As a child, I recall having mysterious and reclusive neighbors who seemed to shun the outside world with their disdainful expressions. Their secluded suburban abode fueled my imagination, conjuring tales of peculiar occurrences behind closed doors - ...
Hello Neighbor
As a child, I recall having mysterious and reclusive neighbors who seemed to shun the outside world with their disdainful expressions. Their secluded suburban abode fueled my imagination, conjuring tales of peculiar occurrences behind closed doors - a narrative eerily mirrored in Hello Neighbor's premise. Playing as the bold yet nameless child protagonist, you're drawn into a world where unsettling sights and sounds emanate from your enigmatic middle-aged neighbor's dwelling, compelling you to embark on a clandestine investigation.
Hello Neighbor unfolds as a stealth game, with the primary objective across its three acts being to penetrate the neighbor's basement and unveil his secrets while evading his vigilant pursuit. However, the escalating complexity of the house's layout throughout each act introduces pacing issues and an unusual difficulty curve, challenging players to maintain stealth, particularly in the early stages. The modest cottage of Act 1, for instance, proved to be a formidable obstacle due to its confined spaces, making it difficult to elude the ever-present neighbor. Despite the presence of hiding spots like cabinets and the ability to impede his progress with thrown objects, the frequency of getting caught dulled the tension, detracting from the immersive horror experience. A well-crafted horror game instills a fear of failure while balancing the risk of detection to preserve the suspense.
In the later acts of Hello Neighbor, there's a noticeable improvement in terms of stealth mechanics due to the increased space for maneuvering. However, these acts introduce some of the most bewildering and exasperating puzzles, reminiscent of the head-scratching conundrums from the '90s adventure game era. What sets them apart is their illogical nature, often relying on trial and error rather than logical deduction. Rather than experiencing a sense of accomplishment upon solving these puzzles, I found myself questioning the rationale behind the solutions, wondering how anyone could have made such obscure connections.
For instance, one puzzle required me to freeze a pool of water by placing a globe found in a remote corner of the house into the neighbor's freezer on a different floor, then positioning it on a seemingly arbitrary pedestal. The lack of coherence in these tasks is baffling, leaving players scratching their heads in disbelief. Additionally, accessing the final boss demands obtaining a double jump ability hidden in an obscure area that lacks any indication of its significance. I spent a considerable amount of time fruitlessly attempting to uncover alternative routes to access this area, highlighting the game's propensity for arcane mechanics and its failure to provide adequate guidance.
Hello Neighbor's most glaring flaw lies in its inability to familiarize players with the range of interactions available in its world or guide them towards meaningful progress. Without resorting to community guides or outside assistance, navigating the game's enigmatic puzzles would likely require an extensive trial-and-error approach, consuming significant time and testing one's patience to its limits. If not for the purpose of review, the sheer frustration induced by this lack of guidance would likely have led to abandoning the game altogether.
