If paranoia is your thing in real life, you will probably thrive effortlessly in this fantastic title by Hologryph and Dynamic pixels. Secret Neighbor is a classic spinoff of the household horror title Hello neighbor. As such, you will find numerous similarities like the familiar gaming universe, characters, and story. However, this title comes with more refined gameplay consisting of six little investigators looking to find a hidden package in a mysterious neighbor’s basement. The anticipatory feeling of discovering the traitor among these groups of investigators and the fear of the unknown throughout the horror-filled story makes players get a mind-blowing experience.  

This title, available on PC and Xbox, was released in late October 2019 and garnered substantial praise and criticism. It came at a good time to redeem the publisher’s image as it gave several enthusiasts something to keep their hands busy for a long time. Since it has multiplayer support, everyone gets to enjoy the fun with friends and loved ones, as well as the imminent twist. 

Gameplay, Storyline, Modes, Tricks, and Tips

This ever-growing online multiplayer horror title runs in the hello neighbor world, a mysterious game universe you will be familiar with if you’ve played any of the prequels and sequels of this game. If you remember Nicky from hello neighbor, all you have to do here is rescue him from the scary house that Mr. Peterson lives in. This time around, you go with five friends and to different classes. The game will give each class distinct abilities, and players must gather objects to gain access to the house’s basement. The twist in the story comes when you discover that one of your friends within the group is a traitor. 

In essence, you can either play as the intruders or as the neighbor. If you choose to be among the intruders, you must work together with your team, employ various strategies, and work out tactics through cooperation or strategic splitting. It would be best to use all the abilities and skillsets at your disposal to open all the basement locks sequentially. On the other hand, if you wish to play as the traitor or neighbor in disguise, you must perfect your act of deception to gain the group’s trust. The game will give you some traps that you can set to take out the intruders one after the other. You must also throw off every suspicion of being the traitor to another intruder and ensure your cover remains intact throughout the session. 

The overall aim is to pick one class, break into the basement, and rescue one of Nicky’s friends from Mr. Peterson’s basement. You must do all this within fifteen minutes. The fun primarily lies in the varied classes, characters, multiplayer support, and different weapons. I played as the detective for most of the game as he comes with clues, which are the help I need to get the keys. If you like to feel safe while swinging a baseball bat around the universe, then you should play using the character Brave. This character will give you more feeling of internal security than the scout or the Bagger. 

All in all, I implore you to try out all the characters and see what works best for you in your group. As soon as you find out your favorite intruder, you will enjoy uninterrupted fun till the traitor is exposed, which is why the game is called secret neighbor. A character within your group must start the game as the traitor. The game will give them the appearance and skill set of the intruder they start with but be wary as they can transform into their evil self and take out other intruders. A good hint for knowing the traitor is looking out for someone not too big on teamwork from the beginning. 

A Beautiful Experience Most Of The Time

The characters are super beautiful, fun, and the controls afford you to switch between different movement modes. A challenging aura also fills every corner of the game as the rooms are like a maze. When you get to the endpoint and expect nothing more, you’ll realize you have a lot to learn and explore. The lighting, graphics, and textures are top-notch. The sound effects, though confusing most times, also add some glamour to the experience. Overall, you can always bring your friends to have a good laugh and adventure in this fantastic title. 

A Couple Of Urgent Critical Improvements

The game doesn’t get even when the traitor catches you. You’ll realize that all you have to defend yourself is nothing more than a picture. Some people will argue that this brings more challenge to the game, as we saw in the original title, hello neighbor. However, I would’ve preferred it if the developers gave the intruders a more even chance of rescuing themselves from the traitor.

Another noticeable glitch is the frequent bugs and incessant waiting time. Sometimes, I have to wait in the lobby for so long, even after my team is ready and prepared for action. Some users also have problems starting the game on their console after fulfilling every requirement. Like the disguised traitor that attempts to separate and confuse the intruders with his unsuccessful efforts, the game also has some hidden graphic setbacks that one might not quickly notice. The most alarming is the cartoonish design that tends to blend things excessively. Sometimes, you will be looking for a blue key placed on a blue-colored table. This glitch is nothing short of frustrating as you attempt to find something hiding in plain sight. 

The game’s controls, though superb, suffer from some degree of flexibility. There’s a frequent tendency of falling over or getting blocked by some objects while moving around the place. I expect that the developers will attempt to fix these significant bugs, especially as they release new updates frequently. Lastly, like every title that requires you to play online, it is primarily fun if you’re playing together with your friends. Playing with people you don’t know comes with the probability of getting a toxic teammate that can make your experience unsatisfying.

Verdict

Despite the noticeable and unforgivable challenges many players experience within the game, this title still comes as a timely redeemer for the developers. This reason is that the prequels suffered from similar criticism. However, there’s much fun in this iteration even though the game’s teamwork needs more improvement and the bugs, a timely fix.