The critically acclaimed, infamous mascot horror franchise, Hello Neighbor, published by TinyBuild, is a series that has run its metaphorical course for many. For those unaware of the state the series has been in over the years since the original’s release back in 2017, the recent announcement of Hello Neighbor 3 may come as a shock. Widely considered a disappointment by seasoned netizens, the original 2017 Hello Neighbor was held back tremendously by its developer’s primary focus on the game’s stylistic themes as opposed to its programming. Due to this oversight, the developer’s primary claim of Hello Neighbor being a revolutionary break in evolving NPC AI was ultimately what let fans down the most at the time, as “the Neighbor” was stated early on in development to learn and adapt in accordance with the player’s actions over repeated house breach attempts. In actuality, this gimmick did not shine through in the final release of the game. While the core concept was incredibly solid, and presentations detailing exactly how the Neighbor was meant to adapt in early trailer footage effectively brought in waves of excited fans, the development team didn’t manage to deliver. Other issues flared up as well, causing Hello Neighbor to get flamed further online because of its poor optimization, which led to many players’ experiences being overall buggy. Worst of all for the game long-term, however, was its core mechanic—puzzles—whose solutions leaned towards obtuse and un-beginner-friendly as opposed to thought-provoking and, well, satisfying. Due to these compounding factors, it is no wonder Hello Neighbor fell so far from grace upon release. That being said, though… this past spring saw the sudden announcement of the third installment in the uncanny cartoon world of the secret-keeping next-door Neighbor. So what happened?
Hello Neighbor as a whole is a franchise with a very unique development process; one that leads the developers to release each new installment (that’s not a spin-off) in the form of multiple early alpha playtests, wherein the details and even whole settings could shift drastically between versions. This was the case with both of the mainline Hello Neighbor games so far, with Hello Neighbor 2’s initial Alpha release being titled Hello Guest and having an entirely separate beginning, middle, and end to what ultimately became Hello Neighbor 2. These cryptic, seemingly intentional “alternative” releases of each main line Hello Neighbor game have built an ever-bubbling online discourse surrounding each game as they are in active development, which is a primary reason the franchise has garnered the massive fanbase that it has. By doing this, in tandem with the series’ love of hidden, uncanny puzzle solutions, it drew in the ARG (alternative reality game) fanbase, which consists of incredibly talented and creative puzzle solvers that go as far as studying these early gameplay test releases of each Hello Neighbor game in hopes of uncovering possible hidden easter eggs and hidden lore details. This side of the Hello Neighbor fanbase is tightly connected with the massive YouTube content space surrounding the series, which only further exemplifies the ever-popular view surrounding the series, despite its disappointing first official release.
Prototypes one and two of Hello Neighbor 3 reintroduced fans to the eerie town of Raven Brooke, a place filled with long forgotten memories, shadows of the past, and traces of hope. This description makes it difficult to say whether or not this version of Raven Brookes is set in the mind of one of the story’s main characters or not, but prototype gameplay displays an exciting twist on the typical Hello Neighbor format. The mysterious absence of the iconic blue sweater-wearing Neighbor is later explained by the fact that players will need to use any means, good or bad, to sneak into the multiple (likely temporarily) faceless neighbors of the town, with emphasis being on multiple houses; an idea played around with beginning in Hello Neighbor 2. At the end of Prototype three’s trailer, the Neighbor is depicted ominously looming over Raven Brooke, staring down with a devoid, elongated expression. This devoid look is a stark contrast from the series’ style up to this point, as prototype footage details a far darker—both in tone and style—world compared to previous entries in the series. Comparing this to Hello Neighbor 2017—whose vibrant, fittingly cartoony environments and disproportionate-looking objects further sell the fantastical world that the Neighbor lives in—is like night and day. Prototype footage for Hello Neighbor 3 is dark and depressing, with intentional use of dull shades of spindly, dying, grey, and brown tree branches that eclipse each house seen in the prototype footage. Along with this, the series is seemingly straying from the series’ original formula of breaking and entering, as the player is able to sneak in forcibly and tactically through the use of coercive, creative means. For instance, one such example detailed in the trailer is the player’s ability to offer neighbors a gift in exchange for entrance to their home. This change gives the role the player takes on in this third entry in the Hello Neighbor story feel more sinister than before, as the individual choices the player makes are not considered wrong or right, but rather allow for anything to be a possibility. What this might mean for the game’s story and lore implications is anyone’s guess, but that is exactly what the fans of this series love about it.
You can take your experience of prototype three slowly, giving the game a more cozy vibe, or brutally bust down your neighbors’ walls. By giving the player more choice, Hello Neighbor 3 is looking to be what the original 2017 Hello Neighbor promised to be with every passing playtest. Gamers can sign up for the upcoming playtest for prototype three of Hello Neighbor 3 for PC via Steam, here, starting October 31.