Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimiccomes out later in 2025 and will continue the Steel Wool Studios era ofFNAFgames with its villain, the Mimic. WhileSecurity Breachand its DLC,Ruin, attempted to establish the Mimic as a threat, its lack of presence throughout the games and its lack of motivation have made it a lackluster villain. To replace William Afton as the series antagonist,Secret of the Mimicneeds to let players connect with the Mimic and learn why it is so truly horrifying.
After a murky introduction inSecurity Breach, in which the Mimic takes the form of Burntrap, confusing players into thinking it was Afton back once again,the Mimic has floundered as a series antagonist. Creating a new villain after one as iconic as Springtrap is difficult, but ifSecret of the Mimicis able to establish the Mimic’s personality and cement it as an ongoing threat, then the next era ofFNAFwill be better than ever.
Moving On From Afton Has Proven Difficult
He Always Comes Back, Which Might Be A Problem
William Afton has been the main series villain forFive Nights at Freddy’sever since the very first game, even if fans at the time didn’t know it. After his full establishment as anin-game villain inFNAF 3,Afton has remained the true antagonist of the series through subsequent games, books, and the live action movie. This continued presence is a testament to Afton’s appeal as a villain, with his endless cruelty and his horrifying appearance as Springtrap.
Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret Of The Mimic Reveals Release Date Alongside New Animatronic Horrors
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic has revealed an all-new cast of animatronics, alongside a release date. Here’s what to know.
ForFive Nights at Freddy’sto move on from Afton,the next game needs to present a clear motivation and personality for its next villain. While Afton’s goals were murky from time to time, his status as a murderer gave audiences a motive and a reason to hate him. For the Mimic, his motivations and goals are unclear. If players don’t know what the Mimic wants, then they don’t know why they should be scared of it.
InRuin, the Mimic wanted to escape the lower levels of the Pizzaplex, butplayers had no clear reason for wanting to prevent thatbeyond the Mimic tricking them and looking scary. While that made for a great villain for DLC, it’s not enough to carry the series forward as the next big bad.
The main issue with establishing the Mimic in the Steel Wool era ofFNAFgames is that its first appearance took the form of Springtrap, otherwise known as Burntrap, which only served to confuse players. Instead of being introduced to a brand-new villain,we were shown a character that looks and acts just like Springtrap, making it unclear whether Afton had somehow come back (which he always does). The nextFNAFgame needs to make it clear what the Mimic is and why we should be afraid.
Secret Of The Mimic Needs To Spend Time On The Mimic
Building A Major Antagonist Requires More Screentime
Themost important thingSecret of the Mimicneeds to do is make the Mimic a real threat. While the Mimic did appear inSecurity Breach: Ruinas the main antagonist, tricking the player deeper into the decrepit Pizzaplex in an attempt to gain freedom, it only appeared as an end-game monster. When compared to other villains ofFNAFgames, which hunt you throughout the entire game, the Mimic has had extremely minimal screen time.
Ideally,Secret of the Mimicwould have the actualMimic appear throughout the gameto chase the player and establish itself as a real threat, much like Springtrap did inFNAF 3. Based on theabundance of new costumesand animatronics seen in the trailer for the game,it does seem likely that the Mimic will make frequent appearances,scaring players as they explore the abandoned facility.
FNAF Needs To Establish A Clear Personality For Its Villain
Book Lore Doesn’t Always Translate To Game Canon
Five Nights at Freddy’sis trying to move on from William Afton as its go-to villain, which is a smart move given the same antagonist for years can get stale, butthe series needs to better establish the next villain if it wants to continuethe success of the past decade. William Afton is a magnetic monster; his motivations are cruel and almost inhuman. But the important part is that he is human, or at least was human at some point. The Mimic is an ill-defined AI that game audiences haven’t been able to understand yet.
FNAFgames have always been shifty on confirming lore, but ideally,Secret of the Mimicwill give players a solid backstory for the Mimic.
What the Mimic needs is a clear personality and motivation inSecret of the Mimic. TheFNAFbooks have presented an intriguing backstory for it, but that needs to be translated to the gamesfor the Mimic to stick as a compelling villain. In the books, the Mimic was made by Edwin Murray to be a friend to his son David. While with David, the Mimic learned his habits and playful behavior. When David suddenly died in a car accident, Murray attacked the Mimic in his grief, which explains where the Mimic picked up violent behavior. Beyond that, there’s no explanation as to what the Mimic wants and what it plans to do.
The best thing forSecret of the Mimicto do is clearly establish this backstory in-game, which seems likely since it takes place in Murray’s Costume Manor.FNAFgames have always been shifty on confirming lore, but ideally,Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimicwill give players a solid backstory for the Mimic and a real reason players should fear it, so that it can carry the series forward as a main antagonist.
