Night 1 - 1 attempt
Night 2 - 5 attempts
Night 3 - 26 attempts
Night 4 - 41 attempts
Night 5 - 53 attempts
Night 6 - 65 attempts
Total - 191 attempts

Deaths
Springtrap - 185 deaths

I already knew I hated this one for a multitude of reasons, but I figured it was short and easy enough to just speed through and maybe have some fun recording it.

Anyway, to the point, good lord, this game is so remarkably nothing. To not say anything about the first night, which is quite literally nothing, FNaF3 has a singular game plan from night 2 onwards. There is no threat you should ever come across aside from Springtrap himself, and even if you do, none of them function any differently from one another. When you're not begrudgingly moving to the left side of the screen to fix whatever went wrong this time, you're sitting on one camera and pressing the audio button every time Afton moves away. Rinse, repeat, five times over.
The AI in 3 ranges from light speed movement through rooms and vents, killing you at 2AM, to 'I literally watched him crawl into the same locked vent four times in the span of 20 seconds. On night 5.' I just find it really difficult to take this thing seriously, there's nothing to fear with this one.
And I think that's the biggest problem. There is nothing to fear. Springtrap will make his presence obnoxiously known through loud ambience once he's close enough, will peek his little head in through the door when he's about to strike, and then gives you a feeble cat hiss once he finally makes it in. Every scare in this game uses the same weak noise, dampened a hell of a lot more by the fact that it's all telegraphed for a solid 3 seconds at least. The only thing that can come close would be Phantom Foxy, who will randomly (I assume?? I still haven't figured everything out about him) appear in the office off to the side, but will still just awkwardly stand there as long as you don't scroll far enough. Foxy is legitimately good thinking from a gameplay perspective, players will scramble to the other monitor to fix an error, and he's there to catch you for moving too sporadically. He's cool! I saw him a total of once.

The best thing Five Nights at Freddy's 3 had to offer was lore. Cool story, doesn't change the fact that I'm snoozin'. 4/10 game.

after playing the first and second fnaf you might expect to play the third one and have a really similar experience . well you might be surprised to know that this game has the same premise but got some major differences here and out and they make for a kind of parallel experience that feels true to fnaf but also shits in his mouth a little

i kind of lost track of the lore in the entirety of the series already like the second one I could get behind but this one I dont get it at all like they closed (?) freddys pizzeria due to some kind of drama and they opened an amusement spooky house something ? with pieces of late animatronics around the entirety of the structure you can check the cameras and see like the head of foxy hung to the wall or like the faces of the toy animatronics in your room shit like this and also if you ask me something about the story of the end of chapter minigames where the purple guy kills the animatronics I genuinely have no fucking clue and I also genuinely don't care . like at all thank you and I'm pretty unsure to why they decided to transform the "omg came to life animatronics" trope to "dead children's ghosts infest their bodies" and i honestly cannot keep up with it anymore i so dont care lets just be real the overarching lore is actually pretty interesting idk why theyre adding meat on meat and not doing anything with it

so anyhow this is probably my least favorite out of the bunch here but I guess there's some stuff that I actually enjoy (like 2: springtraps model and the more strategy ish typa gameplay)

as I said the base gameplay is in theory the same youre stuck in a room with an animatronic trying to sneak on you and kill you and you have some technologyyy~ to help you fend off from the fiend but the overall strategy is a bit different

springtrap is the only real threat here and he's sneaky as shit kinda fast and super intelligent he will be hiding from the cameras enter vents as fast as possible and get you in like 10 seconds if you do not know how to defend from yourself

now in theory this is very interesting because it adds a lot of pressure to the games nature and springtrap actually acts decently clever or incredibly stupid most of the times but what should be a wit battle ends up being a one way trip to chaos you won't be able to see this fucker most of the time because he hides from the camera and gets in a weird position you will be able to see either his eyes or his feet basically your systems will go haywire every 3 seconds and when you reboot them you can 100% sure to hear vent noises because hes not stupid and to add to all this shit there's gonna be phantoms spooking you here and there . now again these jumpscares are pretty cheap too and you can predict them due to some cues that will trigger them but the real issue is the fact that they're gonna bust at least one of your systems thats the real problem also in general springtraps jumpscare is so weak he literally walks up to you without any noise and also most of the time you will know when he's coming because you can see him through your window etc

so whatever you have to seal off this bitch avoid phantoms while systems bust and you cannot see anything in the cameras the amount of times I died just because I couldn't find springtrap in the camera view is insane lemme tell you I had to study the camera positions to even barely glimpse at him this game is not real

so anyway what's funny is that people said this is the easiest entry in the franchise but its actually the one I died l the most in

nice premise weird execution springtrap is kinda cute tho I want to get tea with him

This game is actually alright; the gameplay has flaws but I think people really overblow it. Although there are moments that feel frustrating and sometimes unfair, it's never too much, and I actually feel the uncertainty of aspects of the gameplay work quite well to create a frightening experience. You really could lose at just about any moment. That being said, it's still very simple, so I can't give it too much praise, but I at least prefer it to the bland aggravating reaction-time loop of the second game.
The game is also quite unnerving as a whole, I love Springtrap's renders and every first-time Phantom encounter is terrifying. I do honestly feel the story falters a bit here; the in-between minigames have very little impact on me given most elements were only formally being introduced in the previous game, and due to this game's original finale status those concepts had to try and wrap themselves up immediately, which is not very entertaining.
Also the cake route sucks.

Easily the worst fnaf game. As someone who at least has something of an appreciation for the first game and Pizzeria Simulator, this game basically embodies everything that lead to fnaf's self cannibalization: Shit gameplay, zero tension, dumbass obtuse puzzles, stupid lore.

Is is naive to blame fnaf for analog horror being such a big thing as it is nowadays? I know that it didn't invent the genre, but it becomes a thing right around the time this game comes out and they share a lot of similar ideas; The perversion of childhood imagery, the retrofetishism, the inanely deep lore for no real reason. The major difference is that fnaf as a series relies way too much on jumpscares over anything else as it goes on, whereas most analog horror prides itself on it's atmospheric slow burn A24 horror with zero jumpscares, but jesus fucking christ does every single analog horror series fall flat on its face on being scary. They're basically 90% buildup, and the payoff more often than not is a creepy face less scary than the majority of shitty old creepypastas or some kind of abstraction that leaves it up to the viewer to imagine a scary thing themselves. More often than not it just ends up kind of funny.

To quote the top comment of soon to be horror classic DELTARUNE VHS | SNOWGRAVE: "I like that there are no cheap jumpscares, just unnerving imageries and sounds and that's what makes it look actually scary." Indeed.

After getting too ambitious with the first follow-up to his 2014 indie horror smash hit, it's nice to see Scott Cawthon take a step back with this third entry and reduce the scale again. Now instead of having to fend off an assortment of varied threats across a rather sprawling pizzeria establishment, you're largely keeping track of a single animatronic through a small handful of locations. Yet, while this means it's able to avoid 2’s biggest mistake of having had too much going on to get balanced properly in such a short time period between releases, the new structure exposes the flaws inherent in the very design of the franchise that simply weren't noticeable in the original due to its more focused, tight, and well executed vision.

A big way Cawthon has increased the amount on time people spend playing these 5 to 6 level experiences is by throwing players into the action without so much as a tutorial pop-up to help get their bearings, forcing them to figure out what they need to do to survive on their own. In the past the basics have been easy to grasp, with the more intricate nuances requiring a bit of experimentation and a hint of trial-and-error to learn. Here though the setup is so vague it's difficult to decipher what the bare minimum expected of you is, leading to a lot of frustration right at the very beginning.

While this feeling is somewhat alleviated when you finally gain an understanding of the mechanics, it never goes away entirely due to the RNG at the heart of the series and a few other cheap tricks. This is certainly far more forgiving than its most direct predecessor outside of the bonus 6th "Nightmare" stage as a result of the lesser number of factors at play. However, you'll still fall prey to random bullcrap at inopportune moments by complete chance that can severely ruin your run. This is a stumbling block the inceptive title managed to avoid by providing mechanics that made it possible to stay on top of and counteract the randomness if you were skilled enough. So it was always easy to interpret how you failed and why. The lack of that same reliability in favor of an underlying system with a higher degree of uncontrollable probability is what's really hurt the first two of its sequels. Then there are the extra problems 3 has holding it back...

The entire gameplay concept of this one is centered around directing your robotic pursuer away from the security office you're hiding in by triggering sound cues in nearby rooms to draw its attention there. All while various mechanical failures occur in the building that if unaddressed for too long will set off an alarm that'll cause the murderous mascot to set its sights back on you. It's a compelling idea, but ends up being not all that engaging or truly exciting to actually play, on top of being brought down by a pretty egregious case of artificial difficulty.

Considering how the action primarily consists of trying to uncover your foe's location via cameras, it's blatantly unfair how he's been intentionally placed in the darkest nooks and crannies of most areas (occasionally even behind the mini-map in the corner of the screen) that you're already viewing through a grainy video feed plagued with static, rendering him nearly invisible. This is an obstacle that can be somewhat avoided if you manage to corral the nuisance into a few key positions where the blindspots aren't so absurd, but every second you have to stop and go fix something runs the risk of him slipping into the darkness and becoming virtually undetectable again, until it's too late. FNaF 3’s biggest problem though might just be that it's not really scary. The new sound effects that accompany the jump scares are definitely easier on the ears, but lack the necessary impact to produce the intended fearful reaction.

Despite all my complaining though, there is a silver lining. Hiding underneath the expected main horror offering is a rather enormous puzzle that upon completion will unlock the "Good Ending" and expand upon the property's mythos. This is a multilayered brainteaser with cryptic hints hidden in the Atari-style segues between nights and tasks that must be done throughout the entire work week this takes place over. It's a genuinely complex, clever process that shows more inventiveness and effort than the actual product encasing it does, while also being a total blast to solve. So in the end this is partially redeemed from its mediocrity and faults by an immensely satisfying meta-game that I'd say is worth experiencing for fans.

Yet, although I enjoyed this more than the last outing, I've still been left wanting a true successor to the legitimate gem that started it all. What we've received so far hasn't been terrible, but has shown how the core tenets the cult classic was founded on are unable to sustain a string of equally lovable continuations. At least not so long as their developer continues to change functions that turned out to be crucial to its success in order to try and appease the complaints of those whose boneheaded criticism saw to it that things like life-saving doors were removed. Some of that placation here was ultimately for the better as I no longer felt brutalized by a ridiculously high challenge. However, it's not a significant enough leap forward in quality to stave off the disappointment from the sneaking suspicion I'm getting that the Five Nights at Freddy's brand as a whole might only be a one-hit wonder.

6.5/10

FNAF 3 HATERS TOO WEAK TO LIVE !!! didnt take me but 30 minutes to realize this is easily my favorite of the original trilogy...tho in a way im not sure i would appreciate it so much without being able to understand its beautiful opposing mirror view of fnaf 2. im kinda sad this idea of One Animatronic doesnt rly seem to be revisited anywhere else in the series...where in fnaf 2 it basically doesnt matter where an enemy is unless theyre already in or right by your office, fnaf 3 demands Total Deliberacy, internalizing the ever-quickening pace of springtraps movement as well as the spaces he's moving thru are essential (im sure even more so in the post-night 5 challenges, which i am also eager to return to sometime). the effect created then is a hard-earned hyper-satisfying Total Intimacy...with springtrap, with the layout of rooms and vents, with the various tics of the phantomtronics. this is prob at least part of the game's lesser reputation, its not very Lets Playable...difficult to follow if yr not the one playing, not much immediate spectacle or instant visable feedback, and generally Weird To Learn! but the friction is totally worth it imo, gameplay-wise this is easily the most compelling set of rules so far to me, not so much a Loop as the previous games (tho u can try to make it a loop!), more ab slightly longer-term decisions. i mentioned the swing between Power and Powerlessness fnaf 1 managed with its cameras, and thats Even More Pronounced here with the difference between Knowing Where Springtrap Is and Not Knowing Where Springtrap is...a wonderful eb and flow of panicked searching and careful decision making.

attempting to sorta Psychologically Compartmentalize these games thinking ab them As They Were On Release, knowing this was supposed to be the last one rly paints like a whole different picture of the series...more Arch Urban Legend then convoluted lore, and a rly cool little trilogy that establishes its broad formula and then iterates on it in two opposite directions. in that way this totally feels appropriately climactic to me, not just cuz i Love It A Lot tho that helps, but because it brings such a sense of symmetry to the series. its not quite perfect perhaps...the phantoms have to be some of the least interesting design variations in the series ofc dhsjhfs. but overall yea my fave so far and an Industrial Classic of video game aesthetics, including in its play! i aint gonna try to justify that u just gotta feel it!

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 3 REVIEW
Note: I give spoiler warnings for spoilers.

I think there's something to be said about my own willpower - or perhaps my mental state - that I continue playing (AND reviewing) this franchise. There is absolutely no reason for me to. Yet I trek on, as this is my solemn duty, apparently.
Every time I pick up any FNaF game, I find myself thinking about all the better things I could be playing instead. I think that perfectly summarizes my feelings on the series. It's an absolute time-waster that no one should bother with.
Now, that's not to say that it doesn't have cool lore... But how much does that lore count for, when most of it is completely absent from the games themselves? Why do they insist on barely using their strongest talking point? It baffles me.
FNaF 3 is definitely my least favorite so far. Like the first two, I think that there's some decent groundwork that could have led to something good... But it doesn't. It never does with FNaF. Nothing ever goes anywhere; anything of substance is buried under lackluster worldbuilding and mediocre - or outright bad - mechanics. It's frustrating how something of such low quality became so popular in the mainstream. It's not even like there was one good game, and then terrible sequels to cash in on the success - even the first one wasn't good!
Ugh, thinking about it makes my head hurt.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 1/5
Sound: 1/5
Story: 1/5
Gameplay: 1/5
Worldbuilding: 1.5/5
Achievements (Does not count toward overall score.): 1/5
Overall score: 1/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
I'll admit, grittier visuals in a FNaF setting is a neat idea. It is almost immediately ruined, though, by how badly that idea was executed. That's what this series does best, after all.
To start with, FNaF 3 looks so bad. The graphics continue to be barely passable at best, and downright ugly at worst.
That's not even the most atrocious fault here, though - that lays within the cameras. The rooms are ridiculously dark and shadowy. This, along with the staggering amount of static overlay, makes it extremely tough to actually see anything. It was so bad that I had to look up pictures to figure out where Springtrap was in some rooms. On that note, I don't think I need to explain that knowing where the animatronic is is an INTEGRAL part of the gameplay! It makes an already frustrating experience even more difficult to enjoy.
Springtrap's jumpscare is 10x weaker than the ones from the previous games, and those already weren't good. For all the tension FNaF 3 attempts to build up, when he finally jumps out at you, it's so underwhelming that it's laughable. I didn't react at all the first time I died to him. The phantom jumpscares are okay, but get stale quickly, too.
Springtrap has a nifty design, but the phantoms are completely uninteresting and uninspired.
The one other positive thing I will say is that the visual style of the minigames is better.
Overall, 1/5.

Sound:
[SPOILERS] Phone Dude is super annoying. I'm so glad he disappeared after night 2. He says 'like' even more than me, which is an accomplishment. [SPOILER END] Phone Guy continues to be the only actually entertaining and fun part of these games. Even he's nearly ruined in this one, though. His role goes from talking to the player naturally, to reading off pre-written instructions. It takes away a lot of his personality and what makes him enjoyable.
Everything else here is totally unnoteworthy.
Overall, 1/5.

Story:
I will not be swayed to give FNaF games higher scores based on lore that's not actually in the games themselves.
The story as a whole IS interesting. It'S the strong suit in this series, and yet it's barely present at all. It's totally ridiculous. That's is why I think they'd work better as movies. Someone even suggested to me that they're basically an ARG at this point, which I can see. The stupidly hidden lore is much more akin to an ARG than an actual game.
The minigame you play after each completed night is cool at first, but gets stale very quickly. There's never anything new in it.
The 'true ending' is actually pretty good, but I hate the way it's executed. The best part of the franchise's plot so far is buried behind an impossible sequence of inputs that you'd never figure out on your own. That is absolutely counter-productive.
Besides that one hidden ending, FNaF 3 is totally forgettable and unneeded. A single cool thing is not enough to make it good.
Overall, 1/5.

Gameplay:
FNaF continues to get more needlessly complicated and less fun with its gameplay. I really didn't think it could get worse after FNaF 2, but at least there, you could actually understand the patterns of the animatronics. Springtrap seems to be totally random for a majority of the nights. You can learn how to counter him, sure, but I didn't really figure out his AI until I was going for aggressive nightmare. All of my wins before that were literally just dumb luck. Nothing is properly explained, there's way too much to figure out, and it makes for an extremely messy experience.
I will say, that once I had really gotten into the groove of things right at the end, I ALMOST found the gameplay at least average. Still, I cannot give a good rating for how I felt during the last 5 minutes.
Overall, 1/5.

Worldbuilding:
I do really like the idea behind this setting. A horror attraction built around FNaF 1, 30 years later, is just meta enough to be fun. But, of course, it is ruined by doing absolutely nothing of note (aside from the true ending, which again, you'll never discover on your own.)
The night minigames are way more lackluster than 2's. 2's were more annoying to slog through once they got old, but at least there was variety within them.
On their own, the secret minigames do add a little flavor. I actually enjoy them and the way you have to glitch them out. It's cool. Too bad most players will never see them.
Overall, 1.5/5.

Extra Category - Achievements:
Absolutely not worth it. Still easier than FNaF 2 though, to my surprise. I suppose that's because there's only one animatronic to keep track of. Once you watch playthroughs on YouTube, and learn how to counter Springtrap, it's not nearly as difficult as it seems like it will be. Still, absolutely not worth it.
Overall, 1/5.

Overall game score: 1/5. This series continues to go downhill in terms of gameplay, and also takes a dive here with the visuals, too. Anything that could have been good is underdeveloped or way too secret.
I highly recommend you skip this one, and just watch a YouTube video of the true ending if you care about the lore. That's literally the only thing that slightly matters here.

FNAF2 was basically just "FNAF1 but with more steps.", this one is pretty much just "FNAF1 but with fewer steps."

This one just makes me upset because in concept both the location and the robot in this game could have been amazing. The idea that they made a hunted house out of old junk for the pizzerias and that the new robot coming after you is the killer whose rotted body is still in the suit sounds amazing; but it's literally just the same shit. 3 games in and it hasn't changed one single bit, people had complained that the past few games were jumpscares fest but the jumpscares were a penalty for not dying, here oh they'll jumpscare you like 3 or 4 times a night just for shit's and giggle most of the time.
It was also at this time where the story went from eh to really convoluted for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

This started out as a small shock horror game that can be enjoyed for like an hour, this series just kept on going with the same old shit just with slightly different stuff, this is a game where you can tell the series was running on empty.

FNAF 3 is not my favorite game in the series. It dials back a lot in terms of its scope and scale. There’s only one thing that can kill you, everything else just affects your ability to perform tasks. The location is much less iconic and less easy to tell where stuff is. At the same time, Springtrap is easily one of my favorite characters in the series. The game itself is far less of a gameplay loop, and you have to be much more adaptable than the ones that come before it. You constantly feel at risk because you officially have no way to defends yourself. No doors, no masks, and no flashlights. All you can do is try to maneuver Springtrap around the facility like he’s a dog on a leash. While the game is certainly muddy, it’s also extremely iconic visually. No game I’ve ever played looks like FNAF 3. Overall, I find the game more fun than 2, even if it’s less ambitious, and a pretty engaging finale to the original trilogy, and a great introduction to the main antagonist of the series, William Afton.