FNaF Help Wanted Mobile Review: Impressive, But Not Without Sacrifice
This mobile port of Help Wanted is admittedly impressive, but not quite as engaging.
It’s official. Steel Wool Studios has officially ported the most graphically advanced FNaF game to mobile. Nobody expected this as nobody expected this game to ever run good on mobile. Surprisingly, they were able to make a fairly competent port of the game on mobile! However, this comes with some sacrifices. This was my first experience with this game. I’ve always wanted to play this game in VR. I watched many YouTubers play it when it first came out, but I never played it with or without VR. But, VR just proved too expensive and my computer just can’t handle this game. So, once this game came out on mobile. It proved to be the only way I could play it. So, I got it the day of release. How is it? Let’s find out
FNaF Help Wanted is essentially a mini-game collection featuring tons of characters from the FNaF franchise. It features recreations of the original games and plenty of original mini-games too. I’ve completed all of the mini-games and even some of the hard versions of them, which you can access by flipping a switch in the game selection. The first thing I noticed while playing was the surprisingly fantastic visuals. The amount of detail they were able to retain on mobile is shocking. Obviously, since this is on mobile devices, the graphics aren’t nearly as good as on other platforms. Some textures are blurry, some things are more blocky, but overall it looks very good. Especially the character models. It really just felt like playing the original game on mobile. Of course, this game is not VR. It is a port of the Flat Mode of the game. The VR mode is of course the best way to play it. However, this flat mode is perfectly serviceable for people who don’t have access to a VR headset. But, it is not the ideal way to play it whatsoever. Especially, on mobile.
Some modes, especially Parts and Service, a mode in which you repair animatronics up and close, lose the magic when you get rid of the VR functionality. I still enjoyed it, but it was a constant reminder that I wasn’t experiencing this game the way it was intended to be. However, most of the mini-games were still pretty enjoyable without the VR. The mini-games are easy to pick up and play on the go. They are fun to play through, and really bring the FNaF franchise to life. Actually being able to see the animatronics move in front of you is terrifying. It is still a relatively effective horror experience even without the VR. But, the controls are not ideal in the slightest. The game relies on touch screen controls for all of the mini-games. I’m not saying the controls are bad, but they feel really clunky at times. Especially for Vent Repair, where you have to keep an eye on Mangle and do repairs on the vents. The controls are perfectly serviceable, but they are not the best at all. Worst of all, this mobile port is missing a lot of the content. Lots of mini-games are missing, FNaF 3 is gone entirely, collectibles like tapes and coins are also gone. It’s very disappointing, but it is to be expected as this game is pretty big and the price is extremely cheap compared to the other ports. However, there is a compromise for the lack of content.
There is a mini-game exclusive to this mobile edition of the game. It’s called Princess Quest and features a girl going around a maze of sorts, trying to ignore the corrupted monsters within. It connects to the lore of the FNaF games, and has a surprise at the end that is sure to satisfy fans. It is a fine compromise for the lack of content in the mobile port. I have never completed Princess Quest but it is good they included it, as it might entice more players to buy it as it is currently a mobile exclusive mini-game. I personally don’t care that much about it, but it’s a nice bonus nonetheless.
Overall, this mobile port of FNaF Help Wanted is a decent way to experience this game without the VR. Some people just can’t experience it with VR, and while there is a switch version, the switch is expensive and the switch port costs $30. This mobile port is only $5, which is insane! If you are willing to sacrifice some game modes, this mobile port might be the perfect Help Wanted experience for you. It is still a great port for what it is, boasting some surprisingly details graphics and fun horrors for days.
Final Score: 6/10
Pros- Shockingly great graphics, Fun Mini-Games, Extremely cheap price, Princess Quest as a bonus
Cons- Clunky controls, lack of most content, loses some of the magic without VR.
Buy FNaF Help Wanted on mobile on the App Store or Google Play Store for only $5!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.steelwoolgames.fnaf.hw&hl=en_US&gl=US