Announced in mid-2015, Hello Neighbor quickly won a true legion of fans, which among other features of the distinctive horror game, featured an AI capable of learning from the player about their customs and ways to stay hidden by the areas of gameplay, thus making it even more difficult on how not to be found by the mysterious neighbor. Between hits and misses, the game did not achieve the expected result, but it was enough for publisher tinyBuild to bet on Hello Neighbor 2 and make it possible to see the light of day in the month of December 2022. Below you can see my impressions of the game.

Plot

As the investigative journalist named Quinton, we are invited to the quiet and serene town of Raven Brooks (at least that's what they want us to believe), where some reports indicate that some mysterious disappearances involving children are taking place. During a routine round, we spot a child being forcibly taken into an adult's home, and clearly, this gets his attention. Just when we were thinking about how to make an investigative approach, the sinister neighbor realizes that he is being monitored and set out to chase us.

During the escape, our vehicle crashes and we are taken hostage by none other than Mr. Theodore Peterson, the antagonist from the first game.
 

As we are captured and taken to a place that seems to be a control point of all the streets in the neighborhood, we are presented with a small tutorial, which we must complete both to understand how the gameplay will be and to get a better view of how the puzzles work. But of course, there is no one chasing us here, which makes life much easier.

As we escape, the "open world" of the neighborhood is presented, showing how we will be hunted by Mr. Theodore...or how we will be hunted. After all, it's not just the mysterious villain who wants an investigator away from his quarters, but the entire neighborhood. Exactly what you are thinking. It's an entire neighborhood against you and your miraculous ideas of investigating without being noticed.

Without too many spoilers, the story seems very simple and straightforward, but as you progress through the levels and discover more details of the strange neighbor's past, you realize that there is a lot more to this story than you might imagine.

Sem muitos spoilers, a história parece bem simples e direta, mas conforme você avança nas fases e descobre mais detalhes do passado do vizinho estranho, percebe que tem muito mais caroço nesse angu do que poderia imaginar.
 

Gameplay

Speaking more in detail about the gameplay, in fact, it is very simple and clear, but despite this, in practice, it does not work very well. As the game is about picking up objects, the control is very hard and makes it very difficult to aim clearly at what we really want to select. And as most of the time we will be being chased (something relentless, which I will talk about later), this can hinder the progression in phases.

The game's AI is still very sharp, although at times it is not so assertive. There were plenty of times when it was very obvious to be on the pursuers' radar, but they did nothing. But if I stepped on a toy or a shard of glass, or even turned on a television, the chase signal would be "turned on", making it a real rat hunt.

By the way, this is a very interesting factor, about how the objects are positioned in strategic places, exactly in points of interest, that you take too long to do what must be done, the relentless pursuit will begin. And if you don't have a certain amount of patience, Hello Neighbor 2 can become frustrating. The lack of finesse in sharper mechanics detracts from the experience.

The investigation in the neighborhood raises the level of chases and curiosities because here you are not only stuck in one house but you "walk" through other homes, get to know bakeries, restaurants, and even some secret rooms that you would never imagine to have in these enclosures.

Here is the record of how visual and explicit it is that you are not welcome by anyone, and how they do everything to "protect" Mr. Peterson in some way.

Just as some objects make it difficult to remain hidden, others help us a lot, such as a crowbar and a shovel for digging (perhaps you think it might make the enemies dizzy, but that is not the case), perfect for opening new passages and other escape routes. By the way, I advise you to always go through a window, leave it open, because you may need it again.

Quinton has a small suitcase, in which he can carry up to five objects in it, but this also includes keys and other objects of interest. It is worth noting that there were times when he was discovered and expelled by an enemy, and the items returned in the case, but in other situations, this did not happen.

And this is a very important detail, because if you forget an item, you may have to go back to get it again, and believe me...this is not nice when it happens.



Hello Neighbor 2 does not have any dialog, because here everything is told through cutscenes between the five stages. If you are the kind of person who expects a rich storyline with striking characters, this game is not for you. In short, you will have to solve puzzles and avoid attracting attention.

Graphics and soundtrack

Just like the first game, Hello Neighbor 2 counts with animated 3D graphics, somewhat reminiscent of the style of animated movies of the 2000s, quite distinctive and striking. Played on Xbox Series S and had no problems with frame rates or anything like that. On the other hand, the soundtrack is pretty simple, but I like the way the audio of an object breaking or running over is loud enough to make you realize you shouldn't have done that or should have been more careful. Sure, when the chase starts, we even get a change in the climax, but maybe it could be something tenser, that would convey more of a hide-and-seek feel.



Is Hello Neighbor 2 worth it?

Without a doubt, Hello Neighbor 2 is a clear evolution of the first title. With a simple story, but elaborated and at the same time arouses, even more, the curiosity of the player to reach the end, the path is hindered by mysterious neighbors and unfortunately also by locked gameplay, as minimalist as it is, is the key point for the experience to be balanced between fun and tension. With clever puzzles, the game manages to keep a light at the end of the tunnel for a sequel.

Hello Neighbor 2 was reviewed on an Xbox Series S, via Xbox Game Pass.