An ambitious and mysterious puzzler that's ultimately as frustrating as it is fascinating.

• Is Hello Neighbor Ok For Kids

Hello Neighbor, The Game About Sneaking Into Your Neighbor's House, Debuts New Alpha Update. Hello Neighbor is a bizarre stealth/horror game mash-up that you try out right now on PC. May 4, 2017 6.

Hello Neighbor Games Play Online For free How well do you know your neighbors? Some of them are sweet people always ready to borrow you a few eggs for a biscuit or a hammer to fix your sink and always up for a friendly talk. Hello neighbor Game Official Review. Unfortunately, professional review of the Hello neighbor Game Official game is not yet ready. This game is on the list and will be reviewed in the nearest feature. Meanwhile, you can find more from the official description below. View all reviews.

As many a parent has wryly told their spouse above the caterwauling of their kid on a long haul flight: getting there is half the fun. So it goes with Hello Neighbor, a game about breaking into a stranger's house to find out what they're keeping so well guarded in the basement. The journey into that basement, through secret passageways and over roller coaster tracks in a three act structure, was bound to outshine the destination, because not knowing is more fun than knowing. And, more pragmatically, because navigating a surrealist environment and working your way through its puzzles is more fun than opening a door.

Hello Neighbor

• Developer: Dynamic Pixels
• Publisher: TinyBuild
• Platform: PC, Xbox One
• Availability: Out now

More surprisingly, the journey through Early Access and into this final release reflects the same platitude. Hello Neighbor's numerous alpha and beta releases over the last year have taken on an almost episodic adventure-like quality, each new build deepening the mystery of the eponymous neighbour and a couple going so far as to completely redesign his abode. For the faithful who've braved its bugs and sifted through its detritus for clues all this time, this final release is a fitting reward. It's stitched together from the component parts of those prior builds, but in a very real way, it's a completely new experience.

I've seen it pitched as a horror game, but Hello Neighbor isn't about jump-scares. There is a prevailing sense of unease, but it's the kind of unease you get from inhabiting a world that flatly refuses to harbour anything made of straight lines and right angles; in which there are doors on the floor that lead to nowhere, and the same thirty seconds of an old noir movie playing on loop in your neighbour's front room. It's a nightmarish, irrational kind of horror borne of breaking into someone's house without knowing why, and of trying to solve a world of opaque puzzles without a word of instruction from the game. Without a word of anything from anyone. It's enough to make you wonder whether you didn't, in fact, succumb to your diet of strong cheese and hallucinogens at the loading screen, and are now simply sitting slumped and open-mouthed, dreaming of a nonsensical home invasion game while in reality another gritty survival sim awaits your input.

A more traditional vein of horror comes from your interactions with the neighbour himself. He's designed to learn from your behaviour and fortify his house accordingly, so if you make a habit of trying to break in via a certain window in his back garden, he might board up that window. He might install a security camera pointed towards it. He might - and this is getting well beyond rational home security measures - place a bear trap on the floor below it. Seeing these measures put in place isn't inherently scary, but having a predetermined plan sprung by his extra provisions and hearing that ominous walking double bass line audio cue that lets you know he's in pursuit of you - that is.

Early on in act one, this combative interaction between you and he forms the basis of Hello Neighbor's narrative, and propels the whole endeavour forwards. As a curious child peeking in at his windows, you can see that this is a troubled man. A man with secrets. A man with a Rube Goldberg approach to keeping those secrets. The first time you actually cross the threshold into his house - and what a piece of architecture it is, shifting and expanding in nonsensical directions act by act - there's a real buzz. The same goes for accessing areas of the house you didn't know existed, and all right under your neighbour's nose while he patrols the lower floors, grunting.

However, despite early appearances the neighbour himself isn't actually that central to the action. it isn't a prolonged cat-and-mouse between you and an AI like Alien: Isolation in Cartoon Network climes, and except for a few linear sequences and what you might call boss fights, if you were feeling that way inclined, the neighbour is relegated to the ranks of minor annoyance while the game's true mechanical impetus takes hold: puzzles.

Its success in this domain is only partial, mind. Although Dynamic Pixels worked relative wonders to connect what were completely un-signposted and janky puzzles in Hello Neighbour's beta build into a vaguely comprehensible experience for the full release, it still regularly conjures up the bad old days of adventure games, when you'd schlep around with a sack full of 'zany' items, dispiritedly trying all of them on every object in sight. The cold, hard truth is that the whole experience is poorly signposted, and 'poorly' turns into 'like Gabriel Knight bad' in the third act. Its design relies on the likelihood that players will have either stumbled on its obtuse solutions in pre-release versions, or given up and watched a chirpy YouTuber light the path for them.

Without those advantages, you're simply placed in a house absolutely full of objects and left to determine which of them are crucial to your progression, and why, and to try not to lose them forever to a glitch. These cruel happenings are rarer than earlier betas, but these salty tear stains on my keyboard will tell you they still happen.

In its better moments there's an overarching logic to what you're doing, and it's especially good at maintaining that logic in acts one and two. Sadly by act three, logic appears only in brief cameos, as if sense itself is merely visiting momentarily from a different, better, game. Cooling down a glowing hot crowbar by getting it to water without touching it - that I can understand. Arranging slices of birthday cake and mannequins in an arbitrary manner to unlock a new item whose purpose only prompts more questions - tiresome.

Where it finds much more stable ground is in its storytelling. Veterans who enjoyed piecing together a narrative from the tiniest of clues in pre-release builds might find that Hello Neighbor's final form guides you by the hand through its plot a bit too much now. Anyone who isn't into pinning pieces of concept art onto a corkboard, circling things manically, tying twine from pin to pin and writing 'CONNECTION?' in conspiracy theory scrawl will find it a welcome touch of refinement. For a game that usually moves at the player's pace, it has ample capacity to surprise and unnerve by dramatically shifting gear and location in a heartbeat. A word on the subject matter though, while avoiding explicit spoilers: if we're going to hold David Cage under scrutiny for exploring controversial topics, Dynamic Pixels probably shouldn't get a free pass for the themes and imagery lurking within Hello Neighbor. It's not a constant issue, but at times the irreverent presentation and incredibly dark subject matter feel completely and inappropriately at odds with each other.

I haven't played another game in 2017 whose strengths and weaknesses were so distinct, and had such a chasm between them. For all the times I had to forcefully glitch a shoe through a locked box to push a lever or exploit a jumping bug to progress, there were the moments of grim narrative revelation and the great triumphs over baffling puzzles. In the end, it wasn't about getting into the basement and uncovering the secret. Like the Pulp Fiction suitcase or the many wrinkles of Alien lore that Ridley Scott has emphatically ironed out in recent years, the central mystery in Hello Neighbor couldn't possibly offer satisfaction with its reveal. What matters is that it created that sense of mystery in the first place, and fostered such curiosity in you that you were prepared to break into a neighbour's home in order to find out. You beast. The atmosphere, then, and the curiosity, are unqualified successes. The rest never quite comes together as a coherent stealth/horror game, nor as a puzzler.

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Hello Neighbor is a survival horrorstealth game developed by Dynamic Pixels and published by tinyBuild. The aim of the game is for the player to successfully sneak into the basement of their neighbor's house to uncover a secret.^[3] The game's artificial intelligence (AI) modifies the neighbor's behavior based on the player's past actions, such as setting traps along paths the player followed in a previous attempt.^[4][5][6]

• 2Plot

Gameplay[edit]

In Hello Neighbor, the player finds themselves moving into a new house across the street from a mysterious neighbor who is behaving in a paranoid manner and seems to be keeping a secret in his basement. The player's task is to break into the neighbor's home and solve a series of puzzles in order to gather the items needed to unlock and access his basement. As the player explores the neighbor's house, they must not be spotted by the mysterious neighbor, or they will be chased down, and if the player is not quick enough to hide or escape, will be captured. The player can also stun the neighbor by throwing objects at him for an easier escape. If the player is caught (or suffers a serious injury), they will be sent back to their own house and will have to break in again. Upon starting again, the player must be more careful, as the neighbor will deduce movements from the last attempt to set up traps.^[7]

The game is played in a first-person perspective, and the player must aim a very small reticule at the center of the screen at certain objects to interact with them, or use the reticule to throw or use a currently held item (for example, throwing a ball at a window or aiming a crowbar at nails to remove them). Up to four items can be kept in an inventory space, while items of the same kind cannot be stacked together in one slot.^[8]

Plot[edit]

Act 1[edit]

A child named Nicky Roth is playing in the street when he hears a scream from his neighbor's house. Nicky Roth goes to investigate and witnesses the neighbor apparently locking a person in his basement. Nicky Roth then sneaks into the neighbor's house, finds the key to the basement, and enters. He finds that the neighbor has converted his basement into a makeshift underground dungeon, but finds no sign of any prisoner. Nicky Roth then runs into Mr. Peterson, (the neighbor), and is captured.

Act 2[edit]

Nick wakes up, finding himself locked in the neighbor's basement dungeon. He manages to escape his cell and reach the surface, only to find that the neighbor has erected a massive fence around his property to prevent escape. Nicky Roth is forced to solve a number of puzzles in order to find a way to escape the neighbor's property. Once he crosses the fence, Nicky Roth flees back to his home, though Mr. Peterson does not give chase.

Throughout both Acts 1 and 2, if Nicky Roth is caught by Mr. Peterson before he can finish his objectives, he will have vivid nightmares about the neighbor's past. In these nightmares, it is revealed that the neighbor used to have a family consisting of a wife, a son named Aaron Peterson, and a daughter named Mya Peterson. However, the wife was apparently killed in a car crash while Aaron Peterson killed Mya Peterson by accident. Mr. Peterson then locks up his son Aaron Peterson in the dungeon to prevent him from getting hurt.

Act 3[edit]

Nick, now a grown adult, wakes up in his apartment. He is evicted from his apartment, so he decides to return to his old family home. He finds his old home in disrepair while the neighbor's home is also nothing but a pile of ruins. While inspecting the ruins, the man is haunted by a dark shadow-like creature and he returns to his home where he falls asleep. The man is quickly awoken by a child's scream, and he discovers the neighbor's house is back, but now larger, more complex, and more surreal than before. The man navigates the house and has surreal experiences, such as learning how to double jump by shrinking down and trying to turn on the light that is far out of reach. Eventually, the man enters the basement, now old and more surreal.

Finale[edit]

When Nick gets out of the basement, he finds himself trying to knock down a giant neighbour to get inside a house on his back. After doing so, he must protect a younger version of himself from a giant shadow man. Each time he attacks and you protect the boy, Nick grows larger until he is able to fight the shadow man. After he is defeated, Nick sees the neighbor in a small house, locking out a much smaller shadow man in another room.

It is implied throughout the events of the game that most of Act 3 and the Finale was a nightmare occurring in the man's head, and that his escape from the house signifies him finally coming to terms with his kidnapping as a boy at the hands of the neighbor.

Is Hello Neighbor Ok For Kids

Development[edit]

The game was released as an alpha build on Dynamic Pixels' website in 2015. It was later approved for sale as an early access game by the Steam Greenlight program and a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund further development. The studio signed a deal with tinyBuild to publish the game.^[9] The first pre-alpha version of the game was released in September 2016.^[10][11][12] The Alpha 1 version of Hello Neighbor was released on October 26, 2016.^{[when?][13][14][15]} Alpha 2 was released on November 22, 2016. Alpha 3 was released on December 22, 2016. Alpha 4 was released on May 4, 2017.

The game went into the beta phase on July 25, 2017.^{[citation needed]} For Halloween 2017, a promotional mod was released including multiple elements from the indie game Bendy and the Ink Machine. The mod includes a black and yellow background, ink, music from the game and multiple appearances of Bendy.^{[citation needed]} The game was originally set for full release August 29, 2017,^[16] but was delayed until December 8, 2017.^[17][18]

The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One on 8 December 2017. A timed Microsoftexclusive, Hello Neighbor was later ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and mobile devices.^[19] The mobile versions of the game are only supported on a limited number of devices and come with a free trial that allows the player to play through Act 1, with the option to unlock the remaining two Acts with an in-game purchase.^[20]

Add-on[edit]

On June 10, 2018, tinyBuild announced the first add-on to Hello Neighbor, called 'Secret Neighbor'. Secret Neighbor is a multiplayer horror game that takes place between Act 1 and Act 2 of Hello Neighbor. The game follows a group of friends trying to free their friend from the Neighbor's basement. However, one of the friends is a Neighbor in disguise. The game is scheduled to be released in Q1 2019 ^[21]

A prequel, Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek, was announced in August 2018 with a planned release in December 2018. Hide and Seek deals with the events of the Neighbor's family that caused him to become a recluse.^[22] The game was released on December 7, 2018.^[23][24]

Reception[edit]

When the game was initially released on Microsoft platforms, critics gave it mixed reviews, admonishing its gameplay, control scheme and technical performance while some praised the story aspects and art style. Ultimately, the game received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Metacritic gave it 'generally unfavorable reviews' and gave a score of 42 out of 100, 39 out of 100, and 38 out of 100 for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, respectively.

References[edit]

1. ^Calandra, Nick (5 October 2016). 'Hello, Neighbor – 10 Minutes of Unedited Pre-Alpha Gameplay Footage Released'. OnlySP. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
2. ^Sheehan, Gavin (10 May 2018). 'Hello Neighbor Is Coming to Mobile Devices in July - Bleeding Cool'. Bleeding Cool.
3. ^Pereira, Chris (4 May 2017). 'Hello Neighbor, The Game About Sneaking Into Your Neighbor's House, Debuts New Alpha Update'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
4. ^D'Anastasio, Cecilia (29 September 2016). 'A Horror Game Where The AI Learns From Your Every Move'. Kotaku UK. Future Publishing. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
5. ^Chalk, Andy (23 November 2016). 'Watch the guy next door get creepy in two new Hello Neighbor trailers'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
6. ^Lemon, Marshall (1 October 2016). 'Hello Neighbor is a horror game about breaking into someone's house'. VG247.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
7. ^Cosimano, Mike (1 February 2017). 'Hello Neighbor is a horror game for cowards'. Destructoid. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
8. ^Favis, Elise (11 October 2016). 'Test Chamber – Trespassing Into A Stranger's Home In Hello Neighbor'. Game Informer. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
9. ^Munger, Karla (1 October 2017). 'Hello Neighbor...Not Exactly Welcome Wagon'. www.justadventure.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
10. ^Frank, Allegra (29 September 2016). 'Hello Neighbor is a voyeuristic indie home invasion simulator'. Polygon. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
11. ^Devorre, Jordan (15 October 2015). 'Hello, Neighbor! is unexpectedly terrifying'. Destructoid. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
12. ^Flint, Sean (18 June 2015). 'IndieGames.com Hello, Neighbour! Encourages Breaking and Entering'. indiegames.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
13. ^Delahunty-Light, Zoe (6 October 2016). 'Are you the villain in Hello, Neighbor? The AI thinks so and learns your tactics to hunt you down'. Games Radar. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
14. ^Helm, Jordan (29 September 2016). 'tinyBuild Officially Announce Stealth Horror Title Hello Neighbor'. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
15. ^Chalk, Andy (9 May 2017). 'The Humble tinyBuild Bundle includes Punch Club, Clustertruck, and a freebie for everyone'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
16. ^Faller, Patrick (25 May 2017). 'Hello Neighbor PC/Xbox One Release Date Announced; New Trailer Highlights The Creepy AI'. GameSpot. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
17. ^Nichiporchik, Alex (14 August 2017). 'Hello Neighbor Beta 3 Launch Producers Update'. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
18. ^Chalk, Andy (15 August 2017). 'Creepy stealth game Hello Neighbor is delayed to December'. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
19. ^Franzese, Tomas (10 May 2018). 'Hello Neighbor is Finally Releasing on Nintendo Switch, PS4, iOS, and Android this July'. DualShockers. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
20. ^Knight, Shawn (27 July 2018). 'Home invasion simulator 'Hello Neighbor' now available on mobile devices'. TechSpot. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
21. ^'Secret Neighbor - Hello Neighbor Multiplayer Horror Game'. Secret Neighbor - Hello Neighbor Multiplayer Horror Game. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
22. ^Lane, Rick (31 August 2018). 'Hello Neighbor is getting a prequel'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
23. ^Clark, Dean (4 December 2018). 'Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek Set To Launch This Friday'. GameTyrant. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
24. ^Good, Owen (6 December 2018). 'Xbox Winter of Arcade lineup announced'. Polygon. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
25. ^'Hello Neighbor for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
26. ^'Hello Neighbor for Xbox One Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
27. ^'Hello Neighbor for Switch Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

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