The concept of animatronic characters in video games became widely popularized by Scott Cawthon’sFive Nights at Freddy’sseries, but these man-made monstrosities existed prior to 2014 in various forms, sometimes as allies and sometimes as enemies, though more often the latter. In fact, animatronics — like the common fear of clowns — became such a cultural phenomenon that psychologists coined an official term for the phobia: Automatonophobia.
Older examples of real-life animatronics include Chuck E. Cheese and Billy Bob from ShowBiz Pizza Place (both terrifying, by the way), whereas more modern iterations take the form of an electronic Tyrannosaurus puppet at London’s National History Museum or the Audio-Animatronics at Disneyland — particularly the Enchanted Tiki Birds of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
But, video games have become more inventive with their portrayals of animatronics over the years, branching out to sentient mannequins, killer squirrels, and even a hostile version of the cymbal-banging monkey toy (horrifying). Not for the faint-hearted or for those who suffer from automatonophobia, these video games featuring animatronics are certain to unnerve even the bravest souls.
The epitome of animatronic horror,Five Nights at Freddy’sbecame an internet sensationthanks to the playthroughs of popular YouTubers such as PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, and Markiplier, which helped Scott Cawthon’s franchise garner worldwide attention.Five Nights at Freddy’sfollows Mike Schmidt, a nighttime security guard tasked with watching over the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Mike must control security cameras, steel doors, and lights to keep the animatronics at bay and survive from midnight to 6AM for six nights in a row — the seventh night being a custom night. If Mike gets jump-scared, the game ends.Five Nights at Freddy’smainly features four animatronics; Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, while future sequels introduce more characters intothe franchise’s complicated lore.
In future installments ofFive Nights at Freddy’s, antagonists such as Puppet/Marionette, Springtrap, Nightmare Fredbear, Circus Baby, and Glitchtrap are introduced, among others. In total, there are over 100 animatronics across the wholeFive Nights at Freddy’sfranchise. Aside from the larger, more prominent animatronics, manyFive Nights at Freddy’ssequels also include smaller animatronic mascots, such as Theodore, Ella, Stanley, and Balloon Boy, and several variations of the classic animatronics, divided into categories like Shadow, Phantom, Nightmare, Funtime, and Rockstar.
While the main threat ofAlien: Isolationis — of course — the Xenomorph, the playable character, Amanda, encounters many hostile human survivors and androids, the latter of which fall under the umbrella term animatronics. Whilethe Xenomorph cannot be defeated and must be evadedusing stealth tactics, the human and android enemies can either be eliminated or avoided altogether. In theAlien: Isolationuniverse, these androids are referred to as Working Joes. This class of androids was created by a European manufacturer as a low-cost alternative to their competitor’s android models. When Amanda encounters a Working Joe, it operates in two distinctive modes: passive and hostile. If Amanda approaches a Working Joe with glowing white eyes, the android is operating as per its parameters, only ever acknowledging Amanda’s presence without engaging her. However, the Working Joes aboard the Sevastopol Space Station have gone a bit haywire, so if their eyes are glowing red, they are hostile and will attack Amanda on sight.
Working Joe androids can be temporarily short-circuitedwith a stun baton or an EMP mine. As for firearms, a standard revolver isn’t typically enough to bring a Working Joe down. However, shotguns, flamethrowers, and Molotov cocktails will chip away at a Working Joe’s defenses, leaving it vulnerable to a finishing headshot. Hazardous Environment Joes are equipped with fire-resistant uniforms, therefore flamethrowers and Molotovs will be less effective against them. A few Pipe Bombs will finish off a Joe, but the most effective weapon to use against a Working Joe is a Bolt Gun, which will take it down in one shot.
3Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two
In the world ofEpic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, animatronics exist as the creations of the Mad Doctor, the mastermind behind the Beetleworx robots that Mickey encounters on his journey through Cartoon Wasteland. He formed a close partnership with Oswald, and the pair became responsible for the creation of many more animatronics, including replicas of Mickey’s friends, as per Oswald’s request. inEpic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the Mad Doctor tries to trick Oswald and Mickey into believing he is reformed and dedicated to the pursuit of good, but once Mickey and Oswald reach his attic, the Mad Doctor reveals his true intentions to become famous.
In the final phase of the game, Mickey and Oswald are forced to confront the Mad Doctor in a contraption of his own design — a giant, animatronic arachnid. Other animatronic characters in theEpic Mickeyfranchise include robotic versions of Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto, as well as Captain Hook and Tick-Tock the Crocodile. Not to mention the fact that the Mad Doctor himself, when the Blot arrives, turns himself from a Toon into an animatronic to survive. If players achieve the Good Ending, the Doc will strive to get his heart backin order to return to the Cartoon World.
2Case 2: Animatronics Survival
Animal-Themed Animatronics
In the few months betweenFive Nights at Freddy’s 4andFive Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, when popularity for animatronic horror had continued to surge, developer Walnut LLC releasedCASE: Animatronics, a first-person stealth horror thatreceived a sequel (prequel) a few years later—CASE 2: Animatronics Survival. In the original game, police detective Jack Bishop finds himself trapped in the police station with hostile animatronics by a mysterious hacker named Scott. In the prequel, set two years before Scott’s revenge, Jack’s daughter, Emily Bishop, gets kidnapped by “UNKNOWN” — an enigmatic assailant who communicates only through telephone lines. UNKNOWN is the creator of the various animatronics that attack Jack throughout both games.
InCASE 2: Animatronics Survival, Jack will encounter several animal-themed animatronics, such as the Bull, the Cat, the Owl, the Wolf, and the Crocodile. In addition to the story mode,CASE 2: Animatronics Survivalhas the option for a 1v3 multiplayer mode in which three players take on the roles of the Survivors and one player controls an animatronic of their choosing. Survivors must escape one of three facilities — the Bunker, the Police Department, or the Forest — while the animatronic’s job is to kill at least one survivor before they all manage to escape.
1Dark Deception
The Joy Joy Gang
Dark Deceptionis a free-to-play horror game that places the protagonist ina maze-like building that vaguely resembles a hotel. Players are informed that they’re being hunted by a psychotic, bloodthirsty creature that will stop at nothing to kill them. The aim ofDark Deceptionis to collect all the glowing purple shards scattered throughout the winding corridors — thinkPac-Mancollecting power pellets while being chased by the ghosts, butDark Deception’s main antagonist takes the form of an oversized cymbal-banging monkey toy. But, these Murder Monkeys — while terrifying — are nothing more than mutated children’s playthings.
Other supporting antagonists inDark Deceptioninclude the Joy Joy Gang, comprising Hangry the Pig, Penny the Chicken, and the group’s leader, Lucky the Rabbit. These animatronics were designed to pursue and eliminate any trespassers to Joy Joy Land, a theme park housing one of Malak’s ring pieces. The Joy Joy Gang make their first appearance in Chapter 4 and serve as the main enemies of “Sickening Slaughterhouse.” There are countless theories as to who — or what — the Joy Joy Gang represents, though a popular belief points to each of them representing one of the seven deadly sins.
