- Not what you were looking for? See Five Nights at Freddy's (disambiguation) or Help Wanted (disambiguation).
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Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 is a virtual-reality survival horror game and the tenth mainline installment in the Five Nights at Freddy's series, as well as the third game in the franchise to be developed by Steel Wool Studios and published by Scott Cawthon. The game serves as a paraquel, taking place between the events of Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach and its story DLC, RUIN. It was first announced on May 24, 2023, during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase. It was released on December 14, 2023, for PlayStation VR2 and SteamVR.[4] It was released on May 9, 2024, for Meta Quest.
A flat mode of the game playable without a VR headset released on June 20, 2024, and is included on all platforms other than those of dedicated VR headsets.[1]
Summary
Find out if you have what it takes to be a Fazbear Entertainment Superstar!
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 is the sequel to the terrifying VR experience that brought new life to the iconic horror franchise. As a brand new Fazbear employee you’ll have to prove you have what it takes to excel in all aspects of Pizzeria management and maintenance.
Go Backstage as a VIP to help Roxanne Wolf & the S.T.A.F.F. Bots get ready for their performances in the Pizzaplex Salon!
Head into the Fazcade and enjoy classic games like Bonk-a-Bon and Fazerblast! See if you can top all the high scores!
Take care of things behind the scenes in the Staff Only section of the Pizzeria. Deliver First Aid to patients who aren’t quite feeling themselves, and help animatronics perform routine diagnostics & maintenance.
Our Food Prep courses will help you get the federally mandated amount of value preparing food in the Pizzaplex. Experience all the joys of high-speed food service & get ready to feed some hungry bots!
Head over to the Ticket Booth to test out our E-ticket attractions, such as Captain Foxy’s Cowboy Adventure! On this lighthearted log ride, you’ll float through the old West as a gunslinger in search of booty!
And finally, if you’re short on dread, dive into the world of our Sister Location! These special minigames are VR versions of classic experiences from Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location. These fan-favorites brought to life promise to be as fun as they are terrifying!
So what are you waiting for?!? Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 is now accepting applicants for all positions, effective immediately.
Gameplay
There are a total of 40 playable levels in the game. After completing fifteen normal levels, players can unlock more difficult levels by removing a Security Mask, which cranks up the difficulty and distraction in every game. There are a total of 6 Faz Force figures to collect, which will trigger the first Ending.
In Help Wanted 2, it is a necessary item to progress the game. After receiving 16 prizes from the end of game prize machine, the player will also receive the Faz-Wrench. It is then used to open a locked conduit door and find Princess Quest IV arcade cabinet and turn off the AR Inhibitor to take off the V.A.N.N.I. mask.
Development
On May 24, 2023, the game was officially announced during the 2023 Playstation Showcase.
On September 1, 2023, Steel Wool Studios hosted a PAX West event for Help Wanted 2 and the, at the time, recently released RUIN. During the event, a playable demo for Help Wanted 2 was set up that featured three levels for visitors to use. The three levels featured were Bonk a' Bon, Breaker Room, and Carousel.
On November 20, 2023, Steel Wool Studios released a gameplay trailer.
On December 7, 2023, Steel Wool published Help Wanted 2's Steam page and updated the existing PlayStation page. Throughout the week prior to the game's release, the Steel Wool Studios Twitter account published teasers in the form of collectable posters from the game, including the Celebrate! poster, the Mystic Hippo poster, a Fazerblast poster, and a poster featuring Circus Baby.
On December 14, 2023, Help Wanted 2 was released on SteamVR and PSVR2, with it gaining positive reception.
On December 19, 2023, a rapid patch was released that fixed issues with the Endo Warehouse minigame, added baseline support for the recently released Steam Link software, and added a short-term fix for a common bug where players with certain hardware were stuck on the game's EULA screen.
On April 18, 2024, the non-VR version of Help Wanted 2 was announced to be released on June 20, 2024.
On May 5, 2024, the release date for Meta Quest systems was revealed to be May 9, 2024.
On May 9, 2024, Help Wanted 2 was released on Meta Quest systems.
On June 20, 2024, the non-VR flat mode was released on Steam and PlayStation 5.
On August 27, 2024, Help Wanted 2 was revealed to release in the holiday of 2024 for Nintendo Switch.
On November 7, 2024, the Switch port was given the release date of November 14, 2024.[5]
On November 14, 2024, the Switch port would release.
On November 29, 2024, the Xbox port was given the set release of December 3, 2024.[6]
On December 3, 2024, Help Wanted 2 would release on Xbox Series X/S.
On December 7, 2024, a free Update for Help Wanted 2 was revealed on Dawko's Thankmas 2024 livestream, being set to release on December 10th.
On December 10, 2024, the update released.
Additional Content
Non-VR Update
The non-VR update was announced on December 4, 2023 and released on June 20, 2024. The update includes a non-VR option, making the game playable without a VR headset.
A Secret of the Mimic teaser update was announced on December 7, 2024 and released on December 10, 2024. This free content update sends players on a post-game scavenger hunt throughout the levels for puzzle pieces, leading to a new ending that teases Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic.
Reception
Help Wanted 2 received a positive reception from audiences. It currently holds a 94% positive rating on Steam based on over 2,500 user reviews. On PlayStation, the game has also been received positively, holding a 4.68/5 star rating based on over 1,200 user reviews. On Metacritic, the game has received an 8.6/10 user score based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" praise.
Positive reception was dedicated towards its replayability, level variety, graphical fidelity, and mechanics. Many reviewers also enjoyed the game's sense of humor in combination with its horror undertones, which some compared to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. Some criticism was directed towards its lower number of horror-focused levels when compared to its predecessor, as well as its convoluted story. A few reviewers also perceived an overuse of gimmicky mechanics within its levels. Mild criticism was directed towards various compatibility issues with several commonly used headsets that required workarounds to function.
Game Modes
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Trivia
- Help Wanted 2 had a playable demo at PAX West 2023, which included three minigames, which were:
- Breaker Room: Similar to Night 2 of Sister Location, it has the player distracting Funtime Freddy with a megaphone while pulling 1-2 levers at a time that fills a gauge.
- Bonk a' Bon: A reimagining of the classic Whack-A-Mole game, having the player whack Bon-Bon, Bonnet, and PlushBaby with a mallet for points while avoiding hitting Helpy.
- Carousel: A rhythm-based level where the player fixes three puzzle panels, with each making a part of the carousel move. The Moon half of the Daycare Attendant, circles around the carousel, making the player shine a light in his eyes to delay him back. It concludes with a survival section where the player must fend off the Moon.
- The way the game transports the player in between the easy and hard mode hubs is a reference to the RUIN DLC, where when the player puts the Security Mask on in the real world version of the Pizzaplex, it will teleport the player into the Augmented Reality (AR) version of the Pizzaplex.
- For a few minutes on release day for Help Wanted 2, the game's Steam page would show the title as "Thumper" before being updated.[7]
- SteamDB also shows that some of the files in Help Wanted 2 are under the code name "Thumper."[8]
- In an interview, Jason "Jtop" Topolski from Steel Wool Studios said that original Help Wanted was deemed "too scary" by players, so for Help Wanted 2 they focused on a more balanced experience with an increasing intensity of horror.[9]
- According to Scott, he hasn't and doesn't plan to play Help Wanted 2.[10]
- Help Wanted 2 was nominated for Steam's 2024 Steam Awards for VR Game of the Year.[11]
- Help Wanted 2 won a bronze trophy in PlayStation Blog Game of the Year 2024 for Best Independent Game.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Steel Wool Studios Twitter
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88zU6TbGiqY
- ↑ https://www.steelwoolstudios.com/announcements/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-2-vr-launch
- ↑ https://x.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1854628253295952147
- ↑ https://x.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1862496785073135757
- ↑ https://imgur.com/a/G7cvuiJ
- ↑ https://steamdb.info/app/2287520/history/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/YbEyTsel7g0?si=ufjgPohS1hebHJU-&t=3889
- ↑ https://youtu.be/lrgSbteWMC8?si=VCbEMTD3oOKL4e5B&t=988
- ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/2024
- ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2024/12/17/ps-blog-game-of-the-year-2024-the-winners/
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