Friday Night Funkin’ (FNF) stands out in a sea of music games partly because of its consciously cartoonish style of character design and partly due to its unusual, non-traditional narrative approach.

The characters of FNF are definitely unconventional, in that they not only look unusual, but act as such as well. Boyfriend, the in-game avatar of the player, is introduced as a perennially cheerful and motivated person trying to impress the character named Girlfriend who occasionally sits on a speaker in the middle of the stage no matter what mess the surrounding world may be in. The visual selection of Boyfriend and Girlfriend being almost unaware of the rise in threats – from otherworldly perils to straight-up armies – isn’t just a comedic device, but one that makes FNF’s irreverent world. The game’s antagonists feature a bizarre and ingeniously thought-out cast: from ominous Daddy Dearest (demonic ex-rockstar), through Mommy Mearest (her egocentric spotlight-hogging self equal to that of her husband), to Skid and Pump (Halloween-kid duo), to even the more morally ambiguous characters such as Pico, an assassin with a messy personal history of relationships. These enemy designs feature exaggerated proportions, non-standard silhouettes, and brightly expressive faces.

The design further leans heavily toward visual narrative. Unlike most other games where character relationships are revealed through cutscenes, FNF only reveals them through their reactions in the heat of battle: hearts headbanging and barely reacting as her parents try to murder Boyfriend, or her hair mussing up if you fail enough notes on tense songs. Week 5’s infamous “Winter Horrorland” visual jump scare, in which Girlfriend’s head is seemingly on a Christmas tree, is a great example of FNF using its artwork to frighten the player, often breaking the fourth wall only to return to its usual style.

FNF’s aesthetic takes cues from Flash-era web animation’s wild west and therefore feels cult, internet-born. Its characters are not only one of a kind – they frequently include cameos remembering old Newgrounds favorites, making the game a living tribute to 2000s digital culture. This nostalgia piece combined with zany plotlines (such as fighting a lemon-headed monster or combating in a pixelated plane in Week 6) makes each “week” of the game fresh and visually surprising. These design choices make every boss battle feel like someone: and despite not a word being spoken aloud, you will soon know through timing and mannerism exactly who it is: the impatient swagger of Daddy Dearest, the maniacal giggling of Skid and Pump. Minor details such as the fact Girlfriend is afraid of thunder) revealed only during Week 2, when the setting is stormy, and expressions that change with player performance, all contribute to a layered world-build.

Another benefit of the no-cutscene format is that the narrative is never disrupted by essential rhythm gameplay. Instead, the player finds out about the story through raw, immediate performances by the characters themselves, adding further to immersion. This “just play and watch” strategy brings about utmost humor and absurdity, making the narrative an equal performance with the music.

But FNF’s approach has certain limitations. There are no formal cutscenes, and at best there is dialogue in the form of on-screen gestures and visual gags, and the odd modals between levels. For gamers wanting a richly developed narrative or explicit story arcs, such a hands-off style can make the plot thin or vague, with much of the background history not presented and left to the mercy of community interpretation. Such relationships as Pico’s “amicable ex” status or total motivation of enemies are either not described in-game (“Word of God”) or left to fan speculation.

FNF also risks alienating non-macabre-sense-of-humor-playing audiences and those who are not familiar with its cultural references. New players might find the abrupt jump scares, fourth wall breaches, and unconventional cast confusing rather than endearing.

By Jerry | Copyright © Game-Nook - All Rights Reserved