Friday Night Funkin' vs. Tricky the Clown: High-Difficulty Music Clash
Few FNF mods hit as hard as Friday Night Funkin' vs. Tricky the Clown, where pure chaos from Madness Combat crashes into high–speed rhythm battles. Brutal charts, screaming visuals and one of the most iconic bosses in the community turn every track into a survival test. Think your timing is sharp enough to face Nevada’s wildest clown?
Summary overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Mod name | Friday Night Funkin' vs. Tricky the Clown |
| Number of songs | Four main tracks plus cutscenes and extra menu themes |
| Overall difficulty | Very high, designed for experienced rhythm players |
| Latest version | Version 2 with Phase 3 and Expurgation in Freeplay |
| Developers | Banbuds, Rozebud, KadeDeveloper, Cval with additional contributors |
Story and mod background
This mod brings Doctor Hofnarr, better known as Tricky the Clown from the Madness Combat series, directly into Friday Night Funkin’. Canon to the original animation universe, the week follows Boyfriend as he is dragged into Nevada and forced to rap against a reality–bending clown whose Improbability Drive sends the whole stage shaking. Version 2 expands the original release with refined charts, new cutscenes and a terrifying extra phase that pushes both lore and gameplay to the limit.
Tricky’s different forms mirror his Madness Combat evolution, from masked assassin to towering Hellclown. Visual glitches, flashing words on his turn and screen–filling attacks help the mod feel like a playable episode of the series rather than a simple reskin. Despite all the effects, it remains optimized for browser play and Chromebook users, making a notoriously hard experience surprisingly accessible.
Game modes and available content
Players can experience the mod in a classic Story Mode, where the week unfolds in order with dialogue and transitions, or in Freeplay, which lets them jump directly into specific tracks once unlocked. Clearing the main week on Hard reveals Expurgation, a bonus song that acts as an unofficial “Phase 4” and is widely regarded as one of the hardest charts in the FNF scene.
- Story Mode – follow Tricky’s transformations through consecutive songs with their cutscenes.
- Freeplay – replay unlocked tracks, practice particular sections and attempt score grinding.
- Hard difficulty runs – required to unlock Expurgation and see everything the mod offers.
Song difficulty analysis
| Song | Phase | Difficulty insight |
|---|---|---|
| Improbable Outset | Phase 1 | Serves as an introduction to Tricky’s patterns. Notes are dense but readable, with occasional bursts to teach players how the mod handles speed and red arrows. |
| Madness | Phase 2 | A significant step up in tempo and complexity. Long streams, tricky rhythms and visual distractions test consistency. Many players consider this the point where the mod stops forgiving mistakes. |
| Hellclown | Phase 3 | Time signatures shift, camera shakes increase and Tricky grows to enormous size. Patterns mix rapid bursts with irregular spacing, demanding both rhythm sense and quick adaptation to visual chaos. |
| Expurgation | Secret extra | Designed as a near–unfair challenge. New note types, health pressure and constant streams make this song aimed at expert players who already mastered the rest of the week on Hard. |
Controls and basic survival tips
Friday Night Funkin' vs. Tricky the Clown keeps the familiar control scheme: use the Arrow Keys or WASD to hit notes as they rise into the matching receptors. Press Enter to pause or resume between attempts. Because of the extremely fast patterns, many players switch to DFJK in the options menu for a more comfortable layout during long sessions.
For better survival chances, start by learning each chart on Normal before moving to Hard. Focus your eyes on the receptors rather than Tricky’s animations, since his shaking, flashes and background effects are meant to pull attention away from the notes. Pay special attention to red arrows and any new mechanic introduced in later phases; panicking usually leads to long chains of misses. Short practice sessions, repeated often, help build the muscle memory needed to clear Madness, Hellclown and eventually Expurgation.
With patience, pattern recognition and a bit of stubbornness, even this chaotic clown can be brought down in rhythm. Just remember: in Nevada, hesitation costs more than a missed note.