Recently, I've been thinking about @kaasiand's wonderful "what if every game was made for the DS" post. Also recently, I've gone down a FNAF rabbit hole on YouTube (I still haven't bought any of the games for various reasons, but I'm considering it). These two trains of thought collided in a spectacular accident, and out of the wreckage the following idea emerged: "What if FNAF games were made for the DS between 2004 and 2012?" Before we can answer that, however, we need to answer the following question: "Which FNAF mainline entries could actually work on the DS?" For the ScottGames era games, the assumption is that the primary means of control will be via the touchscreen, the D-pad, and the L-button, with rare use of the other buttons. Additionally, unless otherwise mentioned, I will be treating each game as standalone.
1: Assuming this game controls how I think it does, this is an easy fit for the DS.
2/3: Similar situation to 1, but I think that these games work best as part of a series (both from a story and a gameplay perspective), so let's imagine 1-3 as a series of games released for the DS.
4: Similar situation to 2/3 (including the series caveat), but the emphasis on sound cues does make things trickier. Either the game would require headphones to be beatable without luck, or a solution would be needed that displayed the player's POV on the bottom screen and provided a tool to help track animatronics on the top screen.
Sister Location: This is pretty easy. While some sections require you to mouse over an animatronic while only clicking on certain parts, that can be replicated (albeit imperfectly) by having the D-pad control the flashlight area and the touchscreen used for pushing buttons. Additionally, I have a take that is sure to make me enemies in the FNAF fandom: If you remove the cool lore additions, SL would fit right along any number of mediocre DS point-and-click adventures. Therefore, whether we imagine it as a standalone or as part of a series for the DS, SL fits perfectly!
Pizzeria Simulator: Gameplay-wise, it should work pretty well. However, if we are imagining it as a standalone game rather than as part of a series, then some changes would need to be made to produce a smoother tonal transition between daytime and nighttime sections, and a "proper" story mode may need to be added.
Ultimate Custom Night: Unless we imagine this as the "final hurrah" for a series that spanned the entire run of the DS, it doesn't work. Even then, I'm not sure how much of an audience there would be for a "DIY horror game" on handhelds in 2011/12.
HW/HW2: Would not work, for obvious reasons. However, I think a collection of horror-themed minigames on the DS could be cool.
Security Breach: For this game, I'm going to take some creative liberties. A literal translation of gameplay to the DS would not work. However, if we take the best parts of Security Breach (mainly the setting, characters, and some set pieces) and rework the rest of the game as a stealth game from a third-person perspective, then I think something great could occur. I'm fine with changing SB from a first-person to a third-person experience because it is the least terrifying of the mainline entries, and the jumpscares mainly exist because they are an iconic part of the franchise identity (they can still exist as short animations before the Game Over screen). Some might consider this too loose an interpretation of "bringing a game to DS," but it's my Tumblr post so I make the rules.
SB Ruin: Technically a DLC, I consider it a separate mainline entry because of how extensive it is. This one cannot be adapted like SB. I think it uses the first-person perspective the best out of any of the Steel Wool entries (especially the "virtual world" sections). As a result, it would be extremely difficult for a game designed around DS limitations to capture the same feeling as Ruin.
Secret of the Mimic: This is the game I know the least about (aside from HW/HW2). From the footage I've seen, it appears to be a puzzle horror game in the vein of Poppy Playtime, where you run around an entertainment complex/laboratory, solve puzzles, and try not to get killed by monsters during set pieces. That is more easily translated to a third-person perspective for DS than Ruin, especially if we imagine it with an old-school Resident Evil-style camera. So, it could work.
But that's just a theory, A GAME- nope, not gonna do that. If you think I'm way off the mark on any of these, please let me know.
