Five Night at Freddy’s is back with once again another terrifying entry into the franchise that introduces the smartest animatronic yet, The Mimic. What makes this new animatronics even more haunting than previous installments is this one slowly learns your patterns of play and gets smarter as the game progresses. On top of adapting to your habits and patterns, this new Mimic can even copy other animatronic's moves to throw you off so your survival instincts need to be off the charts if you want to get away unscathed. Another major difference you will encounter in Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic is a return to a smaller map that progresses day by day much different than the 2021 release of Security Breach which introduced a more open-world style map. So not only will you be trying to learn the movements and taunts of a new terrifying Ai Mimic you will also be trying to learn and memorize a new map only making the tension and fear more intense. 

Best Controller Settings for FNAF: Secret of the Mimic:
Before you dive headfirst into a world of jump scares and pure stress you will want to make sure you spend time optimizing your settings. Once you are in the gameplay settings (first page in the settings menu) you will have a few settings that I would recommend making changes to. The head bob setting is similar to motion blur and I would lower this to a preference that does not make you dizzy while running. You will be making quick turns and running constantly so you will want clear vision at all times. The run and crouch settings can be changed to toggle or press and hold so test out which of these make the most sense for your gameplay. Lastly, this is a game where you will want to pay attention to every bump, creak, and possible sound to ensure you are not caught off guard consistently so I would highly encourage you to turn the vibration setting on for this game. 

Once you have things set up to your liking on the gameplay tab move over to the audio settings, remember this is a horror game so if you would prefer to not fly out of your chair upon first encountering the Mimic I would highly encourage moving the “jumpscare” setting to a lower volume. This is a game where sound can be a deciding factor in your survival so I would spend some time making sure things are loud enough to hear potential animatronics sneaking around. Unfortunately, this game does not offer controller remapping so you will have to get used to the controls but the start of the game does a solid job of introducing you to the different mechanics and controls. 

How to Survive the Night and Stay One Step Ahead of The Mimic: 
Throughout this game, you will be challenged with puzzles, jumpscares, and the trickiest animatronic to be introduced to the FNaF franchise. Smooth mechanic execution and spatial awareness coupled with fast reaction time will need to be mastered if you are going to survive while defeating the Mimic. As you progress through the game newer parts of the map will come unlocked and your reflexes will be tested as you never know when you might have to sprint to close a door, carefully flip through camera footage, or just run for your life. Fluid movement for tricky mechanics like grabbing and sliding a bolt lock to open a door is a dime a dozen in this game and you will want the utmost confidence in your controller to not misclick or have any finger slippage. 

KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks offer the ultimate solution to improving not only your grip and accuracy but your confidence too. The KontolFreek Lotus and Frenzy Performance Thumbsticks are my two recommendations for a game like FNaF: Secret of The Mimic because they offer a major increase in the surface area of your traditional thumbstick to maximize your grip. The concave laser etched design not only provides a natural grip for your thumb the unique design allows for more air flow helping to mitigate any slippage that could come from sweat and trust me this game will have you sweating. The key difference between the two thumbsticks is their heights, The Lotus Performance Thumbsticks come with two mid-rise thumbsticks which are perfect for anyone new to KontrolFreeks or just looking to gain maximum surface area and traction. The Frenzy Performance Thumbstick includes 1 mid-rise and 1 high-rise thumbstick, so for those who may want more of an advantage with their precision and range of motion the high-rise thumbstick is the perfect addition. You will want to have fast stick movement and smooth transitions as you dive deeper into the factory to track down the terrifying Mimic and the Frenzy Performance Thumbstick will give you an upper hand.  

For those who are new to the horror genre, the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise is one of the best because of the constant tension the story creates and the complex yet horrifying animatronics that always keep you holding your breath around each corner. These settings and recommendations will give you the best chance to survive but ultimately the KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks are the true difference maker when it comes to improving gameplay performance.