TinyBuild are huge Xbox supporters, with plenty of independent games that stand out from the crowd. Games like Clustertruck, that involve jumping from semi-truck to semi-truck without getting run over; or Party Hard where you play as a serial killer preying upon unsuspecting party goers. Their games are unique but usually have art styles that, while attractive, lack some wow-factor. Which is why I think Hello Neighbor had so much hype at its release and was met with such disappointment. The art style is so appealing that I think most gamers bought it without really knowing how it played. I’m lucky to be reviewing Hello Neighbor nearly 2 months after release, and after it’s first console patch. The initial buzz has worn off slightly, as has the uproar from the community. 60 days later, is it a beautiful day in the neighborhood? Or should you put your $30 deposit in a different location?

 

Writer’s Note: On December 18th 2017 a patch went live for Xbox that fixed save corruption issues and concerns over loading and difficulty. It’s important to note that this review was written with no experience playing Hello Neighbor pre-patch.

 

Concept:

Playing as a young boy with prying eyes, you notice that your incredible creepy neighbor has something mysterious locked up in his basement. Large colourful padlocks restrict anyone from entering, meanwhile the camera pans to an upstairs bedroom showing the basement key on a table. The goal of the game is to sneak into your neighbor’s house, search for all the things you need like keys and tools, use them on their respective locks and uncover the mystery. The neighbor is typically roaming the house, quick to search out any loud noises. If he catches you, you must restart from the outside of the house and try again. The game boasts advanced A.I. that learns and responds to your tendencies. The neighbor will set traps in your favourite points of entry and use shortcuts to catch you faster. As you move from act to act, the house and settings change in very peculiar ways.

Gameplay:

Since the game plays from a first-person perspective, it brings along the good and bad that comes with that choice of view. Not being able to see as much around you (as opposed to a third person perspective) provides a lot of tension. The game will give visual and audio feedback when the neighbor is close, and just sensing him nearby made me nervous. There is also a lot of running and jumping in Hello Neighbor, which can be difficult to perform accurately in a first-person game. Our character can pick up objects and assign them to the four directions on the d-pad. Use items such as keys or other tools and throw items. The throwing takes some getting used to, as there is no meter or real way to tell how much power you are putting into it. You will need to throw objects like trash cans lids and boxes to break windows, which allow you access into the house. The main character can jump, stack items and run, although outrunning the neighbor can prove somewhat difficult. If the neighbor sees you in the first act, you can run across the street and he will stop or you can hide in a closet. As you progress in the game, you will no longer be able to run to a safe haven so easily.

 

So what were critics and fans so upset about? I personally felt that Hello Neighbor would have really benefitted from a tutorial and a bit more handholding in the beginning. Sure, we know from the cutscene that we are supposed to go upstairs in Act 1. If you happen to not pay attention, you will find yourself wandering through the first floor and getting nowhere (you can’t immediately access upstairs from the first floor). The game expects you to just figure things out but keeps causing frustration from an overly aggressive neighbor, making for difficult trial and error gameplay. I feel that most gamers will have one of two reactions to Hello Neighbor within the first 10 minutes. They will stick to it and eventually make progress or quit entirely. TinyBuild was smart to add a friendly mode that is supposed to tone down the aggressiveness of the neighbor; but that doesn’t make the game a walk in the park. The neighbor also tends to get stuck in mid air or in corners, but eventually frees himself. Interacting with objects can also get annoying, as certain actions require a press of a button and others require you to hold the button and it’s quick to mix up inputs.

Presentation:

Easily the most appealing part of Hello Neighbor are the graphics and art style.  Anyone who picks up the box on store shelves won’t think twice about the $30 price tag. To me, it almost looks as Fortnite would if it were in first-person. There are some brief loading times between acts, but nothing too intrusive. The game comes with Xbox One X enhancements and is playable in 4K. While the graphics are appealing, its more of a pretty mask for a still flawed game.

 

Final Take:

As it stands, I find it hard to recommend Hello Neighbor at the current price. The trial and error gameplay can easily get frustrating; if you are like me you will quickly turn to YouTube for hints or guides. It is also not the best game for gamerscore enthusiasts, with 17 achievements that are mostly found in the second half of the game. I would suggest anyone who insists on buying Hello Neighbor to do their research on how to play the game and stay diligent. I’m hoping to see more tweaks and fixes to the gameplay, and perhaps the franchise can find future success.

 

Rating: 6/10

Written by: Jordan650

Gamertag: Jordan650

 

Positives

 

+ Beautiful art style

+ Xbox One X Enhanced

 

Negatives

- Glitches & wonky physics

- Not knowing what to do gets frustrating

- Button presses don’t feel responsive

 

Ethics Statement: The reviewer spent approximately five hours breaking windows, hiding in closets and flipping power switches…over and over again. Earning 0 out of 17 achievements.

 

A review copy was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

You can purchase the Hello Neighbor here.

 

Release Date: Thursday, December 7, 2017

Price: $29.99

Download size: 2.15 GB

Privacy Policy