The Return to Bloody Nights is an indie point-and-click fangame developed by Twisted Mind Studios, inspired by Scott Cawthon's Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. It is a fangame designed to mimic Scott Cawthon's style, utilizing the scary atmosphere and iconic characters from his games and attempts to create a reimagining dedicated to explaining the history of Fredbear's Family Diner before its eventual downfall.
The game serves as a remake to one of Kazovsky's first projects: Bloody Nights at Freddy's. The initial release was published in 2018, however four years later, the game would be cancelled and a director's cut would be released. Despite cancelling the project, that same year, it was announced that The Return to Bloody Nights was planned. In October, a demo had released, however it received another visual remaster before it was eventually released on March 26, 2023.
The plot of The Return to Bloody Nights follows Scott Cawthon, the protagonist of the game. He takes a job at Fredbear's Family Diner just before Fazbear Entertainment gets involved in a series of scandals. Throughout the game, Scott searches for paranormal activity within the animatronics. Meanwhile, the founders of Fazbear Entertainment, William Afton and Henry Emily, converse about their upcoming projects relating to their restaurants.
Since the release of The Return to Bloody Nights, all updates and new content were cancelled in favor of implementing them inside The Return to Bloody Nights VR, a collaboration between Kazovsky and Ryptide Games. The game plans to refine and improve the base game while introducing new content which hints towards the story of the game.[1]
As of June 2024, it was revealed that despite earlier statements suggesting that support for the game had been discontinued, the base game is instead being re-coded from the ground up. However, there are no plans to implement new content. Initially, the team had decided to cancel "The Last Update", which was intended to bring more minigames, secrets, rewritten dialogue, tweaks to gameplay and audio, and various post-game content that could be unlocked.[2]
The game was also set to have a sequel inspired by Five Nights at Freddy's 3, however it was ultimately cancelled due to the effort required to create it after the convoluted history of the first game. The sequel only progressed as far as a 3D model of Springtrap and conceptual ideas before being scrapped due to a shift of priorities, mainly developing their own original game outside Five Nights at Freddy's.[3]
The Return to Bloody Nights is a fan game that takes players back in 1983. The early days of Fazbear Entertainment, when good friends named William Afton and Henry Emily first founded Fredbear's Family Diner and introduced the world to animatronics like Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. After a while, one of the two men lost his sanity and began embarking upon a gruesome killing spree. You have to play as the new Security Guard at Fredbears's diner and you have to discover what actually happened few weeks before you were hired for this job.
As the story unfolds, players will experience the events leading up to the original Five Nights at Freddy's games, and witness the rise of the animatronics as they are possessed by the spirits of murdered children. Can you survive the bloody nights and uncover the truth behind the Fazbear Entertainment tragedies?
Some of the soundtracks and sounds were taken from various artists and we want to thank them all too.
Thanks to the translation teams who helped with some of the languages that are now included in the game:
The gameplay of The Return to Bloody Nights is heavily inspired by the original Five Nights at Freddy's, as explicitly stated in the game's disclaimer image. The game takes place in a dimly-lit office with limited visibility, a departure from the original where the player was positioned at the far end of the office. Instead, the player is up close and personal with their provided mechanics, making it challenging to navigate. Prior to the events of the game, the Prize Corner moves to the back of the office due to strange occurrences that seem to be linked to the animatronic that lays within the large present. Finally, the player has access to a monitor with camera feeds from various rooms.
Starting from Monday, Spring Bonnie becomes active at 2:00 AM. He begins his slow and steady approach to the Office, starting from the Show Stage and making his way through the Restrooms before entering the Central Hall. Upon entering the Right Hall, he next move can be caught from the Office as players are given a brief window to see Spring Bonnie slide into right doorway of the Office. The player must act fast and close the door to prevent Spring Bonnie from entering. If successful, a distinct thud sound will be heard soon after counteracting him. If the player fails to respond or opens the door without confirming Bonnie's absence, Spring Bonnie will forcefully breach the Office and jumpscare the player.
On Tuesday, Fredbear becomes active, serving as the lead performer alongside Spring Bonnie on the Show Stage. Unlike Spring Bonnie, Fredbear generally has more phases on each camera before progressing to the next room. He initially appears on the Show Stage camera in three distinct phases before using the Arcade Corner to make his way to the Hallway. Fredbear then goes through two additional phases before entering the Left Hall. His final two phases on the Left Hall camera before he slides into the left doorway of the Office. The player must close the door on Fredbear and wait for the distinct thud sound, much like Bonnie. However, if ignored or if the door is opened, Fredbear will breach the Office and jumpscare the player.
On Wednesday, three antagonists become active, however only one antagonist is distinguished by Wathel Broggie. The main antagonist for Wednesday is Spring Bonnie 2.0, who will activate later during the night. As part of his programmed routine, Spring Bonnie 2.0 begins to play a game of hide-and-seek by slowly emerging from the Parts & Service camera. He appears in three phases before moving to the Right Hall camera, where he will have an additional three phases before being depicted on the feed staring directly into the feed, covering his face with his hands.
The player must act quickly to close the Right Hall door as soon as Spring Bonnie 2.0 takes position on the camera. If the door is closed in time, he will attempt to enter the Office through the right entrance and squeeze inside. However, as long as the door remains shut, Spring Bonnie 2.0 will knock on it multiple times before retreating back to the Parts & Service room, otherwise he will jumpscare the player.
The presence of the second antagonist on Wednesday, The Puppet, provides the Prize Corner a sole purpose. Occasionally, as the player is inside the Office or monitoring the cameras, a jingling sound can be heard coming from behind the player. The player has a brief window of time to complete their action before turning around and using the Flashlight to locate The Puppet's face. When shun directly into her eyes, The Puppet will retreat back into the large present, temporarily falling back into a slumber. However, if the player ignores The Puppet, she will deliver a non-lethal jumpscare that lasts for an extended period, rendering all actions unavailable to the player. This leaves the Office vulnerable as animatronics can easily enter the Office.
The third antagonist, Golden Cupcake, serves the final, minor antagonist. Occasionally, while the player is switching between cameras, Golden Cupcake may briefly appear on the feed, blocking the view. To get rid of him, the player must either switch off and back on to the camera or switch to a different camera and then return to the original one. Later in the night, Shadow Bonnie will reuse this mechanism as an Easter egg character.
On Thursday night, Fredbear 2.0 will activate, marking the final antagonist to appear. Unlike the other animatronics, Fredbear 2.0 is said to possess a paranormal presence within him, as revealed in the paranormal investigation cutscenes. During the night segments, Fredbear 2.0 will be absent from the camera feeds, instead creeping towards the Office from the Left Doorway. He will go through three distinct phases before, on his fourth and final phase, kneel down and peer into the Office. The player will have a brief window to complete any necessary actions before closing the door on Fredbear 2.0, as he will linger for an extended period of time.
The Return to Bloody Nights takes place in June 1983. Prior to the events of the game, two robotic majors, William Afton and Henry Emily, decide to open their own restaurant dedicated to children entertainment with fantasy anthropomorphic animatronics. The two animatronics, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, would be inspired by the founders close bond together as both friends and business partners. Eventually, the two partners had their own families, with William introducing three children into the work while Henry only raised a single child due to the suggested death of his wife. Shortly before the games events, a series of new characters would be introduced alongside Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. These new characters, known as "Freddy & Friends" according to their own cartoon, would eventually be opened by Henry Emily solely under Fazbear Entertainment, the company responsibe for raising the two restaurants together.
As stated by Wathel Broggie, the Phone Guy in The Return to Bloody Nights, the events which transpire throughout the Phone Call cutscenes take place a month prior to the game. In the first phone call, William Afton enthusiastically discusses his new "animatronic project" for Fredbear's Family Diner with Henry Emily, who gloats about the buzzing opening of his own restaurant: Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Throughout their initial phone call, Henry repeatedly emphasizes the importance of safety, citing numerous animatronic malfunctions and expressing hope that the reopening of Fredbear's Family Diner will prioritize safety above all else. He also cautions Afton against rushing the opening, stressing the need for caution. During their second phone call, which can be listened to before Night 2, several employees express concerns about Afton's work ethic and recent divorce. Henry reiterates his warnings about prioritizing safety, to which Afton repeatedly assures him that it is a top priority.
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