Springtrap big review (very big one)
Hi there! I just noticed that my review was erased with the Animatronic PTB, so I am sharing it one more time for the community due the fact that lots of you share the same points of view in this topic of FNAF spirit in Springtrap, the power, etc. Of course it's been a while, the PTB and this discussion already ended but I think Springtrap has lots of problems and at least some of them should be at least remembered to be dealth with some time. And also I have an interesting topic to be brought which is dedicated to the current state of the way of producing new killers and, most importantly - the licensed ones, so maybe in some time I'll post it as well.
So, hope you'll like it and feel free to discuss :)
Good day. I am a regular Dead by Daylight player who likes to analyze game design decisions regarding chapter development in the game, as well as propose my own ideas, and today I suggest that you join me in analyzing the recently released PTB chapter Five Nights at Freddy’s and the killer — Springtrap. In this review, we will try to cover the main elements of this chapter, figure out whether it turned out to be successful, highlight its positive and negative sides, find out if there are any problems, and how they might be solved. This review is structured as follows: Introduction – Killer Gameplay – Killer Visuals – Chapter Problems – Proposed Solutions.
First, we will break down in detail how the killer feels in gameplay, abstracting away from the visuals, whether his gameplay is unique compared to other killers, and then we will separately cover the addons. Next, we will review the entire visual aspect of the chapter, from the killer’s appearance to the pizzeria map, and highlight how successful the developers' decisions were regarding this aspect. The gameplay and visual analysis will primarily focus on how effectively the developers convey the essence of the licensed character, Springtrap — this will also be discussed separately. After the analysis, we will move on to discussing the problems of the chapter and how to solve them, and in this part of the review, I will also present my own concept for Springtrap's ability, which I will ask you to evaluate separately because I have plans to develop in game design, and your opinion on this segment will help me improve. And at the very end, we will summarize with an open-ended question. I hope you will enjoy the analysis and the approach to writing this review. Enjoy your reading.
Introduction
For a long time, I have noticed a tendency of the developers to make rather safe decisions regarding the concepts of newly released killers, especially licensed ones. After all, to maintain stable income from chapter purchases, the most optimal decision is to use already proven templates that have shown their effectiveness in the past.
It’s fun to play Huntress because her ability allows you to damage a survivor from a distance, and at the same time, you still have to hit them — an excellent potential to get better by playing her. It’s convenient when a killer can control the map through high mobility or teleportation, because map control and generator control are key to victory.
Back in the day, the Dead by Daylight developers crafted a sufficient number of killers whose powers sometimes performed the same functions but differently, and now, it seems this is no longer working in the players' favor, at least for those who want every killer to feel individual, whose gameplay would genuinely differ from other killers. Not to mention licensed chapters, where developers are offered the opportunity to interpret the abilities of characters from movies and games under the realities of Dead by Daylight: a huge creative space, open opportunities to look at the game from another angle, to try to implement any ideas that would result in a killer feeling like a unique character, whose atmosphere would be captured not only by visuals but also by gameplay.
Let’s recall what I consider the best examples of licensed character interpretations (from the distant past), how they felt unique compared to already existing killers, and how it translated into gameplay:
The Pig — a character from the movie Saw, who secretly kidnapped people for "rehabilitation" that would later lead to rebirth. Gameplay-wise, the essence of the character is conveyed simply — stealth is used for sneaky approaches and ambushes, and the game of Saw is represented by the classic Reverse Bear Trap from the movie, which can literally kill the survivor if they fail to find the right box with the key. Such a design preserved the character’s essence within a new killer’s shell in Dead by Daylight, and I consider it quite successful — even today, no other ability includes a similar life-or-death mini-game. The Pig feels like a weak killer, but I often play her with Crate of Gears and Tampered Timer, just for fun to see if survivors manage to remove the trap.
The Nightmare — the original Freddy Krueger ability still evokes nostalgia in me, because they captured Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy very well — he could only harm survivors if they were asleep, and was literally invisible to awake survivors. Yes, Nightmare looked quite weak compared to new killers, but I think if they had developed this feature (damaging only sleeping survivors) further, it wouldn’t be worse than others' powers.
Later, other licensed killers were released, and they were also conveyed atmospherically through gameplay — Ghostface (stealth killer that you have to spot), Nemesis (zombies), and so on. One way or another, practically all licensed killers (up until Xenomorph) were carefully crafted to capture their essence through gameplay.
Lately, though, I notice that every new licensed killer feels less and less interesting because I have literally already played them before. Xenomorph = Nemesis + Demogorgon, Good Guy = Pig on steroids and without traps, Lich = a mix of several abilities that don’t connect, Dracula = kind of a Lich, but with form changes (Dracula = Nemesis + Pyramid Head), Werewolf = Wesker, Bat = Spirit with window teleport, Anime character = Legion + Wesker.
Honestly, this applies to almost all recent killers, because many of them suffer from a lack of uniqueness, hybridity, but today we are specifically talking about licensed chapters, where, in my opinion, it’s unacceptable — because I want to play my favorite characters from movies and games and feel like I am playing exactly them, not some abomination of different killers. To achieve this, developers must carefully and creatively approach chapter design. But is it even possible when you risk losing revenue if the killer’s power turns out too unique for the game, doesn't fit into the current realities, or turns out too weak? I really hope that there will come a moment when the developers will try to find a practical answer to this question.
Springtrap
This time, in the form of a new licensed killer, the developers have presented Springtrap, the antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, an extremely popular horror game, whose appearance in DBD has been highly anticipated. During all this time, the community has created many concepts for how Springtrap could potentially be implemented in Dead by Daylight, and indeed, some of them would be interesting to see in the game.
Nevertheless, the collaboration with the FNAF franchise has happened, and the developers have presented us with their vision of Springtrap, implemented and ready to release soon. Therefore, we have the opportunity to examine whether the developers have managed to accomplish their task and whether the new killer feels at least unique and strong compared to other killers. We also must not forget how Springtrap looks and sounds, because this directly affects the perception and atmosphere of the killer, which, as mentioned earlier, in my opinion, is a crucial aspect for fans and enthusiasts of licensed chapters.
Gameplay
Gameplay Essence
In this chapter, we’ll break down the gameplay, abstracting away from visuals, to determine the typical gameplay situations from the killer's and survivors' sides and how unique they are.
Primary Ability — LMB, CTRL – axe throw.
By holding LMB, the killer can pull out a fire axe and throw it at a target. The axe is quite heavy, so it can be used at close and medium distances, and also in loops with high walls but no roof. If the thrown axe hits a survivor, it stays stuck in their back, applying the Broken effect. Once the survivor removes the axe, the Broken effect disappears. If the killer presses LMB next to a survivor with an axe stuck in their back, the killer will instantly grab them, triggering a jumpscare animation. Without addons, the axe in the survivor’s back does not give any additional effects.
If the axe misses the survivor, it can stick into any surface, creating an area around it for several seconds that triggers Killer Instinct on survivors within it.
The axe can be retrieved after cooldown by pressing CTRL. The killer moves at 4.4 m/s, but if the axe is stuck in a survivor or embedded in a surface, the speed becomes 4.6 m/s. Throwing the axe at a camera can also disable it.
Secondary Ability — security doors.
Seven teleportation points appear on the map in the form of security doors, which can be used by both survivors and the killer. From the killer's side — the killer can enter the door by pressing Spacebar, after which they can teleport to any of the other doors by aiming at it and pressing CTRL. Once the killer starts teleporting, an animation of moving through the office plays, and the killer appears at the target door. The killer can also cancel the teleportation selection and exit the door they entered by pressing Spacebar. There are no limitations for teleportation.
From the survivor’s side — survivors can interact with the security doors by approaching them closely. Each door has a camera attached, and by pressing Space, they can remotely watch through the cameras attached to the doors. If the camera watches the killer for a certain time, his aura will be revealed to all survivors. While controlling the camera, the survivor can also choose any door on the map to teleport to, also playing the transition animation. Survivor teleportation has a limited number of uses, and once exhausted, survivors won’t be able to use doors either for camera watching or teleportation for some time. The survivor’s animation of passing through the office takes longer, and if the killer starts teleporting while the survivor is mid-transition, the killer will instantly grab them.
Overall, this is the basic essence of Springtrap’s ability, and now we must analyze how effective this power is, how it distinguishes Springtrap from other killers, and whether it conveys the atmosphere of the FNAF game — both playing as Springtrap and against him.
Gameplay Analysis
Overall — the core gameplay is built around hitting survivors with the axe at range, basically like Huntress. Including the hitbox, but with the throw mechanics resembling The Unknown since the axe flies at a very low arc, and since the killer’s speed is 4.4 m/s with the axe, chase situations in loops will be almost identical to those of Huntress, where at close and medium distances the axe will work similarly to hers. And if the axe doesn’t hit the survivor but lands near them, it will highlight them with Killer Instinct (sort of a consolation prize, like if Artist’s crows missed but passed near the survivor). Only in Springtrap’s case, it’s not as useful because you already understand that the axe fell near the survivor.
The area formed around the axe does nothing but reveal survivors and can be enhanced with addons, which we’ll discuss later. If the axe hits a survivor, it stays in their back, preventing healing until removed. What does it give? For example, the survivor will not be able to use a medkit with a syringe or an anti-hemorrhagic syringe for about 7–10 seconds during a chase, and that’s about it. Also, if the killer approaches a survivor with an axe in their back, they can instantly grab them. (The only application of this feature — countering Dead Hard, but every time I tried this, Dead Hard still activated for survivors, and I had to continue chasing.)
Basically, we get Huntress’ hatchet in a single copy, which automatically includes the Huntress addon Red Head's Chin Guard without an axe in the inventory, which cannot be thrown at long distances but can be effectively used in loops (in the same principle as the Huntress' axe).
About the Doors
Essentially, these are the same as Xenomorph's tunnels that appear beforehand on the map, and teleportation occurs like Demogorgon’s, through a pre-set animation. Moreover, there is no limitation for the killer’s teleportation, and no visual cue is given to survivors about whether the killer is about to come out of a door. (Demogorgon had a red glow on portals, and Xenomorph had turrets.)
That is, this is an improved teleportation compared to Xenomorph, both faster and harder to predict.
Survivors can also use teleportation through doors, risking that the killer might catch them instantly during their interaction with these objects, similar to Dredge teleporting into a locker the survivor is about to open. Survivors can also use the cameras to look for where Springtrap is and reveal his aura to other survivors, but again at great risk because the killer can appear at any door at any time.
And here arises a question: why would a survivor even interact with doors? If the risk is so great that the killer can instantly grab them, why teleport if you can just avoid using the door and run to your destination? And most importantly — how effective is it for a survivor to monitor Springtrap through cameras, exposing themselves to danger without weakening him in any way, just briefly revealing his aura? In my opinion, the answer is obvious.
In general, I think survivors will use the doors for teleportation only in very rare cases when they are 100% sure the killer is not nearby, and the use of cameras will just become a way to choose the door to teleport to.
FNAF 3
At this point, let’s recall the essence of Springtrap as an antagonist in FNAF 3 (this part is chosen because Springtrap’s model in DBD is based on the model from FNAF 3, and his menu animations directly reference those of FNAF 3). The player, as in previous parts, had to use security cameras inside the pizzeria to survive the night. Each room had a camera that could play a child's laugh to lure Springtrap into that room. However, if Springtrap was already one room farther, he couldn’t hear the sound and would move directly toward the player, and other than playing the laugh, there were no means of defense against him.
The challenge was finding Springtrap on the cameras, as it was hard due to static and poor lighting, and using the laugh was limited by a long cooldown, so locating Springtrap on the cameras was critical for survival. Besides Springtrap, phantom animatronics appeared on the cameras and in the office, who could jumpscare the player and break security systems (audio playback, cameras, ventilation), forcing manual reboot. (Springtrap also used the ventilation system to move, but we won't touch on this because it’s hard to implement in DBD.) Dealing with phantoms involved quickly looking away from them to make them disappear.
Now let's see — did the developers manage to convey the spirit of FNAF 3 through gameplay? Out of all the mentioned elements:
- The use of cameras to detect Springtrap is implemented.
- Jumpscares are implemented.
It seems like a key aspect, as indeed, in FNAF 3, you needed to locate Springtrap to survive, but here’s the question: what does detection give you? In FNAF 3 — you could keep Springtrap away from the office, ensuring safety. In DBD — you can reveal his aura briefly. But what for? And most importantly — at what cost? Thanks to the terror radius, you can already detect the killer, and monitoring cameras is risky because he can jump out right in front of you. It turns out the cameras are implemented, but instead of helping, they actually harm the survivors.
And another question — what’s with the axe? How is it even related to FNAF 3? Honestly, I haven’t followed FNAF lore beyond the 4th game, but based on the gameplay of the third part, I don’t remember any axes flying at the security guard.
The jumpscares are well-implemented only during the survivor teleportation moment because they happen from a first-person view. As for the jumpscares when grabbing a survivor with an axe or the mori — they look strange and funny, as if they were added just for the sake of it. They could have made them scarier.
The answer to the earlier question is, I think, obvious.
Gameplay Summary
In conclusion, Springtrap = Huntress + Xenomorph + Dredge + Twins (an axe that can stick into a survivor or highlight nearby survivors) + The Unknown (axe trajectory).
From the unique and useful — teleportation for survivors.
Addons
Let’s talk about the addons.
Springtrap’s addons are pretty primitive — they either increase some percentage or apply status effects. How does this make him stand out compared to other killers? — It doesn’t. In general, every killer has such addons, but personally, I don’t think that’s a justification for copying addons in every chapter; I believe that for every power, you can come up with something unique (and definitely replace addons that simply apply Blindness, Oblivious, or Mangled for no reason).
Nevertheless, let’s review each addon individually:
- Rotten Pizza — useless, Killer Instinct is not as strong a tool as aura reading.
- Restaurant Menu — allows faster cooldown if the axe sticks to a surface. Useful, makes gameplay easier, but not more interesting.
- Help Wanted Ad — good brown addon, similar killers often got addons that showed the projectile trajectory before. Can be used to get used to the ability.
- Greasy Paper Plate — useless, the axe is already drawn quickly, and having it stuck in the survivor’s back doesn’t affect the chase much.
- Streamers — faster teleportation. Useful, makes gameplay smoother, but not more interesting.
- Security Guard’s Badge — stealth addon, allows staying undetectable longer; very nice, adds a bit more fun with sudden appearances after teleporting.
- Ripped Curtain — filler addon, gives a status effect, probably because they couldn’t think of anything else.
- Party Hat — increases the area effect of the axe stuck in a surface. Useless, even with other area-enhancing addons.
- Office Phone — nearby survivors around a survivor with an axe stuck get Oblivious or Broken. Useless, the axe is removed quickly.
- Purple Guy Drawing — replacement for Ghostface’s perk.
- Freddy’s Hat — a unique, interesting addon, affects gameplay, makes the axe’s trajectory lower, allowing throws over walls directly at survivors' heads.
- Foxy’s Hook — clown’s yellow gas effect in the axe’s area.
- Chica’s Bib — filler addon, gives a status effect, again probably because they couldn’t think of anything else.
- Bonnie’s Guitar Strings — allows seeing generator repair progress. Good information source before teleporting, but doesn’t affect gameplay much.
- Loot Bag — filler addon, gives a status effect, and that’s it. Only thing — the axe literally turns into Victor, preventing the survivor from leaving the trial. Nothing unique.
- Endo CPU — staying in the axe’s area allows faster breaking of objects. Must-have, too strong compared to the rest.
- Celebrate! Poster — unique addon that makes both the killer and the survivor faster. Best used when chasing two survivors at once.
- Access Panel — unique addon, but useless, because the axe travels between linked doors, but at the start of the game, it’s impossible to predict where it will end up — too random. Plus, it’s very unlikely to randomly hit a survivor checking cameras due to the randomness + cameras will likely not be used actively.
- Iridescent Remnant — addon that blocks windows and pallets around the door. Red-grade, upgraded version of Dredge’s addon, only it always works.
- Faz-Coin — transfers the terror radius. Replacement for Plague’s and The Unknown’s perks.
Gameplay Conclusion
Overall, in this list, there are addons that I will probably use all the time because the rest are useless. There are no addons that significantly change gameplay or make it more versatile — these addons are simply meant to make playing the killer easier, nothing more.
Summarizing the Gameplay section, I can say that Springtrap is a hybrid, where the dominant part is Huntress. The spirit of FNAF was conveyed very weakly in gameplay — both from the killer’s and the survivors’ sides. The addons don’t stand out compared to those of other killers.
Visuals
This chapter is dedicated to the most polished part of DBD development — visuals — and generally, the developers focus on this aspect because it’s always easier to sell a picture than code in the form of gameplay. It attracts new audiences and re-engages old players if their favorite character comes out.
Seeing that you can finally play as your favorite character makes you forgive all shortcomings, even if the killer feels like Nemesis, Pig, or Huntress — what matters is that the model looks beautiful, seemingly straight out of the movie or game!
Ah! We all love beautiful things, and I do too, because visuals are another way to convey atmosphere in a game — not the key aspect, but still a very important one.
That’s why Springtrap’s visuals should be analyzed based on FNAF 3 again.
Visuals in FNAF
Let’s recall what made the FNAF series scary. First of all — the uncanny valley effect, where an inanimate doll imitates human behavior as much as possible. Animatronics succeeded at this because of their unnaturalness — creepy facial expressions, moving only eyes, eyelids, and jaw, sudden robotic twitching.
The mere fact that an inanimate object stared at you with seemingly human intentions created horror. Additional details include jumpscares, which make you flinch, and ambient sounds and music, which could appear suddenly, disorienting the player.
In FNAF 2 and FNAF 3, there was ambient music hinting that an animatronic was nearby, making the player panic subconsciously.
As for Springtrap — he’s literally a corpse inside a robotic suit, adding a grotesque background to the uncanny valley effect, making him even creepier.
In FNAF 3, he scared not with jumpscares but with his unpredictability, stealth, and sudden appearances near the office doors. He didn’t need to jumpscare you — he only had to stand where you expected to see an empty hallway and just stare at you, causing fear and panic.
Visuals in DBD
Now let’s look at how they implemented Springtrap in DBD — his appearance, animations, music, etc.
Appearance.
They based it on the FNAF 3 model, which is a very positive decision. The only thing — the head seems larger, and the color became less swampy-green with less texture detail, but overall the model is acceptable.
Music.
- Chase music — judging from the killer’s perspective, the most important thing is that it’s not annoying (doesn’t sound like washing machines). Overall, the chase music isn’t too intense — and it shouldn’t be, considering the spirit of FNAF 3 and the killer’s lore. Watching fan-made chase music options, I can say that the current PTB version is one of the best possible tracks for Springtrap.
- Menu music — at the moment, I hear it most often, since finding a lobby takes a long time, and I can say it also conveys the character's spirit. Carnival chaotic motifs distort their original purpose, turning a harmless tune into something creepy because of its background. It reminds me of the ambient music from the first FNAF, especially the "Circus Song" — equally fast and chaotic, though slightly more annoying. Overall, I can say they chose good music for Springtrap.
Animations.
Animations raise more questions than previous aspects. It feels like the developers tried to humanize Springtrap — his movement, grabbing animations, and even eye and eyelid movements look very lively, which doesn’t quite fit a rotting corpse in a springlock suit (especially the menu animation where Springtrap is somehow breathing).
Again, the horror base of the FNAF series was the uncanny valley — they could have implemented this in DBD. They didn’t even have to animate him in the menu — just leave him standing in his pose facing the player, absolutely still, with occasional sudden, robotic twitches — it would have made him much creepier.
In the current version, he’s too humanized, too lifelike, not standing out from other killers.
In the game, he also behaves very humanly and flexibly for a corpse in a springlock suit. His walking animations, picking up survivors, wiggle stuns, jumpscares in the office — I have fewer issues with those; they look acceptable.
But there are questions — for example, why does Springtrap wipe the weapon after hitting a survivor? And with what? His left wrist is mostly bare endoskeleton — there’s barely any fabric to wipe with.
This again makes him look more human, more like other killers.
Another big question — why give Springtrap a voice at all? He didn’t have one in FNAF 3. Does he need it to develop his character? I doubt it — in fact, I think stripping him of a voice would have suited his portrayal much better.
The voice lines feel more appropriate for his “living” variant, not the original corpse version.
This contributes massively to his humanization — and as a result, Springtrap is no longer perceived as an animatronic, despite the developers calling him "The Animatronic" — he feels more like a guy in a suit, and a very lively one at that.
It raises the question — what will be the difference between the “living” legendary skin for Springtrap and the original? Just a cleaner costume and no animatronic head? I think the difference could have been made much more noticeable.
I’m sure many players like the current animation style, and they may not agree with me. But I believe that visuals — like gameplay — should convey the character uniquely, distinctly, and the FNAF series had the perfect recipe — the uncanny valley, a well-known horror technique, and I think they could have implemented it here.
I advise you to play or watch FNAF 3 and analyze — does Springtrap scare you there? And if yes, how exactly? What makes him Springtrap? What elements could have been brought into DBD to represent his core visually?
Comparing the DBD version to the original, I can say they partially succeeded — but not completely, and sometimes not very effectively.
Security Doors Interaction.
From both sides, it looks interesting, especially the jumpscare animation when both the killer and the survivor enter the office simultaneously — but unfortunately, this is a rare event.
Camera interaction looks interesting too, but judging by the gameplay section, it’s unlikely they will be actively used.
Jumpscares during mori and axe pickup look silly, as they are predictable and slow — more like Easter eggs.
As for the axe — I won’t even comment — it doesn’t convey the FNAF spirit even at the conceptual level.
Visual Conclusion
Visually, I feel this character at about 50% — yes, they managed to recreate something, but the excessive humanization of Springtrap did not do him any favors.
Map
We should also mention the map. Unfortunately, we got another variation of The Unknown’s map instead of a full-fledged pizzeria.
It doesn’t look independent like Pig’s, Doctor’s, Pyramid Head’s, or Nemesis’s maps. I think they could have put effort into making a unique map.
It’s clear that the original pizzeria maps from FNAF 1, FNAF 2, and FNAF 3 would be too small for a closed DBD map. But do you really think there’s no way to create a solution and make a unique map?
Even right now, I can suggest an idea, and it wouldn't look ridiculous or unoptimized.
It would be possible to combine all three pizzerias into one map, where the center would be a foggy merged office. I’ll leave a rough scheme as a picture.
This approach would have been a great nod to the original FNAF franchise — locations from all three pizzerias would be recognizable, and roaming through three different thematic areas on one map would be really interesting, with lots of Easter eggs in each.
FNAF 1? — Golden Freddy in the kitchen.
FNAF 2? — The Puppet in the prize corner box.
FNAF 3? — Phantoms that can jumpscare you.
These are the most obvious Easter eggs I can think of — I’m sure you can come up with more.
What did we get in the end? A small pizzeria, probably based on the movie, which I haven’t watched on principle.
Does it really associate with the original FNAF franchise that just recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary? Personally, for me — no. I don’t recognize it, and I don’t feel the FNAF spirit playing on this map.
Visual Conclusion
Summarizing the visuals — I would say that the developers didn’t fully succeed, having made only a good model for Springtrap, a fitting soundtrack, a couple of interesting animations, but not much else.
Creating a visual image of a famous character should include deep analysis of their recognizable features and traits, which allows these details to be captured and interpreted into the game, transmitting a unique atmosphere.
Considering that, while playing as the killer, it’s hard to see your own visuals (you only see your hand and weapon), and chase music only plays the chase layer, players must rely on gameplay and ability implementation to feel the character’s atmosphere.
Gameplay — we already discussed. Ability implementation (security doors) — looks interesting in theory, but in practice, from the survivor’s side, it will rarely be observed, and for Springtrap, it’s just a stylized teleport with rare jumpscares.
Problem
As you might have guessed from the previous sections of the review, I’m not very impressed with Springtrap’s implementation in DBD, mostly regarding gameplay.
I’ve always been indifferent to how a killer looks if they’re interesting to play, especially when developers manage to convey the traits of famous characters through gameplay (like old Freddy Krueger or Pig), allowing players to feel like they’re playing exactly them, not a hybrid of other killers.
In Springtrap’s case — it was already indirectly stated — he’s a hybrid of several killers, mainly Huntress and Xenomorph (teleports).
But what makes him special? Why should I pick Springtrap when Huntress also has an axe — and not just one — and can throw it over long distances, and Xenomorph can also teleport and hit at close and medium distances?
And here I can say: Springtrap stands out because his teleportation through doors is unlimited, very fast, and silent — allowing him to control the map effectively and appear behind survivors suddenly.
And that’s it — there are no other strong or interesting mechanics that Springtrap can provide for regular use.
That’s the main problem with the new killer — his ability poorly reflects his essence, and the axe feels entirely unnecessary. And the doors for survivors are just a supplementary tool; they aren’t even necessary to interact with because doing so only puts them at risk.
How to Fix the Problem
Get rid of the axe. And I’m not joking.
Think about it — what would Springtrap lose without the axe? Would it sever the connection with FNAF 3? Is it a unique mechanic that no other killer has? Can’t it be replaced with anything else based on FNAF 3 gameplay?
Removing the axe would open up space for more interesting possibilities because it currently occupies too much design space.
To solve the problem, you can’t just delete the axe — you need to think about the root causes.
As mentioned before — Springtrap lacks uniqueness, his ability is already implemented in other killers' powers, and gameplay-wise, the FNAF atmosphere is very weak — for both survivors and killer sides. His main animations and visual elements aren’t really connected to the original.
Now about how to solve it:
First, recall what makes Springtrap unique as an antagonist in FNAF 3 and what aspects of the FNAF series are key and recognizable.
For visuals:
- Springtrap is a corpse inside a springlock suit.
- Animatronics rely on the uncanny valley effect.
- Jumpscares are the main scare tactic.
- Unpredictable, creepy ambient sounds that disorient the player.
By studying how animatronics scare players, these tricks could be applied to Springtrap’s animations — making him animated, but not alive, a robotic imitation of life.
And of course — strip him of any voice. At most, unpleasant spring noises, endoskeleton creaks, and flesh sounds.
For gameplay:
- Again, recall what the player did to defend against Springtrap in FNAF 3.
- The player used cameras to lure Springtrap away.
- Had to locate him on cameras for the defenses to work.
- Blocked vents to stop him.
- Dealt with phantom animatronics in different ways.
- Rebooted systems after they broke.
If we interpret these features into DBD, we can highlight the key points:
Survivors should interact with cameras and doors to weaken Springtrap. Springtrap should avoid cameras, moving stealthily across the map. As a secondary mechanic, he could use phantoms to interfere.
Springtrap should be a stealth killer with a strong power that survivors must actively weaken using cameras — forcing them to interact with doors and cameras to survive.
For Springtrap, avoiding detection would be crucial, and phantoms would be an extra tool to distract survivors.
What does such a concept theoretically offer?
All mechanics are based on FNAF 3 gameplay — they’re recognizable, and interaction with them is mandatory to survive, creating a unique atmosphere tied strictly to the FNAF series, which is extremely important for a licensed chapter.
Concept
Now I’ll present my vision of Springtrap in DBD, based on gameplay mechanics from FNAF 1, FNAF 3, and FNAF AR: Special Delivery.
I tried to replicate the gameplay of these games in Dead by Daylight while partially borrowing the killer’s ability from the current PTB version.
The goal of this concept is an empirical experiment — and it’s up to you to judge it because here I not only ask you to read this part but also imagine how such gameplay would feel in the game — what kind of gameplay situations could arise.
Would this design convey the spirit of FNAF? Would it be interesting to play — both from the killer’s and the survivors’ sides?
Since I’m writing this review for the third day now, I might be a bit subjective, and your feedback would be very valuable.
(to see the concept you may follow the link https://www.reddit.com/r/DbdRezorRreview/comments/1l1eed9/dead_by_daylight_springtrap_concept/ )
Conclusion
Now, ask yourself the same questions about the PTB Springtrap — how different are the gameplay experiences and atmospheres between these two versions?
What would you prefer to see in the game?
Here’s what I think should be done to avoid rewriting core code but still preserve the FNAF spirit in the current Springtrap:
- Remove the axe, replace it with something else.
- Focus on office and camera interactions.
- Make Springtrap’s power weaken when he’s spotted.
- Make camera monitoring safer for survivors — for example, add a separate camera control panel not tied to doors.
- Most importantly — make interaction with doors and cameras mandatory for survivors, so gameplay-wise there’s a reason to use them.
If you do that, the power would stand out much more compared to other killers and offer a unique gameplay experience.
Now returning to the beginning of the review — it was mentioned that it’s profitable to use proven solutions, create hybrids — after all, they worked and brought revenue in the past, why wouldn’t they now?
But think — would you buy the current Springtrap?
Honestly, I would — because I love the original FNAF 1–4 series. It had its own atmosphere and an interesting antagonist design. And despite the shallow gameplay, something interesting was still implemented.
I think many people will buy him — even FNAF fans.
But here’s the real question — wouldn’t he sell if he were released with a more creative design?
If he was implemented in my concept or any of the fan concepts?
I believe he would sell no matter what — you’re releasing an extremely popular character — this was your chance to show creativity, and it would still pay off with proper marketing.
But you chose to make another hybrid — yes, with its own features — but still a hybrid.
And I will never believe that a year wasn’t enough to come up with something better than an axe.