FNAF - Secret of the mimic
When Five Nights at Freddy’s debuted in 2014, it quickly became a landmark in indie horror. Scott Cawthon’s point-and-click survival game trapped players in a security office with limited power, grainy surveillance feeds, and malfunctioning animatronics creeping ever closer. It was a simple formula, but one that created suffocating tension and introduced fans to a sprawling, sinister universe. Sequels like FNAF 2 (2014) and FNAF 3 (2015) built on that foundation with new mechanics and deeper lore, transforming what began as a minimalist horror experience into one of gaming’s most cryptic and heavily theorized franchises. At the center of this growing mythology stood William Afton—a co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment, notorious for the gruesome child murders that ignited the series' central haunting. Known as the “Purple Guy,” Afton is the architect of the franchise’s tragedy, his legacy spreading across generations of animatronics and corporate cover-ups.
By the time Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach launched in 2021, the series had taken a bold leap away from its roots. Set in a massive neon-lit mall, the game introduced full 3D exploration, stealth-based gameplay, and a broader environmental narrative. Its 2023 DLC, Ruin, brought back the series’ signature dread with tighter spaces and a more grounded horror tone—while still embracing a free-roaming structure. This evolution paved the way for Secret of the Mimic (June 2025), which doubles down on atmospheric exploration but with a slower, more methodical pace. Set in the abandoned Murray’s Costume Manor, the game feels more like a classic survival horror title than an arcade thriller.
What truly sets Secret of the Mimic apart, however, is its story. The game centers on Edwin Murray, a grieving inventor and one-time partner of William Afton. Together, they created the Mimic—a highly intelligent animatronic capable of learning and replicating human behavior. But in classic Afton fashion, betrayal wasn’t far behind. Instead of helping Murray cope with personal loss, Afton exploits his grief, seizes control of the Mimic project, and discards his partner like outdated tech. The result is a deeply personal horror tale, one where technology and tragedy intersect, and the legacy of Afton’s cruelty lingers in every flickering hallway.
As players explore the manor and uncover audio logs and remnants of Murray’s work, a quieter but telling detail emerges—one that speaks volumes about who Edwin Murray was before everything unraveled. Among his many innovations, Murray had also begun experimenting with springlock suits—the same dual-purpose concept that would later become synonymous with deadly accidents and twisted animatronics. But unlike Afton’s later, notoriously dangerous designs, Murray’s early springlock suits were safer and less prone to mechanical failure. This seemingly small difference reveals a major philosophical divide: while Murray built with care and conscience, Afton built with control and cruelty. One sought connection; the other sought power. And the consequences of that split would echo throughout the entire FNAF legacy.
Yet even as Secret of the Mimic charts new territory in tone and gameplay, it ultimately circles back to the origin of all the horror. Because deep within Murray’s Costume Manor lies more than just a broken inventor and a rogue machine—it holds the blueprint of everything to come. The Mimic, with its unsettling ability to learn and imitate, wasn’t just another animatronic—it was the first. Long before Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, before security cameras and static-filled monitors, before William Afton became a name whispered in fear, there was the Mimic. It was Afton’s betrayal of Murray and the exploitation of this original creation that set the entire nightmare into motion. And so, when players encounter the familiar silhouettes of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy—glimpses of the future that Afton would go on to shape—it’s not just a nod to nostalgia. It’s a chilling reminder that all of it, the whole haunted legacy of Five Nights at Freddy’s, started here.
With the next FNAF movie sequel creeping into theaters this December, one can’t help but wonder just how much deeper this rabbit hole goes. So we have to ask: who’s ready to return to the dark—and who’s excited to see what nightmare comes next?
