Developer: Dynamic Pixels
Publisher: TinyBuild
Rrp: £21.99 (Humblebundle), £22.99 (Gog.com) and £23.79 (Steam)
Released: 8th December 2017
Available on: Humblebundle, Gog.com and Steam
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 14 Hours
The first I had heard of this game was actually through this very site (tumblr). I remember it being in early alpha stages at that time and I also remember thinking that the game showed promise. Well now its out (or rather its been out for a year or so now) and it even got a episode or two from Game Theory on it. Not bad going.
Right then, I suppose I should start at the beginning which means I get to kick things off with a pet peeve. Why does this game use only the arrow keys (when using a keyboard) in the menu screen and yet uses [W, A, S, D] when actually playing the game. BE CONSISTANT! It’s very irritating to have to switch to the arrow keys whenever I want to change a option or save my game.
So what is Hello Neighbor? Incorrectly spelled is what it is, if you’re from the UK anyway. But the genre it sits in is Stealth Horror. You play as an unnamed protagonist who upon hearing some strange and rather suspicious noises coming from your neighbours house decides to break in and investigate. Of course, your neighbour isn’t just going to let you do that and will take some rather extreme measures to stop you.
As the name suggests its titular neighbour who is the real star of the show here. Its actually quite impressive how intelligent the AI is in this game. If you keep using the same entrance the neighbour will start to fortify his home. Open or broken windows will have cameras installed, bear traps placed where you would climb through, doors will become barricaded or locked. The neighbour learns your moves and develops counters to them. However he does have some limitations, his own traps can be used against him and he can’t pursue you onto your own property.
This game relies very heavily on environmental storytelling. A bit too much for my liking to be honest. I’ve always found that environmental storytelling is something that should be used in conjunction with implied storytelling. The Soulsbourne games are a great example of this kind of thing executed well. The world tells you a part of the story and something else helps flesh that out.
I also found that the horror aspect of this game was rather toothless, in part because I knew what was chasing me and how he could catch me. A huge part of what makes horror work at all is the fear of the unknown, as soon as you’re familiar with your pursuer it becomes not so much horror as a game of tag. However the game is rather tense and unsettling, it certainly has those feelings nailed down. I spent a long time being paranoid of the neighbour appearing that I began planning out my escape routes in advance and even practiced it a few times.
Honestly this game isn’t really my thing, I do appreciate it but without a clear idea of what exactly my objective was hard for me to really get invested. I have to say though that this certain is a game to check out, if only for how impressive the neighbours AI is.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Alien: Isolation
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
