Hello Neighbor was initially supposed to be a one-off title, but after its success with around 2 million copies sold, Dynamic Pixels and Eerie Guest Studios Thus the idea of creating a sequel was born. The first chapter was very immature, but the idea behind it was interesting, so much so that it also became fun content for streamers and content creators.
Therefore, the announcement of Hello Neighbor 2 sparked a lot of curiosity about how both the story and the game mechanics could evolve. Although the plot has been enriched thanks to off-screen comics and novels, the mysterious neighbor has continued to hide secrets from him.
In this way we had the opportunity to learn more about Mr. Peterson and we sneaked into apartments again in search of the truth. In our Hello neighbor 2 review We will tell you about our escapes and our discoveries, but above all how Mr. Peterson was not our only problem.
Old habits never die
Being a sequel with a small time jump Compared to the first chapter, Hello Neighbor 2 keeps the overall structure of the game unchanged. In the role of journalist Quentin we return in search of news about the mysterious disappearances of children in the town of Raven Brooks and guess for what purpose? That's right, discovering the secrets of our "friend" Mr. Peterson.
We can say that the hatred towards us has not diminished, as has our desire to sneak onto his property: these two factors, curiously, continue to make him unfriendly, willing to track us down and expel us from his property. But the thirst for truth is relentless and even at the cost of being repeatedly discarded, the mystery must be revealed.
The dynamics of stealth remain intact. as in the first video game and the entire gameplay focuses on sneaking into apartments in search of clues capable of explaining the mystery that hangs over this disturbing town. After a short introductory video and an abrupt encounter with the neighbor, Hello Neighbor 2 begins, introducing us to the mechanics with a small environmental puzzle, one of the many present and that characterize the gameplay.
The Mystery of Raven Brooks
Our adventure begins exactly as we left it and the first objective is Mr. Peterson's house, this time guarded by a police officer, theoretically with the intention of patrolling the area seized after reports received of suspicious activities. The first puzzle They are quite basic and show some improvements compared to the lack of logic found in the first chapter.
In Hello Neighbor 2 with a minimum of exploration and attention to detail we never come across difficult puzzles to solve, finally easy to understand, leaving the only difficulty in trying not to be discovered. To make everything more usable, the objects with which you can interact are reduced to a minimum and are exclusively those necessary to progress in the mission or capture the attention of the enemy on duty, such as the alarm clocks scattered throughout the rooms. No more chairs to throw at the angry Mr. Peterson in an attempt to block him, this time we just had to rely on the right moment to hide.
Like in the first Hello Neighbor, Quentin can rely on his bag with tools like scissors and a crowbar to be able to interact with barred doors and cobwebs. Inarsenal As a researcher, in this second chapter the drone camera is added, an interesting idea but one that has no real use in the dynamics of the game.
Although it is ideal to follow the movements of the owner of the house in which we infiltrate, very often it is decidedly more practical and immediate to rely on the "hit and run" tactic, hiding at regular intervals once we know the patrol carried out by the characters.
A town full of secrets
Hello Neighbor 2 not only implements small new features, but also oldest compared to its predecessor, although completing it will take you about 3 hours. The trick to extending the duration lies in exploring more houses and buildings apparently belonging to people involved in the mystery of the disappearance of Raven Brooks' children.
Although exploring the neighborhood is fairly free, the apartments to explore are only unlocked by following one rigid progression imposed by the game. After solving all the riddles inside Mr. Peterson's house, we will discover that to reach the solution to this plot we will have to visit our neighbor, now camped in the town's decaying museum.
After the first raid, the true progression of the game begins, preceded by a flashback that tries to reveal some secrets about this cryptic story. When we wake up we always find ourselves inside Quentin's headquarters and the numerous cameras pointed at Raven Brooks tell us which character we will have to visit before trying to enter the museum again.
Our objectives are three: the pastry chef, the elderly man who lives in the outskirts and the mayor. In each house there is a fundamental object to be able to continue inside the museum. He puzzle They will become a little more complex as the game progresses, until you reach those present in the mayor's luxurious villa, which will require multiple objects to unlock the mechanisms present inside.
New neighbors, same problems
Hello Neighbor 2 was announced with some big promises from the developers, namely aIA able to study our behaviors in the game and able to test ourselves. Unfortunately, these words were ignored and the artificial intelligence problems that plagued the first chapter are strongly repeated in the sequel.
The AI doesn't seem to have received any particular improvements and makes the experience quite boring at times. frustrating, especially in the final stages of the game. Inside the museum where the neighbor is hiding, for example, there are areas with squeaky floors, unavoidable in some situations, which will immediately attract Mr. Peterson's attention even if he is very far away.
Not being able to choose the path, also due to a restricted game environment, makes some parts of the game unnecessarily fun, forcing us to simply run away to try again. Even if we get caught, there is no real penalty; Quentin is expelled and we will have to start the exploration again with a control quite close together and in most cases keeping the objects collected shortly before.
graphics update
However, what you can notice from the beginning of the game is what is important. graphic improvement that Hello Neighbor 2 received. The cartoonish art style manages to give the product a modern look and the work done on the lighting makes the game world lively. The Raven Brooks neighborhood, although not very large, is full of details but the houses that can be visited are only those useful for the progression of the adventure.
The interiors of the houses, however, are rather bland and with repeated elements, which do not stand out for their originality. In some structures it is also possible to see windows that are not perfectly aligned, which creates some problems for us to pass through them. All this is accompanied by a little finished even in impact zones, getting caught between objects more often than we thought during our attempts to escape.
The general feeling is the same as the first Hello Neighbor: a good game idea but with a technical implementation that leaves a lot to be desired. The graphics and quality of the movies in between are just a small achieved aspect that clashes with too many sloppy details, making us think of a game packaged too hastily.
Conclusions
Tested version Xbox Series X digital delivery Xbox store Holygamerz.com 5.0 Readers (14) 7.3 your voteIf in the first chapter some defects or deficiencies could be forgiven, in Hello Neighbor 2 these deficiencies can only weigh in the overall judgment. The second episode was presented to the general public with important promises that unfortunately are not reflected in the final version. Also, we expected a happy ending to the mystery of Raven Brooks, but the developers, perhaps, will make this plot a reality in another game, leaving the resolution of this mystery in suspense once again.
PRO
- A new graphic design
- A more complex plot
AGAINST
- The total duration of the game is just under 3 hours.
- Obvious technical problems
- I'm not very intelligent
- Little stealth, no terror.
