that countless developers have attempted to chase the same level of popularity and profit. This has resulted in clear homages that make their own mark, like Poppy Playtime, but also in a number of fairly unoriginal clones and spin-offs. Hopefully, Hellmart falls into the former category.
While there's not too much information available about Hellmart at the time of writing, its description on Steam suggests that it has ambitions of being more than just a Five Nights at Freddy's copycat. For one thing, the supermarket simulation elements promise to add a fresh dimension to the survival gameplay of FNAF-likes, with Hellmart developer GAZE IN GAMES describing it as a "blend of supermarket simulator and horror." GAZE IN GAMES has referenced other promising features as well, such as a choice-based narrative and reactive NPC and encounter systems, that could help Hellmart further distinguish itself from its competitors.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- August 8, 2014
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Scott Cawthon
- Publisher(s)
- Scott Cawthon, Clickteam LLC USA
- Engine
- multimedia fusion
- Franchise
- Five Nights at Freddy's
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to your new summer job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where kids and parents alike come for entertainment and food as far as the eye can see! The main attraction is Freddy Fazbear, of course and his two friends. They are animatronic robots, programmed to please the crowds! The robots' behavior has become somewhat unpredictable at night however, and it was much cheaper to hire you as a security guard than to find a repairman.
From your small office you must watch the security cameras carefully. You have a very limited amount of electricity that you're allowed to use per night (corporate budget cuts, you know). That means when you run out of power for the night- no more security doors and no more lights! If something isn't right- namely if Freddy bear or his friends aren't in their proper places, you must find them on the monitors and protect yourself if needed!
Can you survive five nights at Freddy's?
