Hey all. I’m back with a look at a unique title that combines parkour and horror. It released first on the PC through Steam, and it recently jumped to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X where the somewhat crazy levels and fluid gameplay can really shine. It’s my review of the console version of Finding Frankie.
Plot: The plot is pretty barebones, although that isn’t to say it’s a bad thing. You as the player are one of four contestants who are invited via a special VHS tape found inside your cereal box to compete for cash at the Frankie’s Parkour Palace for the fastest time. The Palace is basically an advanced trampoline park with some levels that would likely be impossible to build or play on in real life.
Well, the invitation sounds like fun, so you head over to Frankie’s to give it a try. But things go bad quickly as the park’s insane animatronic mascot murders all of your competition, leaving you alone with Frankie and his crew of murderous animatronic henchmen.
Having escaped the initial slaughter, to survive you now have to run the crazy and deadly levels that Frankie has built, trying to navigate the treacherous obstacles and other diabolical hazards of the Parkour Palace as quickly as possible. Finding Frankie blends horror tools together for a unique experience, combining an unsettling atmosphere which is basically a deadly game show with parkour, a terrifying enemy in Frankie, and even chase sequences where getting caught is not an option.
Gameplay: At its core, Finding Frankie is a first-person platforming title, so those who enjoy that kind of running and accurate jumping gameplay will find a lot of it here. The horror elements are nice, but they are layered on top of 3D platforming, so your enjoyment will depend on how much you like that, and to an extent how good you are doing that.
On the console, Finding Frankie is smooth and plays very well. I did not personally enjoy it but as I mentioned before, how much players like this one will depend on their platforming skills, especially rapid platforming.
The gameplay for Finding Frankie is based on the logic that you have to do things nearly perfectly to survive, and you have to do them extremely fast. There are some slower sections to the adventure, but those aforementioned fast sequences, especially when you are being chased, are not very forgiving at all. As I get older, I find I like things like that less and less. I’m sure younger players will enjoy it. For instance, my younger brother loved it.
The other thing that people should know is that there are a lot of jump scares in Finding Frankie. If you are easily upset by things like that, know that you will be seeing a lot of them as you play.
Art: The art is pretty decent, and Finding Frankie’s world has its unique own style. Yes, this is an indie title, so they are not working with a huge budget. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The art style works particularly well in Finding Frankie because they really lean into the insane game show theme with bright, neon colors and themed displays at every opportunity.
Music: The music score fits the horror nature of the game incredibly well.
Overall: Finding Frankie is a decent game, and its moving from the PC through Steam over to consoles works well due to its smooth platforming. It is a great experience for players who enjoy really difficult platforming challenges or speed running.
For those who like: Parkour, platforming, horror, jump scares, and chase scenes.
Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.