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Secret of the Mimic, the latest entry in the ever-evolving Five Nights at Freddy’s universe, trades in neon-lit mall corridors for something far darker, deeper, and more personal. Built within the RUIN DLC framework, this standalone title centers on the infamous Mimic animatronic and Fazbear Entertainment’s efforts to weaponize the AI beneath the mask. While the game manages to reclaim some of the franchise’s core horror essence, it doesn’t escape its own mechanical missteps and lore dissonance.

At its heart, Secret of the Mimic is a first-person stealth horror game. You navigate the decrepit halls of Murray’s Costume Manor as Arnold, a employee of Fazbear Entertainment, a new and impressively detailed location filled with tight corridors, multi-path routes, and persistent threat. Gone are the camera screens and power management—this is a game about hiding, creeping, and surviving.

The stealth systems is poorly made, the AI is inconsistent: some encounters feel very scripted and thrilling, while others rely too heavily on luck. Enemy detection can be unpredictable, and scripted chase sequences, though initially gripping, occasionally dying abruptly without clear cause.

Control-wise, the game runs better than past entries (notably Security Breach), with much-improved optimization and performance. Still, clunky mouse sensitivity and awkward camera movement make precise control a chore during critical moments.

Longtime fans will find plenty of breadcrumbs to chew on. The game dives deep into the origins of the Mimic and Edwin Murray, using hidden documents and audio tapes to tie its story into the greater FNaF mythos. There are moments of effective mystery—exploring abandoned workplaces, finding corrupted AI logs—but the narrative structure struggles to provide a satisfying emotional payoff.
Genrally, if uou are a person who enjoy the act of uncovering story rather than being told one outright, there’s some rewarding sense of discovery here.

I, atleast, have taken issue with the timeline implications. The Mimic’s apparent presence in the 1970s, long before other familiar animatronics, creates inconsistencies that have left me lore-purist disappointed. Afton’s story, heavily altered or ignored, feels increasingly sidelined, and not everyone might be on board with the new direction.

Secret of the Mimic is a succes, but only in few visuals. The environments are detailed and atmospheric, bathed in deep shadows, flickering lights, and grime-laced textures. The manor is designed with care, evoking a creeping dread that makes every hallway feel dangerous especially when you know that there might be a Mimic in one of the suits that sit patiently all around you.
The Mimic itself is kind of terrifying—its movements are unsettling, and the sound design supporting it (heavy footsteps, mechanical whirrs, static-laced whispers) elevates the tension.

While Secret of the Mimic succeeds in many areas, its flaws hold it back from greatness:

Some narrative choices might alienate long-time fans that know FNaF's story since begining.
The game sadly is capped to 60 fps and in some moments causes slight bugs during chases that break immersion.
FNaF:SotM has annoying repetition when it comes to collectibles, manual tasks and stealth situations that break tension and immersion of the game.

Even if not seen at first sight, graphics may leave people, who love graphical details, very dissapointed by some blurred texts that are smaller or other pixelated materials.
Sound, sound transition exactly, is very badly made especially when going through vents or when facing a door right next to you.
Stealth is like a spaghetti mashed with random veggies and different kind of meatballs without really thinking it through. Some important points of making a steakth are missing.
Just like in Security Breach, it has sensivity issues and awkward movement hamper immersion.

I was greatly dissapointed by how little I could see Jackie throught the whole game, I know the main villain was supposed to be The Mimic, but I really hoped to see a unique character that me, and most likely others too, have loved by the first sight to see more than only ONE time during the big chase.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic is a suprisingly atmospherically rich horror experience that brings FNaF a bit closer to its tense, claustrophobic roots. Its stealth gameplay and environmental storytelling offer thrills—but technical hitches, control quirks, and questionable lore decisions prevent it from reaching its full potential.

For fans willing to embrace a new direction—and overlook a few stumbles—Secret of the Mimic is a dark delight, like a small cake made by your granny on your 12th birthday. But if you're here for tight lore cohesion or classic FNaF mechanics, you might come away feeling... MIMICked, not moved even by jumpscares.

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Gameplay: 4,5/10
Narrative: 7/10
Visuals: 7,5/10
Replayability: 4/10
Overall: 6,5/10