Hello Neighbor Review
Hello Neighbor
Publisher: tinyBuild
Developer: tinyBuild
Genre:
PEGI: 10+
Comments:
Have you ever wanted to break into your neighbor’s house? If you are saying yes, then what the heck is wrong with you?! Also: boy do I have a game for you. And even if you said no, then thats ok. You should still check out Hello Neighbor for the Nintendo Switch. Why should you check this game out? Read on!
If you want to be on the edge of your seat, Hello Neighbor will do that to you. From the opening moments, you just know that the kid your controlling is about to get into a lot of trouble. How so? Look, he’s an obvious trouble maker. And he breaks into a possible killer’s house instead of calling the cops! What further proof do you need? Hello Neighbor is a bizarre for sure but the gameplay presented is mostly fun and also a heck of a challenge whether you have it on “friendly” mode or not.
If you are looking a challenge, a Stealth challenge in particular, then you should look no further than Hello Neighbor. This game can be very hard. The Neighbor’s A.I. is nothing to sneeze at, even if Friendly (easy) mode is on. The A.I. is especially brutal in normal mode.
With Friendly mode off, the Neighbor will be constantly hunting for you. He will learn from your mistakes and start setting traps for you in places that you frequently visit. The regular mode in Hello Neighbor is really hard. I had to turn it off early on because I wasn’t getting anywhere at all with it on. I suppose a more skilled (at stealth) player than me wouldn’t have to turn Friendly mode on.
Still, even with Friendly mode, the Neighbor is smart. If he spots you, he will do everything in his power to get you. Though in Friendly mode, he isn’t always looking for you and he doesn’t start setting traps in places that you frequent. Friendly mode is easier for sure; don’t get too cocky because it isn’t that easy.
The Neighbor isn’t the only thing you’ll have to contend with though. Hello Neighbor doesn’t hold your hand and you have to figure out where you are supposed to go and how to get there. Some of the solutions in this game are very complex.
As for the game’s controls, well, they could be a bit better. Opening and closing doors is sometimes touchy (you could find yourself looking through a keyhole instead of opening a door if you are not standing in the right place). I also think jumping and setting down items are not as good as they should be. Jumping can be really frustrating at times. Setting down items is more like throwing items down.
I’d love to see an update that adds in the ablity to set items down on the ground instead of throwing them. I don’t know if thats possible.
Hello Neighbor’s controls are not terrible and this game is very playable, but you should be aware that there is a learning curve.
Overall, Hello Neighbor is a challenging and often fun game. And its a pretty good looking one too!
Hello Neighbor is a really good looking game, especially on TV. Don’t get me wrong, the game looks good in handheld mode, however Hello Neighbor absolutely pops to life on television. There is so much detail to the neighborhood and to the Neighbor’s house. The characters, especially the Neighbor, are done well too. Hello Neighbor is no Super Mario Odyssey or Skyrim as far as graphics, but the developer did a good job with this game’s graphics!
It should be noted, however, that there are some graphical glitches in the game. I saw a cardboard box go throw a window without breaking it, the Neighbor ran through a car, and there are occassionally other odd things. None of this is game breaking but it is worth noting. Hopefully they will be fixed via an update.
Meanwhile, there is not much music in this game. Most of what there is comes from TVs that are turned on in the game. I suppose this makes things more realistic but I would have loved to have seen some “crazy” music during Hello Neighbor’s more intense moments.
As for sound effects, the game fairs a bit better there with some good audio cues, especially moments where the audio lets you know the Neighbor is on to you even when you don’t see him.
Hello Neighbor is a great game despite any of its flaws, most of which could be fixed via updating. Be warned though, Hello Neighbor is a challenging game and will put your Metal Gear Solid skills to use!
Hello Neighbor is a great game. It does have some flaws but the challenge that it presents is worth it. If you like stealth/puzzle games, then you should check out Hello Neighbor. Careful now! i think I see the Neighbor headed our way!
Thanks to Tiny Build for providing a digital code for this review. Hello Neighbor is now available on the Nintendo Switch eshop!
Trailer
Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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