The Missed Potential of Finding Frankie

[@1-upanimations878]

Indigo Park & Finding Frankie are insane if you actually think about. Both are literally the devs first game* and really shows how much passion can go a long way, and that there is still diamonds in this landfill of Mascot Horror games. Sure Finding Frankie was an ambitious tasks for a first-timer, but you gotta look at it from that view rather than a seasoned professional and Expectations can kill a game if they’re too high…

[@VRPlayer1246]

Not trying to be rude or mean but indigo Park is technically unique geese’s second game, but it is his first full original game. That’s all :)

[@Noob......]

Another thing that’s good are the “jumpscares” when you die. The fact you get to see yourself visually die rather than be eaten by whatever is chasing you is a nice touch.

[@Rockystan675]

Honestly, the animations, VA, and visuals and even music are perfect. But the horror aspect and story is like a bunch of ideas put in the box and not connected. They clearly rushed it at the end because, its more fun than scary. Regardless, for their first game, its very solid, so that a 7/10 for me

[@mousepixi]

you can definitely tell there's a lot of passion put into the project, and a lot of aspects of it are really great! I'd love to see the team behind it make even better things in the future :)

[@HunterPoppleton]

They did say they were making sequels and not chapters

[@JulianEckert-th3hj]

I mean the game takes an hour to navigate.

[@goopyaxolotl9849]

I mostly agree, but I like to see this as a good step in the direction as in like so far, we’re heading the right way when it comes to good mascot horror

[@mrconroy4672]

@@Rockystan675 I do think they can do a lot more since it feels a bit too hollow at certain points especially lore.

[@vincypinto2100]

This game doesn’t need a deep lore or complex story; plenty of other horror games already do that. In my opinion, it's simply a fun, fast-paced platformer, and the developers did an excellent job of keeping the gameplay engaging and fast-paced.

[@yachi2274]

This game: FUCK LORE! WE ARE GOING FALL GUYS!

[@22Tesla]

You are correct that it's a fun, fast-paced platformer. But when it drops little story details, it makes it harder to enjoy. Like we have the rough idea Frankies Fruit Flakes cereal started as just that, before it became a 3 story park, followed by a death as seen on a newspaper clipping, and then it somehow became a big privately streamed snuff contest. It leaves too many questions that makes you wonder why it's even there if there is nothing but these few bread crumbs

[@Trunks1stApprentice]

If a game doesn't have a story in the 21st century, then it has no reason to exist. A game could have tight and innovative gameplay perfectly catered to me, but if that game doesn't have a story, I'll dismiss the whole thing as bad. That is what I believe.

[@joaocomtil_]

Yeah, if a game has a story but it's not interesting or fun to play, then it has no reason to exist. You can have the best story ever, but if the gameplay is bad or non-existent, there's no point in making a game and not a movie or series or visual novel. That's my opinion

[@mysticfoil]

​@@Trunks1stApprentice but why would games require to have story. Like sure they can have story but don't make it too overwhelming to the point of desperation and milking, just a simple story can be fine as well. Like this game would have been fine if it was just oh company in the verge of bankruptcy so they make this last challenge to profit. It's like for instance yugioh, people enjoy playing the game, but no one goes out of their way to learn the lore of EACH archetype.

[@Vexmus_]

As much as I'd like to agree, claiming the parkour was "ripped from fallguys" is a bit absurd. Fall guys was inspired by wipeout type gameshows, and though I'm sure the devs took inspiration from fall guys, I'd say it's more inspired by the original gameshows considering the game is... a gameshow.

[@Lalaloopsies_United]

@@Vexmus_ and plus it’s a trampoline park with an obstacle course based within it so it’s not really a FallGuys clone, and I’m no genius on gaming or copyright on anything but I’m pretty sure FallGuys doesn’t own obstacle courses at all Finding Frankie sure is similar but that’s because it’s a parkour and obstacle course game and there are hundreds just like it if not thousands and Finding Frankie stands out for being unique and not just being a FallGuys clone

[@bayou978]

I completely agree, I wouldn’t say finding Frankie was trying to ripoff fall guys at all. Taking these scenarios and putting them in a horror setting is actually such a fun idea. In the video, he says the movement was very Jank but it felt very smooth and fun to move around with (at least for me).

[@bruv.2214]

The levels in this game besides maybe the rail one are literally ripped out of fall guys tho. Hell, the slime climb and the hexagon portion are just shameless copies. Theres inspiration, then there is just blatant copying.

[@Skwtches-ym5ln]

@bruv.2214 I still think the game is pretty good despite that. All I wish is that it was a bit longer gameplay wise. As in, they added more difficult parkour areas all the way up to the mountain. Cause I like the movement in this game. As he said in the video, it's not slop, but there are aspects that can be improved upon. And I hope the game will gain enough support to be able to make more updates and possibly a sequel or multi-player game

[@bulbasaurkindahawtngl2345]

@@bruv.2214fall guys didn’t create falling tile minigames

[@EDILYshiro]

Some of the criticism is valid while the other is a bit... Sure it was probably one of the inspirations, Fall Guys was inspired by survival reality shows like Takeshi's Castle, Wipeout and such, which these developers also probably used as reference (and more parkour based media). The constant comparison to Fall Guys as if they used it as their only reference is a little unfair.

[@FallThoxV2]

yeah but the race where you have the slime that go up, and you need to be fast, this is clearly a copy paste of a map of fall guys

[@Groovylonglegs]

@@FallThoxV2 ok but isn’t there only 2 that are really taken off of fall guys? Which is hex-a-gone and slime climb. You can’t say a lot of the stuff is based on fall guys when it’s only 2 courses

[@newlydeviant]

@Groovylonglegs Even hexagone isn't really taken from fall guys that style of game has been around a long time. I remember playing something like it on Minecraft servers and I'm sure it's been in games before then too

[@kingratawhiz730]

I’m taking this with a grain of salt. Finding Frankie is what mascot horror should be. It doesn’t try to shove merch and crappy jump scares down your throat. The environment is creative and also creepy with all of the mutilated bodies littered all over the obstacle course. The character designs are cool and not just some smiley face emoji with sharp teeth. The soundtrack is incredible and the ending was everything I could have asked for. So if you think Finding Frankie is full of “Missed potential”, I don’t know seems kinda crazy. Also the wall art of Henry is pretty….uhhhhhh……🥴

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I just wish it was longer. Also why are there only 3 main mascots? I get Frankie’s started as a cereal, but surely the park could benefit from having more areas dedicated to different characters

[@_Frieza]

I agree, i think the game did exactly what it set out to do. he said it in the video himself, it puts platforming over the horror, and still does the horror really well. i was also really confused about the henry hotline section as a whole, cause it felt like he was being bad on purpose. that entire section is laughably easy with the games movement. if you slide at all during the game, youd know it gives you a huge speed boost. henry basically cannot catch you at all if you keep sliding, and since the entire layout is straight corridors, youd have to actively try or be ignorant in order to be caught. deputy duck's criticism was kinda fair, but also not really. i think its a nice change of pace to have a mascot horror not shoving its gimmick toy or whatever down your throat. it focuses more on the parkour than the random gimmick they throw in, like poppy playtiems grab pack or something of the like. the flash was pretty useless, but the radar was absolutely helpful. it gives you wallhacks and the ability to see your objectives from so far away, how is that useless 😭 the movement also felt very clean, you just have to approach everything with some speed and youll have no issues swinging, bouncing, or whatever else. that, and the thing with it taking stuff from fall guys is also kinda silly, considering we've been using obstacles like that in real gameshows for years, and seemingly no one remembers that and purely thinks fall guys made it (the only real exceptions are the hexa game and the slime race, and even then, im pretty sure the hexa game from fall guys was based off of that one minecraft gamemode called tntblock or something, but i digress.) . all in all, a good portion of the review feels like skill issue, with a few good criticisms like deputy duck's flash, or the lighting in some areas, thrown about. (P.S, i honestly dont know how he doesnt know where to go in some of these areas. like in the utilidoors, and the game tells you to go to the trampoline park and water park sections, and somehow he doesnt realize that the picture of a trampoline with an arrow pointing to the elevator next to it means that it will take you to the trampoline park, i mean come on. does the game need to add a bright flashing light or some yellow paint to help him out?)

[@toastedprocastinator]

​@@Cubeytheawesome i feel like it's a good thing that there's only 3 mascots for the first game since having too many of them could probably bloat the cast too much, we don't want another garten of banban situation in our hands. also im pretty glad the game isn't too long because it doesn't need to overstay it's visit, it did everything it need to, nothing more, nothing less.

[@swj719]

Are they truly mascots of they aren't trying to shove merch down your throat?

[@kingratawhiz730]

Damn I didn’t expect a ton of people to actually read this.

[@farawayxgalaxy]

I don’t think the ending was Frankie not giving us the $5 Mil like he promised and forcing us to stay. He simply tempted the player, who seemed to REALLY want to participate in the show in the first place based on the opening. I think our character is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so of course they accepted the offer to stay and come back for another season. Honestly I think Frankie 100% would have accepted if the player said no and just chose to walk away. Him offering his hand didn’t seem like it had outright malicious intent to me- it was just trying to tempt the player more and offering them to join him.

[@toastedprocastinator]

that was also my assumption, im pretty sure frankie never forced the 5 million away from him, he was only encouraging them to continue joining because he knew how desperate the player was.

[@FestVors]

Or our character is a gambler and want to win 6 zincstillion dollars🤑

[@mxdgames8359]

@@farawayxgalaxy You do have a point but if that happens we wouldn’t have a sequel.

[@0penCircut-ClosedMind]

Keep in mind this is the devs first game so they are bound to get things wrong. They will definitely improve over time and it seems likely that there’s gonna be another “season” and if the game gets popular enough they might make a few more seasons, possibly rework previous ones. Great vid though

[@SyzygySomnia]

I don’t really know how he’d left that out, it seems weird a bit, weird to me anyway. It’s made evident on their KZbin channel it’s their first game, and yet he had such high expectations and for what? Thats just kind of.. I don’t really know what word to use if it’s over exaggerated or under exaggerated.

[@lololol24ttttt36]

@@SyzygySomniastrange might be the incorrect word but it could be used

[@0penCircut-ClosedMind]

Exactly my point! However constructive criticism is good as long as you make it known that you’re not saying those things to make whoever look bad. At the very least tell the audience that these people are new.

[@mrconroy4672]

They need to do better and give a huge amount of levels in terms of sequels at least along with doing it that doesn’t feel like it was ripped from fall guys.

[@mrcali2245]

​@SyzygySomnia it's a 15 dollar game, doesn't matter if its their first, if it sucks then it sucks LOL. He has the right to be disappointed

[@Timazoree]

Missed potential? I don't see anything missing, but i do see potential, a lot of actually!

[@the_lasthour2007]

same minaxa is mad he cant get more poopy playtime. and yes i sayd poopy playtime.

[@Timazoree]

@@the_lasthour2007 Wow bro, 1 grader level insult 😭🙏

[@TTCIT2984]

@@the_lasthour2007 I love this comment

[@themememaster6775]

@@the_lasthour2007 How mature

[@the_lasthour2007]

@@themememaster6775 as mature as the shitty reddit memes you watch.

[@ariffirdaus5376]

this game has perfect polish, visuals and audio, but having a lil jank, and weirdly executed ideas. 8/10, it is much better than most gams we got this year, hopefully this game puts devs in the right direction for future games.

[@bayou978]

This game felt so polished and I never felt like the game was trying to be lazy (maybe near the ending but I thought it was pretty enjoyable)

[@Ly_7838]

Genuinely my only gripe with your video is the association with almost every parkour section to Fall Guys. That's almost on par with people saying Battle Royale Shooters or FPS in general are essentially a specific FPS/Battle Royale Shooter game ya know? Like its fine....but there is more to it then just Fall Guys and its kinda infuriating when that gets repeated over and over. Other than that the video is pretty good at addressing the flaws of Finding Frankie. Also entirely unrelated but I kinda like how you could see Hexa-Havoc the first time you enter Incinerator Room. Adds some sense of how the Player Character survived and a bit of foreshadowing.

[@LavenderTea-lr3hc]

it's literally inspired by fall guys why wouldn't they bring it up repeatedly

[@TTCIT2984]

@@LavenderTea-lr3hc Because Fall Guys isn't the only thing in the fucking world that has obstacles of that type you homo erectus, maybe use your hands, dribble a bit over your keyboard and do some research, you will see by using your two eyes that theres these cool things called Trampoline Parks! Which, you fucking guessed it! have, wait for it!...Trampolines and obstacles!

[@Ly_7838]

@@LavenderTea-lr3hc ...my guy....please reread my comment. I am so close to losing faith in humanities ability to read. Please don't be the one to make me lose that faith

[@Gemma1006]

​@@Ly_7838 Damn bro😂

[@SoulSlugArts]

I agree yes it's clearly like fall guys but game itself is inspired by stuff like whipout (I think that was it?) So if you going compare

[@aliangel5007]

I hope we get a sequel that actually explains how a cereal company gets away with enough murder to rival every mascot horror villain combined if they collect participants via cereal boxes.

[@FreedomRoyal7]

It’s A Private Live Show Meaning The whole world Can’t see what happens in the game show they just know they get to compete

[@aliangel5007]

@@FreedomRoyal7 the viewer count we see for the show in game is like 19K. It's safe to say the general person knows that finding Frankie is a show that actively murders people.

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@aliangel5007 Then Why did The Radio Now Just discuss Dead people 57 seasons Later And In The Game It Literally Says Privately Lived Game Show

[@aliangel5007]

@@FreedomRoyal7 honestly i think the devs were trying to go for a squid game type thing (with the money in the ball from the ceiling being the most obvious reference) maybe not realizing that the rest of the lore doesn't really make sense because if it is a private show the 19K watching number makes no sense and or if they are actively killing as many people as we see in the game the cops/news should have found out before 57 seasons in (especially considering the keys to entry are via public cereal boxes).

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@aliangel5007 19k people ain’t a lot That’s like 2% of the 8.2 billion People in the world

[@HappyAxolotl24]

It's still a great game despite all the flaws, especially the noob noobs there amazing

[@LillianBowers-f6j]

yeah, i do understand there are flaws with the game, but it doesn't sour my love for it. It's a fun game even with the issues it does indeed have.

[@captncoz2112]

Capture the Gloinks moment

[@ilikechips5271]

the noob noobs were so cute

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I found their screams horrifying.

[@thepyrokitten]

I think you were a little too quick to attribute some things to Fall Guys. A bunch of these obstacles are paralleled by Ninja Warrior and Wipeout (among others). I think there's just a very limited number of ways to apply the format in a practical way.

[@_demonhunter]

you mention quite a lot how the parkour looks like falls guys and how the obstacles are from fall guys but... have you ever been to a trampoline park? like a big one? they didnt copy fall guys (inspiration sure) they "copied" real life trampoline parks (which is what fall guys does)

[@FallThoxV2]

yeah but the race where you have the slime that go up, and you need to be fast, this is clearly a copy paste of a map of fall guys

[@mr_me0ws0me]

@@FallThoxV2 i dont see why this matters at all

[@tacticstonk4740]

@@FallThoxV2 that is just a 3d auto scroller

[@Fiknoid]

honestly the first interaction with henry hotline could've been easily fixed by making him say "Don't do that again" before backing off and having him yell and start chasing you after you ring the first phone

[@iy8-z1o]

I think the game is pretty good. It feels like its both a homage/improvement to the mascot horror genre while also making fun of and occasionally subverting a lot of the gimmicks and tropes that mascot horror games have

[@HyperDashYT]

Personally I prefered Finding Frankie FAR more than Indigo Park

[@bulbasaurkindahawtngl2345]

@@HyperDashYT Yeah I like Indigo Park but it doesn’t really do anything interesting. Finding Frankie actually had great gameplay, better scares and a good sense of humour. Defo one of the best mascot horrors

[@user-mz9xo3hx1h]

@@HyperDashYT it's not a competition

[@aaronlopez5163]

Fair enough honestly. One has a better story and the other has better gameplay. It just depends on your preferences. As someone who plays sonic games and loves fast paced platforming, I will give finding frankie a slight edge as well but the little raccoon boi will always be in my head… forever.

[@mxdgames8359]

Both are solid games but finding Frankie has more to offer, mainly because it’s a full game rather than chapter based. Frankie has more mechanics, chase scenes, Boss fights, Better puzzles and overall asthetic. Indigo park is more of a lore type-based walking simulator, but that will change later on when chapter 2 releases. Finding Frankie is what a Good Mascot horror should be, Not some unoriginal Poppy playtime clone, sure they took inspiration from fall guys but made it into their own game. There are some flaws though, like the objectives being unclear but overall it’s an 8.5/10 game.

[@ShiveringOctos]

No way theres already a "missed potential" video, the game hasn't even been out for a week to the public 💀

[@Lalaloopsies_United]

Honestly deep lore and it being extremely scary isn’t needed especially in modern horror. Okay yes there are exceptions because Banban is just like that and that game sucks, but honestly I feel like now a days horror can still work even if it lacks the scares and the deep story One example is My Friendly Neighbourhood, that was a horror game which lacked any scares and deep lore and that game was beloved and was a decent horror game to say the least And Finding Frankie can still have quite dark and claustrophobic areas which can work for the scares. But the main reason it’s not as scary as other horror icons is because of the theme and the fact it’s based in a trampoline obstacle course which is hard to make or make look scary, but honestly the chase scenes and the dark atmosphere when you aren’t bouncing around are great and the visuals, animation and chase scenes are just perfection So honestly it is a great game and dare I say it’s the best horror game of 2024 and it doesn’t need to be extremely lore heavy or gruesome and majorly scary to be a good horror game as it still adds tension and a lot of fearful atmospheres

[@ShaeTaitua]

agreed

[@derple8524]

Couldn't agree more, My favorite horror games so far are My friendly Neighborhood, Finding Frankie, Tattletail, Baldi's Basics, and Doki Doki Literature club. Those are a few of my favorites mainly because they're complete games

[@AVoiceForRadio]

With the somewhat tongue-in-cheek tone of the game, I wonder if Deputy Duck is meant to be poking fun at every mascot horror game that feels like they need to have some kind of hand-held gimmick, like the drone in Banban or the grab-pack in Poppy. I'm sure there's more examples, those are just the only two that leapt to mind. So many of them have so little relevance on gameplay that they're borderline useless sometimes. EDIT: The Faz Watch and Wrench in Security Breach and Ruin, the magic lens thing in Bendy, the watch in Indigo Park... I vaguely recall some zoo themed horror game recently that was trying to ape off the hype for Zoochosis, and it had a lightbulb gun that was neat in theory, but worthless in practice. Don't care enough to look up the name. I remember watching a bunch of playthroughs of cookie-cutter mascot horror games that I know there's more examples, just not a lot of memorable ones because they're useless.

[@muffin-are-good]

The light bulb gun was in a game called zoonomly I think

[@endereye964]

The thing in Bendy is called the Seeing Tool- and it actually only shows up in the final chapter of the game, and the post game where you can replay the past chapters with it. So I don’t think it’s as obnoxious as some of the others. Its main purpose isn’t even gameplay related-it’s lore related. Revealing hidden messages that hint to the game’s story. (Mainly Henry being trapped in some kind of time loop.) I’ve always viewed it as an end game item.

[@themememaster6775]

The Grabpack in Poppy isn’t even useless, the games wouldn’t work as well without it and it’s a fun concept.

[@Gemma1006]

The grabpack in poppy is part of the lore... That's how the employees did their work. The game would literally not make sense/basically impossible if there was no grabpack... Again, that's part of the lore. But with banban and other games, it is just a handheld convenient gimmick tbh😂

[@newlydeviant]

I think you're talking about zoonomaly but that game came out before zoochosis and was in development for over a year

[@Kingamongus-pt6yn]

From my experience of playing the game I really had a fun time with finding Frankie of course some people say my opinion is wrong that’s just their opinion I had a fun time playing this game and yes, somethings could be worked on, but most of it lived up to its potential not saying that I hate this video I’m just saying, I strongly disagree with some of the points and opinions 9/10

[@KattyKitten69]

The biggest problem with finding frankie imo is how short it is. I remember the devs saying the game would be 2-3 hours long but that ended up not being the case. I think that a big factor that contributed to this is how the game has so little characters. I mean obviously you can't make a 3 hours long game with 3 characters only. Especially when one of them is an ally. Frankie himself was also severily underutilized despite being the main antagonist of the game which is unfortunately a pretty common issue in mascot horror games. These are honestly my only issues with the game. I love everything else and this is still my favorite mascot horror game get.

[@TheHarlololOfficial]

Tbh, Finding Frankie doesn’t need deep lore. It would be cool if it was like a multiplayer racing game like fall guys, but with horror as well.

[@derple8524]

That's my biggest hope, a 1 vs 4 Finding Frankie mode would be fun

[@fenrirsrage4609]

I don't really see any missing potential, personally feel like it has some decent potential that definitely needs a bit of refining, tweaking and constructive critiscim. I will agree you definitely set your expectations way too high for this game. So I'd say best to just do what you can to give your constructive criticisms to help out the devs.

[@B1_Heavy03]

It's got great music, an interesting story, amazing animations, characters, and gameplay. 9.5/10.

[@WhatTheDesu]

i genuinely cannot take the video seriously when you keep calling basic japanese/obstacle game show things "ripped straight from fall guys" and keep going "uhm i know i'm stupid but i got stuck and it's the games fault" even if you do have actual valid criticisms in other aspects

[@toastedprocastinator]

true, that definitely felt a bit harsh.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

The main issue that I have with this game is that you can definitely tell that it was rushed in certain parts. I wish there was more time with the phone guy rather than just killing him off shortly after his introduction.

[@camerorgb6525]

I think everyone is just a bit starved and put expectations way too high for a game that did what it's supposed to do.

[@ayameiris1419]

For a first game, I believe Finding Frankie was an amazing game. I genuinely did think at first it was just gonna be another mid mascot horror game and it totally blew that first impression out of my mind. I do agree that it's a bit repetitive but in whole I really did enjoy it in all of it's small goofiness. :]

[@nataliehergerdt6571]

you dont even have to get deputy duck back i saw a playthrough where someone didnt get him back at all bcs this cutscene is completely optional

[@8onnie8oyz]

Link? I want to see it.

[@AnimaWild]

Glad to see the story not taking itself seriously in the positives. While ive seen some people dislike that it doesnt explain what these sentiant robots are or how any of this is possible, to me it was such a breath of fresh air inside this genre that focuses so much in explaining every detail and having everything make sense which is a big TASK that the player has to do by reading so much notes and hidden lore and videos. Im so glad i got to watch dawko play this and just get the story from start to end, a deathgame show privately hosted by a sentiant cartoony mascot character, which is not explained but the curiosity of it does make me like it more, its just a simple story and i loved that, for once i dont have to wait for a theory video to explain to me whats happening in here! atleast the main story, theres def secrets that explain more but that feels like a side thing for the player if they want more rather than explain the ingame story. Also for me the ending came less about the money not being given and more about frankie convincing and pressuring the player into joining the show for more rather than comeback to his old life again when he could be a star... do they could have done that better because that doesnt really matter if you have 5 MILLION DOLLARS with you and definetly the show needs him more than the player needs them. Even do the ending with evil frankie says otherwise, if there is to be a sequel i would actually love the main char of this game to become a higher up or an actual character in that game because thatd be really interesting take! Anyways, amazing video! i agree with a lot of iT, def wish they didnt so heavily inspire from fallguys and take note from more other parkour games, or atleast gave them more interesting spins like the hexagon game. It's also important to note that 15$ dollars for this game does make this problems worse :( while i dont mind them pricing it that to get the money back becuase i can tell this took lotta time and money to make for such small group, but theres people out there who are vERY vocal about prices, specially when theres games out there with much longer gametime at a lower price D: and they can always gain more money back from merch than from release itself! Frankie is really marketablE, and lets not forget the tumblr sexyman (not confirmed i think but love the idea that it was intentional to make henry one to boost ratings, its funnY) and ofcourse the best character of all, noobnoobs. deputy duck is there too. OH and an idea i got, it would have been awesome if instead deputy duck was used to interact with the parkour sets themselves like making platforms flip or activating fans, or any obstacle/tool, just anything that makes the parkour more interactuablE

[@jackal04]

But we don't want more merchandising like banban, $15 seems like a fair charge for a game like this, plus if you finish in under 2 hours you can get a refund anyways (though I think the dev deserves the $). Also, while 2 out oof the like 16 different courses were inspired by fall guys most of it seems to be from parkour shows like wipeout or ANW with the movement system of Mirrors Edge, so its a lot more than a fall guys rip off horror game. at least a 7 more like an 8/10.

[@lekarabbit5181]

It's a game made by a small team I think it's pretty good considering I definitely think the dev team can learn and improve from this game but for the first of its series it's pretty good.

[@chromemaskqurae1222]

' Take CONTROL as an example. The developers took so much time into putting so much detail into each part of that experience that they ran out of time on what the actual main gameplay was going to be about. The main gameplay we got was just a fighting game in the end, with some inconveniences along the way. It was a full fleshed-out game with so much lore to expand off of and that flaw really messed it up. Also, another flaw is that most things did not line up and didn't fit together either. Finding Frankie basically followed the same mistake, they did not make the deadline long enough. If they started making the experience before making the trailer, it would've been a better experience. Rather than just a parkour platformer which the main objective is to survive these killer mascots that have no reason for why they're being like this. The one with the phone head did have a reason but not an actual reason to go insane. Sometimes it's better to be intricate than to not think things through properly. ' - Chrome

[@omargustavomalavevargas9388]

My biggest problem with finding Frankie, was how underused everything is, and how little characters there are, so much they had to use Frankie twice.

[@KattyKitten69]

Frankie being used twice isnt a bad thing just because of the lack of characters its a bad thing because he appears just TWO TIMES despite being the main antagonist of the game. And i 100% agree with the lack of characters. I was thinking it would've been cool if there was a clock and a TV character and theyre criminals like henry. The TV guy would kinda of be their "boss" of sorts. Also make frankie appear more and add more chase sequences.

[@omargustavomalavevargas9388]

@@KattyKitten69 also the Frankie box mechanic is used a whopping 2 times, it would be cool if in random chill points in the game, Frankie just falls out of nowhere, and you have to get behind cover as soon a possible, same goes for the noon noobs and rings.

[@Lalaloopsies_United]

I see where you are coming from but I respectfully disagree I feel like everything is used and mentioned a lot, Frankie appears pretty much everywhere, Henry Hotline had the least amount of screen time but he still made a good appearance with tons of build up in the vents and the extremely long quest of having to find him and him having his own area where we have to play a game inside a dark area and him even getting his own chase scene (it’s rare to find a horror game that gives side characters this much love and attention because abuse in most horror games Henry would have just been given the one minigame and then never seen or bought up again) As for the other Frankie it makes sense, but it’s also because it was done as a joke. Plus it makes sense there are two Frankie’s and there could be some lore we don’t know about, what if the evil Frankie is a prototype or something? And plus it makes sense to and it adds more to the story a lot despite being minimal and small But I do agree more characters would have been fun to see, but due to the short runtime and the things the current characters add, it feels pretty fun

[@toastedprocastinator]

​@@Lalaloopsies_United 🔥🖋

[@talkinginmycar3432]

I really do think they should have polished the movement and made it even more challenging, maybe even putting in threats more frequently to turn puzzles into chase-esque portions, but otherwise I enjoyed the game terrifically. 8/10.

[@bayou978]

To be fair, this is the first game of the franchise. I’m sure the developers are going to take criticism and try to make it better in the future. This game makes itself very obvious that passion and love went into this game. I will agree some stuff in the game felt very rushed over or under cooked but overall, myself and a lot of people had a great time with this game. For a first release, I think they did a very good job and everything about the game was amazing. Obviously they can improve on certain aspects of the game but still. This is a great video:) but just wanted to say that finding Frankie was a pretty decent and enjoyable experience. Edit: I forgot to mention that the ending could have been more fleshed out but the hexa-havic part was enjoyable.

[@astriado]

i think for the henry hotline portion they should make him glow under black light, like the entire section does. youd be able to see him much easier. i also think deputy duck should be able to scan for enemies/threats when doing a section like henry's. you can see figure outlines(ish) when youre scanning but its so hard to see, so being able to see him on the radar would be incredibly helpful.

[@mehrsamyaghoubi91]

I totally agree, but my main issue is the lack of horror, yes there are some spooks but I feel it was more of an adventure game rather than horror game. Overall it's very fun and I absolutely love the final boss and the "STOP MESSING WITH MY F***ING GAME SHOW" line, but I won't say it's overall great, my rating is a 6.5/10

[@Gato_Surfer]

The parkour aspect reminds me more of Mirror's Edge than Fall Guys, looks pretty dope tho.

[@jackal04]

Exactly, Its the same movement system in the best way possible

[@PoopDeckGaming]

It's only been two days minaxa

[@rush1669]

Sorry dude but I can’t agree with you on this one it has lots of potential it didn’t miss anything

[@reeapurr1795]

I think this game doesn’t overstay its welcome with how short it is. It’s short and sweet and gets to the point and does a lot of things well. This is also their first game making something like this so give the feedback so they can learn goated vid ❤

[@Greg_Boing]

Honestly I largely agree yeah, I remember watching a few playthroughs and just kind of sitting there watching not really feeling anything. I actually ended up playing it myself, and I feel like a lot of the movement is just a bit jank and hefty, especially stuff like the wall running which played way too chaotically imo to the degree it felt like more of randomly flicking my mouse and spamming jump to hope I'd make it. I also kind of wish the trampolines just launched you when you jumped on them the first time but that one isn't too big of a deal. I did like the chase scenes though. But yeah it's not... BAD, but honestly the whole time I was playing it I just thought it was generally shlocky, like it's not egregious like banban or whatever, but given everyone seems to be singing it's praises online as a "step in the right direction for mascot horror" it was just very... existent. I don't really know how else to put it. Anyhow good video! You definitely managed to put it into words a lot better than me lol

[@captncoz2112]

An issue a have with this game is how useless Deputy Duck becomes after Connections with Henry Hotline. There is really no need to use his radar that much since mostly everything can be easily found, and his flash ability is totally useless. I feel like they were going to have more in the game where he is useful but I think they cut those parts out.

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I think the joke is that Deputy duck is the “gimmick” that’s needed to be distinguished from other mascot horror games, like how Poppy playtime has the Grabpack, Banban has the drone, Joyville (a lesser known game that has potential) has the stuffed animals, and Indigo park has the Critter cuff

[@captncoz2112]

If they're implying that these types of gimmicks need to be removed, why even add it at all? And, without Deputy Duck, they wouldn't have Connections with Henry Hotline because they made that part for players to use Deputy Duck.

[@iduckfilms]

According to you: Indigo Park, a walking simulator with barely any real gameplay that would be better as a movie or TV show only got buzz because popular KZbinrs made it: what mascot horror should be. Game with unique and ambitious parkour gameplay: Missed potential.

[@boopbeep2310]

Finish watching the video before commenting, bbg

[@a26lolhart]

5:35 It's actually pretty cool, he shows up and stretches super tall and looks around for you, and if you can stay out of sight he leaves. If he sees you, he kills you immediately. it's pretty tense and one of the few scary parts of this game, while also creating a second chance for people who suck at parkour (like me). I wish the lights dimmed or something though.

[@SuperMandibleclaw]

What missed potential? it was great

[@FreedomRoyal7]

Fr

[@Skinwalker_Gaming96]

Yeah I really enjoyed playing this game

[@Jupiterwupiter]

Yea this KZbinr needs to quit yt

[@mrcali2245]

The beginning was cool but it just gets boring and repetitive. It's not scary at all. I ultimately felt nothing when I played it. Some of the areas suck so much ass which is a shame because I can tell they had a vision for the game

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@mrcali2245 Then your Just to old For Horror Games then Cuz It did have Horror you Just didn’t Care

[@littlewolf2870]

The fact it took me nearly the entire video to realize this was uploaded 6 minutes before watching is wild

[@SilverFoxeGames]

I hope the developer is planning a sequel with a lot more time in the oven than this one, missed potential means that it has that potential in the first place, so if they managed to take what worked with this game and remedy all the flaws, this could work out. Maybe frankie for the next season could kick the scary up a notch and make things more tense, and also keep the other players alive for longer to add the multiple people competing against you aspect

[@D111DeLaRocadeLeon]

You put too many expectations to something not that big, but great

[@frostthefox702]

you know what fair enough criticisms even if a bit stretched in some parts but for what finding frankie is i think it's an amazing game even if i never played it and only watched it

[@Ange40700]

What are you talking about?? The game is legit perfect lol, simple creepy story, goes right in which at the very beginning catches the player off guard, the gameplay is fun, the music is SO GOOD, the designs are dope, the animation are excellent, the ending is PEAK HORROR, its creepy and its just perfection tbh. Also how tf you gonna put high expectation on a INDIE (horror) GAME hello? Saboting ur own mind is crazy. This is a video game so NO the story isn't gonna be as realistic as u would like it to be, its the point of most horror game. Idk why youtubers think all of a suddden theyre profesionnal critiques, ALWAYS towards indie game too, just shut up gosh. u cant enjoy anything seek help

[@jhiancarlosclemente6168]

The game was nowhere near scary

[@kyllian-qy4gh]

Thank you for saying that deputy duck is kind of a useless mechanic honestly they couldve done much better with that but oh well

[@FreedomRoyal7]

He was Useful to spot The telephones

[@Cryophobia-cp7mx]

Wish he was an actual monster instead

[@Redsilver2]

@@FreedomRoyal7 He was only useful in 1 instance of the game and that's the problem, it's pretty underwhelming. I think it would had been better if he would've just granted small movements buffs for a certain amount of time to the player, it would of been better like that. This would put more focus on the parkour aspect of the game (In my opinion).

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@Redsilver2 Yeah But as Much as the game has talking Rabbits and Telephones That would just be cheating as this is apart of the Gameshow plan Get him to Hexa-Havoc and Kill Him

[@randontimberwolf4007]

I was disappointed by how little was in the game. I knew going in to expect 1-2 hours of total game play, but it hit he quite hard when I realized I got to the final boss. I was really hoping this was gonna be a lot longer. Another thing for me was that I wanted to play on the obstacle courses the most. Imagine my disappointment when I played through the employee's only area's the most.

[@kingratawhiz730]

Ok even tho I was pissed that the game I thought was flawless was already getting (sorta) hated on, I was kinda disappointed by how short the 3-hour runtime we were told about, came out as a 1-hour game.

[@CartoonBuffoon]

This is something I agree with and in a sequel MORE PLATFORMING IS A MUST. Also Idk I think for the price you get what you paid for and I don't think its all bad. Like it sucks the game is short but it doesn't burn a hole in your wallet and I don't think the puzzles pad the runtime as some other's may believe

[@randontimberwolf4007]

@CartoonBuffoon it's so upsetting because a game like this had so much stacked in its favor. A horror game based on Wipeout and Fallguys, so many ideas for levels can come of this

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I really hope we can see more of the park and the other mascots because how can there be a huge park with only 3 mascots?

[@randontimberwolf4007]

@Cubeytheawesome A 3 stories tall building that contains a water, trampoline and amusement park. There are utility corridors leading all over the place. There has to be more and There should've been more mascots

[@Avatarbefire]

We weren’t even looking for Frankie🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@Unactive_5]

What ive seen from newer mascot horror games, is that they put these stuff in the trailers that never make it into the real game. For example, in poppy playtime chapter 3, there is alot of spots in the trailer that have vhs effects that never got put in the game. It also seems like it happened here.

[@KattyKitten69]

The vhs effects we're clearly just part of the trailer. Its obviously not going to be in the game.

[@Unactive_5]

@@KattyKitten69 yeah, but they made it look like it was going to be on the game. It looked like gameplay movement, and it looked like it was going to show more lore

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I remember they were going to have Henry show up in the first 5 minutes. Not mad that they changed that though

[@Jmac477]

It's a fun game, why people already disliking it

[@FreedomRoyal7]

Cuz Nowadays they expect to See A 10ft lanky demon With the Most goriest design even though we’ve seen that many times in movies and Games

[@bag-manbaron2547]

@@FreedomRoyal7 That wasn't even one of reason that was listed, they even said they liked the character designs in this game

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@bag-manbaron2547 I’m not talking About Him Mate

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@bag-manbaron2547 I’m talking about people who want to See what I just said

[@bag-manbaron2547]

@@FreedomRoyal7 Well I apologize for not knowing who you were referring to in this scenario. Also was not aware my comment actually sent cause youtube said it ran into an error when I sent that message lol

[@Skipchipsdip]

On bright side, if devs decide to make a sequel they can def improve and listen to criticism to make game better

[@HemsheelSeetahul-p8r]

Finding frankie to me was a great horror game

[@Astradenix]

I know a lot of people have brought up the fall guys thing, so I'll only bring up the final fight. The fact you thought that it was ripped straight from fall guys hurt my soul considering i grew up with TnT run and spleef on Minecraft. The fall guys version uses hexagons as a style choice. Frankie uses it as a pun. On a whiteboard you can see the foreshadowing of your character being kept alive on purpose and your death was scheduled at hexa-(covered). You see the hexagons above the incinerator. You get there and you could say that you're a 'Hexa-Goner'

[@8onnie8oyz]

After getting over recency bias, I'd give the game a 7/10. It's amazing, but too many things hold it back from being better.

[@karmutza2077]

big L take imo the game is absolutley awesome and i like the parkour type of horror game they did AND the horror is just the sweet spot between absolutly terrifying and mild

[@22Tesla]

I can see how this game would be fun to play. It's fun in the same way Fall Guy's is fun, but it doesn't really feel like a mascot horror game, it feels like a multiplayer game that got ported into a single player game. And this is mostly to do with the parkour running levels mostly, everything else connecting it doesn't really work I don't think. It's a short game, shorter if you speed run it, and it costs $15. And while a game doesn't need lore to be fun to play, mascot horror kind of needs lore, or at least more than what we got in this game. All we know is this company was started by two brothers who sold the IP, a big indoor park was created, there was a death, the park now holds privately streamed contests were basically the contestants die within the first few seconds or minutes... and not much else. We know nothing about characters like Henry other than he has a late night show and is a tumblr sexy man, and Deputy Duck..... what's the point of him? None of the characters have a theme that connects them, it feels like the other two were created just to be a temporary threat and a game tool that's asked to bridge sections together. Maybe that's just cause I like a game with a story, and with this game it feels like it's got a story that we're just asked to not think about as running the course is the main part of the game.

[@Rendomguy-ip4my]

I fail to see how I'm supposed to "find" Frankie

[@LeBaffledWafter]

0:19 AMONG US?

[@lumwukfriendselectronicgam9754]

when it comes to my thoughts of finding frankie i feel like other then the frankies the other characters were under used like in deputy ducks area i feel like instead of frankie coming to punish you like in his parkour area it should of been like a bigger version of deputy duck and thats also because a big deputy duck would of been cool for the sewer area instead of just more frankie also henry feels really under used theres the wander round the maze chase seen he's dead later in the game he's alive and then dies imediatly anyway also the fact that when meeting back with him it feels like he just forgot about the chase and ringing kind of being nice

[@Cubeytheawesome]

My only complaints were that there should have been more characters and it should have been longer.

[@TheKaijuKing54]

One thing I love about this game is the environment. The trampoline park has much going for it with its surroundings. You can tell the devs put so much effort into designing the place.

[@rose-mariedessert3117]

I think your opinion is valid, I honestly feel the same way, what was hinted between the trailers and game were different. Also, I think it would have been cool if we could have a chance to save Henry, yet fail.

[@guts60]

Cut to UhYeah going on a tangent about Xoonomoly being one of the worst horror games he’s ever played as a comparison

[@8onnie8oyz]

I didn't like Zoonomoly either, and I've never seen his video before.

[@boxo-by]

I think the henry maze section would be more interesting storytelling and gameplay wise if when you use the first phone he’s visibly distressed and hurt by the ringing, and runs away because he can’t stand it. Then you go into the maze and each time you find and use a phone it’ll cause henry to flee if he’s close, since he doesn’t like the ringing. This could also prompt you to maybe time when you use each phone to keep henry as far away from you as possible. I don’t know, I haven’t played the game and I don’t plan on it, so if this is how the maze functions correct me.

[@twistedscythe6421]

"The Hexagon level was ripped straight from Fall Guys" Visually? Sure. However... Minecraft Spleef (a game around far longer than fall guys) would like to have a word. The constant comparisons to Fall Guys were a bit annoying, considering Fall Guys probably got their inspiration from several parkour game shows. LIKE THE GAME IS TRYING TO EMULATE. Fall Guys is not the end all be all. Basically, the difference I see is, Finding Frankie; What if a parkour game show was scary? Fall Guys; What if a parkour game show was more silly?

[@crriiiss]

It's always a pleasure to have you back with new videos :)

[@herodoesstuff]

i gotta say, this game looks REALLY good. there was clearly a lot of love put into the visuals, characters, etc. its sad that in other aspects it falls flat, tho i will say your criticisms didn't hurt it for me too much and i do think it's super interesting to hear the good and the bad. overall its p neat seeing a game like this take this direction thats a little less serious at times too, i'm looking forward to seeing other ppl talk abt this. rly great video!!

[@G3mgamer]

Congrats on 300k!

[@blaneonthemoon2507]

The game is supposed to be more fun than scary.

[@bulbasaurkindahawtngl2345]

Yeah if u want scary, Henry Hotline’s got u covered

[@mxdgames8359]

@@bulbasaurkindahawtngl2345 Yeah, that sequence was nerve racking, when you hear the footsteps get louder.

[@FNAFfan23.lovesFNAF]

I give the game 10/10 I haven’t LOVED a game this much since fnaf. It has pretty good visuals and really interesting characters. And honestly who says the lore isn’t deep? I mean, I kinda believe the game doesn’t really needs that but throughout watching the gameplay I felt that there’s definitely a lot of behind it. I’ve never played fall guys so I can’t judge. But I am pretty sure it wasn’t “copied”. The devs really created the game with passion Let’s just appreciate that it’s not yet another “OH NO PEOPLE IN MASCOTS!!” type horror game. It has a pretty new plot to mascot horror and I really appreciate that

[@JaviSocas2My2ndChannel]

Frankie's voice sounds a lot like Caine from The Amazing Digital Circus. And I thought this game was like Mirror's Edge.

[@AnimaWild]

Amongus sea Ok i'll keep watching the video but i cannot unhear this AAHHHHH

[@JellyLard]

I played the game on release, and refunded 20 minutes in. Not that the game was bad, it just wasn't for me. It felt confusing and I didn't know what was happening. I actually completely broke the game after the tutorial somehow. When I had completed the tutorial, I ran out and the walls and floor were completely gone. I loaded the last saved checkpoint, and for some reason I got sent straight to the food court, so I missed an entire chunk of gameplay. So yeah, that probably didn't help much with my enjoyment. I can tell the devs put a lot of effort into the game though

[@swj719]

I wonder if the "oh wow thos is so unusual" aspect of the starting premise wasn't a subversion of that very trope. Yes, it happens ALL THE TIME, but the surviving contestant doesn't. For all they know it really IS the first time it happened. Sure the lie shatters once the contestant finds all those bodies, but at that moment how terrifying would that be?

[@thebapslaps]

If you played this for horror, it was eh. If you played this for the platforming/speedrunning. 10/10

[@frankturtle9421]

I like this game, ive watched 4 playtroughs and everyone has had a different opinion and played the game differently. Alot of the problem you mention i didnt even think existed

[@sunsetlover123-y7c]

It's okay, bro. I didn't manage to find Frankie either...but don't worry! Frankie will be found one day. Me, you, and the other minority of people deemed unsuccessful will make sure of it...

[@hydranoid2009]

I have to say my biggest fault with frankie was the story. I don't think it needed to be deep or anything, and the silly tone worked, I just wish the story actually made sense. I know you said that it doesn't take itself seriously which I get, but the plot doesn't really add up imo. It was more confusing than anything, especially the ending.

[@Tippsters-10]

Nah I’m sorry, man, but when the big bad of the game gets Noob Noob to death you know it’s peak

[@Frostwolf_103]

I was kinda expecting Finding Frankie has chill start and midway with contestants are dying everywhere. I do applaud for the effort and I can honestly enjoy this.

[@Monsterx67]

To me, I like how the game is trying to do something different than normal having more parkour a little less puzzles, but I think they needed more focusing on that and I wish there was a little more story

[@Average_Grilledcheese_fan]

I like your videos alot but I felt this one was a bit wrong. Sure ofc it could have done more but I genuinely think it was an amazing game and for the devs first time it was incredibly good. The animation werent sloppy the characters models were good and the music was freaking awesome! It didnt have complicated lore either so no headache trying to deciphering it lol. Also it was based off of gameshows and wasnt necessarily just based off of fall guys. Wipe out and american warrior were the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the game. Overall I dont think the game was missed potential but thats just my opinion

[@waferdaze8017]

Personally, I like how disorienting the game can be at time, main issue is running around in some of the previous areas can effectively land you in needing to load to the last checkpoint. Other than that gripe, the disoriented feeling just sorta fits well into the overall frantic tone the game gives me. Is it exactly a smooth transition from the on a rail experience a number of other Mascot Horror games settle with? No, not really. But for someone like me who thinks getting lost can be a bit fun depending on the specifics? I am really impressed that this game can sorta capture that spatial confusion with the limited size of it. Another thing I really love are all the various death screens. It's really charming and not really super intrusive. Just respawn and try again.

[@Someone_43]

What if it wasn't supposed to be a horror game at all? Some first-of-its-kind "movement thriller"?

[@Stellyrgames]

~17:55 - you're.. criticizing the game for allowing you to go multiple different ways..? if anything thats a GOOD thing.. ~18:38 - deciding to bring this up here but its basically half the reason you didnt like the game but I dont see how the movement is bad, and also the sliding is awesome. just because there isnt something you can slide under doesnt mean you cant use it?? like, the speed it gives you is insane. i actually used it to go through the climax climbing part quicker. which, according to you, would make it better because its a rip straight from fall guys and isnt even good because its missing the core reasoning of it being good in fall guys.

[@aaronlopez5163]

Finding frankie looks like an amazing platformer game and extremely fun which makes me question why it’s a horror game. Getting rid of the horror would make it a far better game in my opinion as it feels half-baked not well thought out compared to the fun parkour.

[@luispinero4928]

Finding Frankie should have been a chapter based game

[@WPFLAWLESS]

I feel like horror in a nut shell can be boiled down to 'you know this completely normal thing? What if it was scary?' So to knock this for being based off of the same premise as Fallguys is finding things to be upset about it. Sliding CAN be used in the slime climb you just have to be careful because it bites you in the zza. The circuit puzzles are designed that way because you're in a Parkour park. It'd be stupid to have a basic walking puzzle/ door system. It'd be like if Poppy Playtime didn't rely on the gravpack for most of the puzzles. I do agree on the HH section. I think he should have either charged you or we should have only heard his voice threaten you from the shadows getting more irritated as you progress.

[@tangiblenoah2035]

I loved the game. Especially with it being the devs first project. The mechanics were pretty solid for what they were as well

[@FreedomRoyal7]

Imagine Hating on a Game you can Play back to see what Happens

[@farawayxgalaxy]

@@FreedomRoyal7 I literally have 0 idea what this comment is supposed to mean-

[@FreedomRoyal7]

@@farawayxgalaxy How it literally says it in Full English “Imagine hating on a game that YOU can PLAY BACK to see what HAPPENS” cuz people are complaining that They can’t see what’s happening when you have multiple chances to play

[@ClearlyNotBuer]

I thought i would be really bad at the game but i wasnt so bad!! I was happy with it nonetheless.

[@TheOnlyNoggie]

Just because you have the visuals down doesn’t mean you have the entire game down. They didn’t put in any actual lore or story.