Review: My Friendly Neighborhood

Welcome to the show... of horrors!

THE GAME

My Friendly Neighborhood is a survival horror film developed by John Szymanski and Evan Szymanski and distributed by DreadXP. Something's wrong with the news channel. An old puppet show is interfering with the programming, and our protagonist, Gordon, is sent to fix the antenna. Arriving at the old studios, he quickly realizes something's wrong. The place is completely empty, or at least that's what it seems. As Gordon explores further, he soon encounters characters from the puppet show, who act strangely and even attack him. Now, our handyman must unravel the mysteries behind all this madness.

Friendly? Not at all!

MY IMPRESSIONS

Imagine a zombie game where instead of the undead, puppets from a children's show chase you. Much scarier, right? My Friendly Neighborhood also uses confined spaces to place you in even more uncomfortable situations, often with no way out other than facing enemies head-on. Initially, you'll be virtually defenseless, but you'll soon find ways to retaliate, whether with tools for close-quarters attacks or long-range weapons. The game also features a customizable inventory, meaning you'll have a limited number of items to carry, all dependent on your ability to fit as many items as possible into the available spaces.

To progress through the game, you'll encounter many puzzles, forcing you to explore extensively to find keys and items that will help you progress. The game is in Brazilian Portuguese, which helps you follow the story and understand what needs to be done. The scares are well-done here, using horror in the form of jump scares rather than blood and violence. The whole playful and, in a way, bizarre environment makes you want to understand where this story will take you, with the most diverse ways to do so.

Who doesn't like organizing inventory?

ACHIEVEMENTS

Obtaining 100% of My Friendly Neighborhood's achievements will be a daunting task, as many of the biggest challenges in this journey will involve completing the game in a different way, such as without saving, without healing, or on the game's highest difficulty. Furthermore, if you do finish the game, there are achievements for completing the game on each difficulty and receiving an S rank. Combine this with a few other achievements that, due to the game's non-linear nature, you might miss, and you'll have a tough time completing all the achievements.

Be aware: danger can come from anywhere.

CONCLUSION

Mixing children's themes with horror always works well for horror games. My Friendly Neighborhood is no different, as it uses its resources creatively without resorting to anything too visceral. The puzzles are well-constructed, and the way the map is laid out makes you become increasingly accustomed to the environment the more you play, in a very organic way. While it's not my favorite genre, it compels me to learn more about the story and see more of its creativity at play.

SCORE: 8.0/10