Have you ever ever puzzled what it could be prefer to be an investigative Journalist? With Hiya Neighbour 2 you may get to place your pondering cap on and let the sleuthing start. I bear in mind seeing the unique recreation marketed again in 2017 however by no means having the possibility to play it. Then after I noticed the second instalment within the collection on the PlayStation 5 with all of the DLC I made a decision to make the leap and provides it a attempt. After I learn the sport’s synopsis it seemed like it might be one thing that I’d take pleasure in enjoying as I like stealth/horror video games (when they’re executed proper) as they’ll make for some memorable gameplay experiences. So, with none extra delay let’s uncover what is really taking place in Raven Brooks.
Play as an investigative journalist in opposition to AI-driven characters you’ll attempt to resolve the thriller surrounding a lacking child. Everybody in Raven Brooks appears to be hiding one thing and it’s as much as you to uncover all these darkish secrets and techniques. Play as Quentin who after witnessing suspicious behaviour from his neighbour Mr Peterson determined to dive deeper into the thriller surrounding this man and to shed some gentle on the goings on in Raven Brooks.
Hiya Neighbour 2 is an open-world sandbox the place you get to make use of your wits to unravel varied puzzles and procure clues to assist the story unfold. At first, you’ll examine a home the place you noticed Mr Peterson take a child into it earlier than approaching you with a spade and knocking you unconscious. Whenever you come to your discover that the home is now being protected by an AI policeman. You have to infiltrate with warning to attempt to discover clues that can level you in the appropriate course. These clues might be something from amassing dolls that have to be assembled on a doll home in a sure ordered to opening a secure to gather keys to open locks. There’s a good array of puzzles to assist make the sport circulation and never really feel too related. After some time, you form of get the grasp of what you’re looking out for as you don’t actually get spoon feed something in Hiya Neighbour 2, it actually places your investigation talents to the take a look at. Whilst you progress by way of the sport you’re going to get to go to different places in Raven Brooks just like the Mayor’s home, the Hunter’s home and the Bakery to uncover what secrets and techniques they’re attempting to cowl up. It does really feel just like the additional into the story you go the more durable the puzzles get. Not going to lie at instances I did must attempt to look on-line for some pointers as sure puzzles have been simply troublesome. One among these is the boar’s heads within the Hunter’s home. You have to find 4 boar heads to open a microwave to get a bit of a map to offer you a code and site for a secure, however they’re on a timer. So in the event you don’t activate all of them inside a sure time you must begin the puzzle once more. As soon as you discover the boar heads it’s not that tough however looking for them was a nightmare, much more so once you had the annoying AI hunter patrolling his home.
You’ll come throughout varied sources that you should utilize to assist in your investigations, these being scissors, crowbars, and some different gadgets that may assist solves puzzle or entry areas that appear not possible to get by way of. Using all these assist with the success of going into AI-protected places. I favored the concept of the safety digicam as a result of in the event you managed to set it up in the appropriate location it gave you a vantage level on the AI so that you knew the place they have been. Utilizing a crowbar to entry areas that have been blocked off actually helps to traverse a few of the homes as a result of it provide you with an escape route or an alternate entrance. It’s so satisficing when you may put your mind to the take a look at and efficiently resolve a puzzle. It was probably the most fulfilling issues I took away from Hiya Neighbour 2.
The sport says that it’s a stealth horror thriller recreation however personally I felt let down by this. At no level did I really feel terrified of the AI or the scenario I used to be in. I used to be extra pissed off and aggravated with the AI as they might bug out, patrol annoying paths and mainly simply make the gameplay a bore greater than difficult. One of many puzzles I simply ran in the home did it and ran out as attempting to do it stealthy simply appeared not possible when the AI wouldn’t provide you with a large enough opening to do something. The policeman for me within the first home bugged out massively and simply go caught going out and in the identical door again and again which ruined the expertise for me massively as I may simply work round it with no worry of him coming upstairs or having to cover from him. I’m an enormous fan of AI being a large scare consider video games just like the Alien in Alien Isolation however these AI simply felt like lacklustre NPCs that have been a nuisance moderately than a problem that I needed to overcome.
Graphically I just like the cartoon model they’ve gone for, Raven Brooks does look vibrant at instances and if it wasn’t for the creepy neighbours possibly I’d take into account shifting right here. The sport doesn’t actually create a creepy feeling like I used to be anticipating after I noticed that it was marketed as a stealth horror. In comparison with different stealth horror video games this one appears like one thing straight out of a scooby doo episode moderately than a life-or-death scenario. In case you acquired caught in one of many homes you simply get kicked out of it, there isn’t an actual punishment in the event you acquired caught being someplace you shouldn’t be. The audio within the recreation once more feels stress-free greater than tense except you alert one of many AI characters then the tempo steps up. Although it didn’t do job personally at making a horror state of affairs or scare issue.
There isn’t a lot replay worth with Hiya Neighbour as after you have executed the puzzles and accomplished the story the primary time, enjoying it once more isn’t as enjoyable as you know the way all of the puzzles work. Except you wished to go in and get all of the trophies one play-through is sufficient for me in terms of Hiya Neighbour 2. Although it did include the bonus of DLC, which meant I acquired to play by way of the 2 further story components which have been related in gameplay to the principle story however had their very own mysteries for me to unfold. The packs that got here with it have been Late Charges, Again to Faculty, and Hiya-copter DLC. The Hiya-copter spy cam was an fascinating safety digicam that was capable of fly round permitting you to survey Raven Brooks from a special approach. Although it did bug out on me just a few instances, and the one method I may repair it was to reload a earlier save to get it working once more.
Conclusion
There have been shimmers of hope with Hiya Neighbour 2 however the extra I performed the extra I simply acquired turned off. The world design is nice, and it has some advanced puzzles that I really loved overcoming and finishing, however once you pair it with the AI, bugs, and body charge drops it makes this stealth horror a lacklustre expertise and one which I’ll sadly bear in mind for the fallacious causes. I believed the mechanics and fundamentals have been there to make a improbable stealth horror, however I really feel prefer it was simply executed poorly and for me was an enormous disappointment. It could be value trying out in the event you liked the primary one or if the sport goes on sale however because it stands, I wouldn’t be recommending it. For these causes, I’m giving Hiya Neighbour 2 a 5 out of 10.
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Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X and Collection S, Microsoft Home windows, Xbox Cloud Gaming
Builders: tinyBuild, Dynamic Pixels, Eerie Visitor Studios
Publishers: tinyBuild, Gearbox Publishing
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