Mascot horror delivers parkour platforming thrills
By Paul Hunter
Finding Frankie marks the latest entry into a genre that’s become its own theme park of surprises. Developed by SUPERLOU and published by Perp Games, it joins the growing list of mascot-based horror titles that blend colourful settings with cartoon danger. But unlike its more sinister cousins, Finding Frankie swaps out the dread for something a bit more playful—without abandoning the chase entirely.
You take on the role of a cereal-box contest winner invited to Frankie’s Parkour Palace, a trampoline-filled arena promising five million dollars to the winner. Of course, things take a turn, and soon you’re sprinting, sliding, and leaping for survival. While many horror games lean into fear or storytelling, this one is more interested in movement—fast, precise, and sometimes unpredictable. It's more obstacle course than haunted house, but it doesn't shy away from a few surprises.
Instead of soaking everything in darkness, Finding Frankie lights things up with bold colours, strange mascots, and over-the-top challenges. It asks a simple question: What happens when you mix parkour, puzzle-solving, and a homicidal animatronic duck mascot? The answer isn’t what you might expect.
Whether you’re a fan of parkour-based games, mascot horror, or just curious about what happens when those two ideas collide, this one might catch your attention. But does the game deliver enough punch to keep you hooked from start to finish? Let's take a closer look!
The setup for Finding Frankie is simple, but it works. You receive a VHS tape from a cereal box offering the chance to win five million dollars by competing in a bizarre game show called Frankie’s Parkour Palace. The location is a sprawling trampoline park stuffed with obstacle courses, flashing lights, and oversized animatronic mascots. On paper, it sounds like a weird commercial promotion. In practice, it’s a dangerous arena with rules that start breaking as soon as the game begins.
Moments into the opening level, Frankie—the smiling, oversized animatronic host—derails the competition by attacking a fellow contestant. That incident kicks off a race for survival. From there, the story doesn’t dive too deep. You’re one of four contestants, and the goal is straightforward: make it out alive to win your big prize.
There are hints of something larger operating behind the scenes. Hidden cameras, off-screen audiences, and broadcast equipment suggest the event is being watched and orchestrated from elsewhere. Some levels even include nods to unseen characters managing the chaos from control rooms. But none of it becomes too heavy-handed. These bits of background stay vague, keeping your attention on the task in front of you.
The game splits the palace into multiple themed zones, each with their own colour schemes, signage, and mascots. One of the more memorable characters is Henry Hotline, a retro-inspired telephone mascot whose presence becomes more unsettling the deeper into the game you go. While not every character gets a full arc, they add personality to each level and give a stronger sense of place. Frankie, of course, remains the central figure throughout—an unpredictable threat who crashes into scenes at the worst possible moment.
About halfway through, you gain the company of Deputy Duck. While mostly comedic, this sidekick also represents a shift in tone, signaling that the experience doesn’t take itself too seriously. That balance of light humour and mild horror stays consistent from start to finish. The story never aims for anything too grand, but that choice helps keep the pace steady. By focusing on the immediate stakes—outsmarting Frankie and surviving the gauntlet—the game keeps things moving without losing your attention.
At its core, Finding Frankie is all about movement. Each level asks you to run, jump, climb, and slide through courses filled with trampolines, wall-jumps, and narrow vents. The parkour mechanics feel inspired by classics like Mirror’s Edge, though the pace here is more chaotic. You’ll often find yourself balancing speed with caution as electrified floors, moving platforms, and environmental traps turn each section into a puzzle of momentum.
There’s a loop that quickly becomes familiar: reach a breaker without touching the ground, dodge animatronics, and race toward the next checkpoint. While the structure repeats, the challenges vary enough to keep it from getting stale. Some areas focus on tight navigation through cramped ducts, while others open up into larger arenas with vertical challenges. The chase sequences ramp things up further, often requiring quick reactions and split-second jumps. These moments create a real sense of urgency, especially when Frankie is closing in from behind.
Once you're armed with Deputy Duck, a robotic sidekick, you're able to scan the environment and light dark paths. It's a fun idea, even if it doesn't change the gameplay much. The duck mostly acts as comic relief, and it’s easy to forget it’s even there until the flashlight kicks in.
There’s also a clear nod to speedrunners. A visible timer on-screen tracks your performance, and the game encourages you to experiment with different routes. I had fun replaying zones just to shave a few seconds off my completion time. Finding shortcuts through jumping early, cutting corners, and retrying tricky wall-runs is exciting as see yourself climbing up the leaderboard. It’s easy to lose an hour chasing a cleaner run.
Still, not everything sticks the landing. The grab mechanic feels awkward on console, and the timing is easy to miss. It took some adjusting, and more than once I misjudged a swing or missed a ledge I thought I had locked in. Some trampolines also felt inconsistent, requiring luck more than timing.
But despite the hiccups, there’s a strange satisfaction in navigating each level. Even when things go sideways, the game encourages you to laugh, get up, and try again. It's not about perfect runs—it’s about keeping momentum, adapting quickly, and enjoying the ride.
Finding Frankie walks a fine line between absurd and unsettling, and its presentation leans into that contrast at every opportunity. The environments are bold and cluttered, filled with neon signs, oversized props, and splashes of confetti. These bright colours and cartoonish decorations give the levels an over-the-top amusement park vibe, even as broken machinery and scattered blood stains hint at the chaos beneath the surface.
Each of the six zones features a distinct theme. From glow-in-the-dark arcades to dingy maintenance corridors, the visual variety helps keep things fresh as you move through the game. The lighting design deserves some credit here—areas meant for fast movement feel wide and well-lit, while more suspenseful sections lean into shadow and tight spaces. The contrast is effective, even if some textures appear a little flat up close.
Character design is another standout. Frankie and the other animatronics have exaggerated proportions and facial expressions that manage to be both funny and slightly menacing. Henry Hotline, in particular, mixes retro charm with just enough creep factor to make every appearance feel memorable. The death screens, which feature upbeat graphics and cheeky animations, help maintain the game’s playful tone even in failure.
Sound plays a major role in the experience. The background music shifts from peppy electronic beats to near silence depending on the scene. That silence can be just as impactful—hearing your footsteps echo as something stalks you from behind is enough to make you hold your breath. Some tracks do go a bit overboard, especially the unexpected dubstep drops during certain boss moments, but it fits the game’s exaggerated style.
Voice work deserves mention too. Deputy Duck’s distorted chatter and Henry Hotline’s toy-like delivery add personality without dragging on. Most lines are brief and stylized, matching the game’s quick pace. Load times are short, and frame rate holds steady on console. Minor camera hitches during tight turns can pop up, especially when using wall jumps or swinging bars, but nothing that breaks momentum.
Altogether, Finding Frankie creates a world that feels chaotic but intentional. The visual and audio elements complement the gameplay well, offering a setting that’s fun to explore even when the pressure’s on.
Final Score: 7/10 - Good
Developer: SUPERLOU
Publisher: Perp Games
Genre: Action, Horror, Parkour
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Finding Frankie marks the latest entry into a genre that’s become its own theme park of surprises. Developed by SUPERLOU and published by Perp Games, it joins the growing list of mascot-based horror titles that blend colourful settings with cartoon danger. But unlike its more sinister cousins, Finding Frankie swaps out the dread for something a bit more playful—without abandoning the chase entirely.
You take on the role of a cereal-box contest winner invited to Frankie’s Parkour Palace, a trampoline-filled arena promising five million dollars to the winner. Of course, things take a turn, and soon you’re sprinting, sliding, and leaping for survival. While many horror games lean into fear or storytelling, this one is more interested in movement—fast, precise, and sometimes unpredictable. It's more obstacle course than haunted house, but it doesn't shy away from a few surprises.
Instead of soaking everything in darkness, Finding Frankie lights things up with bold colours, strange mascots, and over-the-top challenges. It asks a simple question: What happens when you mix parkour, puzzle-solving, and a homicidal animatronic duck mascot? The answer isn’t what you might expect.
Whether you’re a fan of parkour-based games, mascot horror, or just curious about what happens when those two ideas collide, this one might catch your attention. But does the game deliver enough punch to keep you hooked from start to finish? Let's take a closer look!
The setup for Finding Frankie is simple, but it works. You receive a VHS tape from a cereal box offering the chance to win five million dollars by competing in a bizarre game show called Frankie’s Parkour Palace. The location is a sprawling trampoline park stuffed with obstacle courses, flashing lights, and oversized animatronic mascots. On paper, it sounds like a weird commercial promotion. In practice, it’s a dangerous arena with rules that start breaking as soon as the game begins.
Moments into the opening level, Frankie—the smiling, oversized animatronic host—derails the competition by attacking a fellow contestant. That incident kicks off a race for survival. From there, the story doesn’t dive too deep. You’re one of four contestants, and the goal is straightforward: make it out alive to win your big prize.
There are hints of something larger operating behind the scenes. Hidden cameras, off-screen audiences, and broadcast equipment suggest the event is being watched and orchestrated from elsewhere. Some levels even include nods to unseen characters managing the chaos from control rooms. But none of it becomes too heavy-handed. These bits of background stay vague, keeping your attention on the task in front of you.
The game splits the palace into multiple themed zones, each with their own colour schemes, signage, and mascots. One of the more memorable characters is Henry Hotline, a retro-inspired telephone mascot whose presence becomes more unsettling the deeper into the game you go. While not every character gets a full arc, they add personality to each level and give a stronger sense of place. Frankie, of course, remains the central figure throughout—an unpredictable threat who crashes into scenes at the worst possible moment.
About halfway through, you gain the company of Deputy Duck. While mostly comedic, this sidekick also represents a shift in tone, signaling that the experience doesn’t take itself too seriously. That balance of light humour and mild horror stays consistent from start to finish. The story never aims for anything too grand, but that choice helps keep the pace steady. By focusing on the immediate stakes—outsmarting Frankie and surviving the gauntlet—the game keeps things moving without losing your attention.
At its core, Finding Frankie is all about movement. Each level asks you to run, jump, climb, and slide through courses filled with trampolines, wall-jumps, and narrow vents. The parkour mechanics feel inspired by classics like Mirror’s Edge, though the pace here is more chaotic. You’ll often find yourself balancing speed with caution as electrified floors, moving platforms, and environmental traps turn each section into a puzzle of momentum.
There’s a loop that quickly becomes familiar: reach a breaker without touching the ground, dodge animatronics, and race toward the next checkpoint. While the structure repeats, the challenges vary enough to keep it from getting stale. Some areas focus on tight navigation through cramped ducts, while others open up into larger arenas with vertical challenges. The chase sequences ramp things up further, often requiring quick reactions and split-second jumps. These moments create a real sense of urgency, especially when Frankie is closing in from behind.
Once you're armed with Deputy Duck, a robotic sidekick, you're able to scan the environment and light dark paths. It's a fun idea, even if it doesn't change the gameplay much. The duck mostly acts as comic relief, and it’s easy to forget it’s even there until the flashlight kicks in.
There’s also a clear nod to speedrunners. A visible timer on-screen tracks your performance, and the game encourages you to experiment with different routes. I had fun replaying zones just to shave a few seconds off my completion time. Finding shortcuts through jumping early, cutting corners, and retrying tricky wall-runs is exciting as see yourself climbing up the leaderboard. It’s easy to lose an hour chasing a cleaner run.
Still, not everything sticks the landing. The grab mechanic feels awkward on console, and the timing is easy to miss. It took some adjusting, and more than once I misjudged a swing or missed a ledge I thought I had locked in. Some trampolines also felt inconsistent, requiring luck more than timing.
But despite the hiccups, there’s a strange satisfaction in navigating each level. Even when things go sideways, the game encourages you to laugh, get up, and try again. It's not about perfect runs—it’s about keeping momentum, adapting quickly, and enjoying the ride.
Finding Frankie walks a fine line between absurd and unsettling, and its presentation leans into that contrast at every opportunity. The environments are bold and cluttered, filled with neon signs, oversized props, and splashes of confetti. These bright colours and cartoonish decorations give the levels an over-the-top amusement park vibe, even as broken machinery and scattered blood stains hint at the chaos beneath the surface.
Each of the six zones features a distinct theme. From glow-in-the-dark arcades to dingy maintenance corridors, the visual variety helps keep things fresh as you move through the game. The lighting design deserves some credit here—areas meant for fast movement feel wide and well-lit, while more suspenseful sections lean into shadow and tight spaces. The contrast is effective, even if some textures appear a little flat up close.
Character design is another standout. Frankie and the other animatronics have exaggerated proportions and facial expressions that manage to be both funny and slightly menacing. Henry Hotline, in particular, mixes retro charm with just enough creep factor to make every appearance feel memorable. The death screens, which feature upbeat graphics and cheeky animations, help maintain the game’s playful tone even in failure.
Sound plays a major role in the experience. The background music shifts from peppy electronic beats to near silence depending on the scene. That silence can be just as impactful—hearing your footsteps echo as something stalks you from behind is enough to make you hold your breath. Some tracks do go a bit overboard, especially the unexpected dubstep drops during certain boss moments, but it fits the game’s exaggerated style.
Voice work deserves mention too. Deputy Duck’s distorted chatter and Henry Hotline’s toy-like delivery add personality without dragging on. Most lines are brief and stylized, matching the game’s quick pace. Load times are short, and frame rate holds steady on console. Minor camera hitches during tight turns can pop up, especially when using wall jumps or swinging bars, but nothing that breaks momentum.
Altogether, Finding Frankie creates a world that feels chaotic but intentional. The visual and audio elements complement the gameplay well, offering a setting that’s fun to explore even when the pressure’s on.
The Verdict
Finding Frankie stands out by leaning into speed, humour, and chaos rather than fear. Its fast-paced platforming, quirky characters, and light story make for a fun and focused experience. While a few mechanics feel rough, the game delivers on its core idea: keep moving and enjoy the ride. Strong sound design, colourful visuals, and smooth performance round out a package that feels fresh in the mascot horror space. It may be short, but it’s memorable in all the right ways.Final Score: 7/10 - Good
Finding Frankie details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PCDeveloper: SUPERLOU
Publisher: Perp Games
Genre: Action, Horror, Parkour
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.