Hello Neighbor 2 (Switch) Review
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher/Developer: Eerie Guest/tinyBuild Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), all Xbox (on Game Pass), all PlayStation, PC
Price: $39.99 regular, $59.99 Deluxe Edition
Even though I’ve seen the series split off into a million directions with books at my son’s book fair, an upcoming television series, a VR version, and more game releases than there would warrant me reviewing Hello Neighbor 2, this is my first foray into the Hello Neighbor franchise. The developers have crafted a unique take on horror that somehow manages to still be fairly family-friendly, eschewing the gore prevalent in such titles for a more grounded and tense experience. While I feel I may be missing out on some plot points after researching the series, I can say that Hello Neighbor provides a tense experience and intriguing puzzles, and though the sneaking around is well put together and fun, it can get frustrating at times, especially if you find yourself in a loop you just can’t think your way out of.
Games like Hello Neighbor 2 make me long for the classic era of physical media, where I’d go to the store and pick up a title like this, then head out to the car and pore over the back of the box and the instruction manual, usually crafted with care and full of bits of the mystery to get me into the mood to play. I say this because at first glance upon boot up, there is a short cutscene followed by a basic tutorial-like level before you get into the meat of the game that brings a newbie a whole lot of questions. I’d just love to be immersed in the lore a bit more, but am aware that those who have consumed all Hello Neighbor media may consider it a retread. I suppose I’m more concerned that someone would knock me out with a shovel then put me back in my bed at home instead of kill me, or that these people who catch you in their house full of obtuse puzzles will just catch you and throw you to the street. Irregardless, as you get deeper into the game the story fleshes out a bit more and draws you in. I just wish there was more of the initial setup.
Instead of a single neighbor, you are dealing with an entire community now, each neighbor touting their own unique AI, though their end goal is always to get you so I can’t see them being horrendously different in the end. My first walk into the community felt unguided, as I sauntered around tons of similarly designed shells of homes until I found one with someone actually inside. The police officer at the residence chucks you out when he finds you as you go about figuring out puzzles to get keys that eventually unlock a basement door. Most of the game follows a similar gameplay loop. Like I said, this is my first foray into the series, but I did have a few problems with how it is presented. Using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con analogs (drift free), I often struggled to get the tiny reticle directly over an item to pick up (a thin crowbar, an awkwardly shaped doll, etc). This would cause delays in my action which could lead to inevitably being caught by the antagonist. If I get a puzzle piece in the right place, it stays there; if not, it gets put back where it started. Canonically this feels weird: Put three dolls in order on a shelf. I find, puzzle out two of them, put them where they belong. Get the third, stand at the shelf, try to align my reticle, get caught. Villain puts that doll I held back, but leaves the other two I messed with? The dolls that “if they are set up right release one of the keys hiding my secrets”? It’s a little obtuse to me.
By the sixth or so time I carefully sneaked through the home, picking up the last two parts to get a key only to get caught from behind to lose all progress, it turned into a speedrun challenge for me, trying to push through and get parts then get right on the outside of the property so I could at least try a different direction. I feel this goes against the whole vibe, and definitely feels weird to be discovering secrets that someone would never want out only to have them stop at the invisible edge of their property and stare at me intently. Again, I see the gameplay loop, but I feel that you can exploit it, and sadly it can exploit you as well. I also ran across the occasional frustration in level geometry. There’s a maze of police tape out in the community with no point of being there. If I want to be on the other side of it, I have to walk a big loop, because I can’t jump the tape three feet off the ground. Meanwhile, a puzzle piece is inside a grate in a house above a six foot tall cabinet, and I was stuck for a good while because I didn’t even begin to think I could jump up there. Also, a certain point in a set of stairs I could not walk up, and had to jump.
Playing to the theme and letter of the law of the game, I had a lot of fun. It’s definitely right in line with anything a fan of the series will want. However, anyone quickly frustrated or unfamiliar with lore may start seeing the cracks earlier than others. Hello Neighbor 2 knocks it out of the neighborhood for anyone who is a fan of this family-friendly yet horror title.
Pros:
-More for fans of what has come before
-Additional neighbors and differing AI for each of them
-Expanded storyline for additional history
Cons:
-Obtuse rules for when being caught
-Geometric frustrations/lack of direction in the open world
-Could use some more definitive story beats in the beginning
Special thanks to Eerie Guest/tinyBuild games for providing a code for review!