The Return to Freddy's series is a Five Nights at Freddy's fangame created by BFPFilms424.
The Return to Freddy's (originally released as Five Nights at Freddy's 3, before Scott Cawthon's official third game released) is the first game in The Return to Freddy's series. The game is known for its stolen assets, cheap mechanics, cheaper difficulty, and bugs. The game would have received a major update with original models, but it is likely cancelled. Released on December 23rd, 2014.
However, the second has more original models and mechanics, along with both a generator plus a music box to wind up. It also takes place in Fredbear's Family Diner, and takes place in 1987. Released on March 25th, 2015.
The third game provided some more Art Evolution with a new mascot as well, Lockjaw, a humanoid Expy of none other the Springtrap, except he has a child inside him instead of an adult. The spirit that used to take control of something familiar... Released in April 2015.
In The Return to Freddy's 4, 15 years after Fazbear Fantasy Land has been demolished, the government has come to a decision to make animatronics legal again. What they don't realize is the terrible mistake they just made... Released in May 2015.
In TRTF 5, you would have played as an investigator in the year 2036, deciding to investigate the cold case involving Fazbear's murders...and that he is "the child of the past". This game was cancelled multiple times during Development Hell, before finally being canned for good in February 2017; then once more being revived by devoted fans and at last being released on March 13th, 2018.
After The Return to Freddy's 5 was canceled for the first time, the lore of the series was written into what the creator calls a "novel"note , called The Dreadful Truth. It can be found here.
The first four games of the series can be found here and here, and the first three can be found here. The fifth game in its current state can be found over here.
The game has the following examples
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Pretty much standard either way.
- All Just a Dream: The recent two teasers and the books show that the events from 1-4 are all dreams. The tortures of 5, however, are real.
- Alternate Universe: Quite a few things are different from the main games, such as Bonnie being female.
- Artistic License – Biology: The novel starts with a contagious super cancer.
- Artistic License – History: Animatronics were created as early as 1942, which was not possible back then due to hardware limitations.
- Big Bad Ensemble: The big one is between Vincent (Purple Guy) and Gron (Green Guy).
- Big Bad: The Puppet for the first game, Freddy for 2, Lockjaw for 3, his Showbiz variant for 4 and either Torture Freddy, Torture Lockjaw, or Torture Device for the fifth game.
- Cats Are Mean: Sugar and Kitty Fazcat, though they only appeared in the same game once.
- Divergent Character Evolution:
- Sugar, who was originally an Expy for Candy gained a few noticeable differences in her appearance, not only being female, but having a dark blue color scheme, top hat, and monocle. Ironically, it makes her an upper-class British version of Old Candy.
- Lockjaw too. While he has some variation as is, he gets an actual name (Frank Burt), while Sprintrap's old self is simply called Spring Bonnie.
- Expy:
- Sugar is one of Emil "Ace" Macko's Candy, which is why he was removed from the first game. Sugar later got some unique characteristics and was added back to later games.
- Lockjaw is based off of Springtrap.
- The torture animatronics are comparable to the Nightmare Animatronics, due to their nightmarish designs and their Torture theme. Except they are real.
- Humanoid Abomination: the Withered BB hallucination in the first game, but the crown has to go to Lockjaw, taking the premise of the springsuit of Springtrap, replace the murder with the child that TAKES OVER THE PUPPET, make him a human instead an animal. That's not getting into his GOLD variant.
- Green and Mean: Gron, otherwise known as "Jester" or "Green Guy"
- Gold-Colored Superiority: Golden Freddy, as always. Lockjaw's golden variation in 4 does not disappoint, however. The existence of Torture Golden Kitty Fazcat implies there's also a normal Golden Kitty Fazcat.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Alison, the phone guy from the second game, being the boss for both Vincent (Purple Guy in this universe and the original phone guy in FNaF 1) and Gron (or Green Guy/Jester) who turns into Golden Lockjaw in the fourth game. Debatably Averted in TRTF 5 as the book and
Word of God said he's trapped in Torture Device. - Living Shadow: Aside from Shadow Freddy (named Purple Freddy, there's Shadow Doug, Shadow Lockjaw/Puppet.
- Monster Clown:
- Lockjaw brings to mind this trope, due to his Blush Stickers and status as an Entertainer. Especially consider he's possessed by The Puppet, as revealed in the extras of the fourth game.
- Gron/Green Guy/Jester seems to be this, due to his long hair/jester hat, and is mentioned to be an entertainer in the newspaper of the fourth game. He's the Token Good Teammate to Vincent and Alison, however, or at least has the sense to turn stop the production of the Torture Animatronics.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The torture animatronics, of course. However, Torture Device takes the cake.
- Nonstandard Character Design: Lockjaw is the only human animatronic in the series other then withered BB or Lockjaw's Variants. Also the the only non-toy animatronic from both series, unless you count the Funtime animatronics, to have Blush Stickers.
- Perverse Puppet: The Marionette, of course. He ends up taking control of Lockjaw, as implied by his Shadow form having a top hat.
- Purple Is Powerful: Shadow Freddy is renamed to Purple Freddy here, and Purple Guy is around. Violet Guy may be a case of this, too.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The animatronic seen only in the third game, Vigo.
