Developed by Superlou, Finding Frankie has made its way onto consoles after an incredibly successful launch on Steam back in October 2024. The question is though, does the colorful, energetic, parkour-having platformer jump across to consoles well enough to warrant it?
Finding Frankie puts you in the shoes of a game-show contestant part of the final televised edition of a failing TV show, as you navigate around the parkour park, all whilst being chased by giant, animatronic characters that’ll make you feel like you’re always a step away from death.
By and large, front-and-center, the best part of Finding Frankie is the parkour, and then some. The story is thin, and for you to piece together through the limited dialogue and bits and pieces in the environment, but the gameplay, audio, and atmosphere are bang on to the point that you won’t care. You’re not playing this for a deep and meaningful narrative, you’re playing Finding Frankie for the adrenaline, horror, and puzzles.
Finding Frankie Jumps Ship
During my time with Finding Frankie, I kept being reminded of my experience nearly ten years prior with Alien: Isolation. Whereas with that I’d be exploring dark and miserable corridors, avoiding the Xenomorph and human enemies alike, I spent my time here jumping from platform to platform, exploring the parkour park, and constantly fearing that I was nearer to the animatronic hell that is Frankie. With every corner or jump I expected a jump scare or a hectic chase sequence, and it was like that during my entire run-through. The game is an atmospheric, yet colorful smorgasbord of joy and terror, and it’s incredibly good fun.
Talking of the chase sequences, this isn’t something that Finding Frankie invented, but it’s definitely adapted well enough here. Several times during the three-hour campaign (very short, very punchy), you’ll encounter Frankie (or one of his other friends) who will chase you down, requiring you to pull of some well-timed jumps, slides, and strategic turns to escape. Don’t be shocked if you get caught and die a few times, but that’s definitely part of the fun, as you begin to learn the route and tricks required to survive. The whole time you’ll be hearing your heart in your ears as the adrenaline pumps, and make sure you don’t do what I did, and turn around, as that really won’t help matters.
The already mentioned campaign is incredibly short, even when you consider the genre of the game and the angle the developers were looking for. Another two environments with another two friends of Frankie would have benefited the overall experience somewhat and would have allowed SuperLou to give us markedly different enemies to fight. One of the game’s highlights was the phone puzzle with Henry Hotline, and using Deputy Duck to explore and navigate the darkness (those are real names), so more of that would only be a good thing.
All-in-all, Finding Frankie does what it sets out to do, scare, surprise, and bring you enjoyment. There are parts that could be refined, changed, or added to for sure, mostly around the campaign length, but there’s plenty that shouldn’t be touched in a sequel. The atmosphere, brutal environments, and fun parkour should be front-and-center in the hopeful sequel, with more care paid to the narrative elements. And just for me, bring back Henry Hotline and the Deputy Duck, please.
Finding Frankie
Finding Frankie invites YOU to a true experience of terror as you compete in a terrifyingly twisted parkour show. Stealthily navigate around horrifying characters and swing through challenging parkour courses. This is one game show you won’t want to miss!
Summary
For fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Alien: Isolation, or even Nicholas Cage’s Willy’s Wonderland, Finding Frankie will be a hoot, if not a short adventure. The parkour is more than serviceable, and the atmosphere is outstanding, enough that I immediately wondered if we’ll see a Finding Frankie 2.
HOURS PLAYED: 6
PLAYED ON: PS5
- A fun environment filled with brutality and blood.
- Adrenaline-filled chase sequences will never get boring.
- The new leaderboards kept me replaying long after I'd done everything else.
- Length left something to be desired.
- The puzzles weren't particularly difficult, and felt tacked on for the majority of the game.
- More chase sequences would have been nice.
Finding Frankie released on PC on October 25th and on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on April 15th.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review, or how long you’ll be playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
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Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
