Gym Nights is an indie game filled with horror and jump scares galore. Developed by Monolith Games, this point-and-click horror game takes inspiration from the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise with its core game mechanics of managing energy to use doors and lights to keep the horror away. 

In Gym Nights, you play as a midnight shift worker maintaining an old and seemingly abandoned gym. You get mysterious phone calls, giving you enough instructions to weather the shift. The night immediately begins and without notice, things suddenly turn horrific and traumatic.

Nightmare-fuel for those who work the midnight shift 

Gym Nights features an eerie 3D horror experience that captures the mood of a mysterious and abandoned gym. The ominous television at your desk, the dimly lit rooms, and barely functioning cameras sell the horrifying atmosphere of the nights you must spend. Furthermore, the random occurrences of moving ghosts and dream-like sequences borders psychological horror which spices up the nightmare. 

Manage your electrical energy and survive until your shift ends at 7:00 a.m. However, as the hours pass, you notice the weird happenings around you. You protect yourself by keeping the lights on and tracking the horrors of the night, and don’t let them come close for a jump scare. Use the doors to protect you from the outside, but sometimes that’s not enough for the nightmares that fill your mind. 

As the game unfolds you venture into the greater darkness, unfolding the horrors of the abandoned gym. While the overall mystery of the game is intriguing, the narrative is quite confusing, which can be a cheap thrill for some. In addition, the overall game loop remains the same over the course of its short-lived gameplay, dismaying players looking for more out of the mysterious happenings around them.

A short horror experience with great potential 

Gym Nights delivers a suspenseful horror experience packed with jump scares and eerie atmosphere. Its abandoned gym setting, dim lighting, and random ghostly encounters create a tense environment. However, the repetitive gameplay loop and confusing narrative detract from its overall appeal. Despite these shortcomings, it remains a solid option for fans of jump-scare-heavy, Five Nights at Freddy's-style horror games.