With all this talk about defunding children’s shows for whatever the voices in people’s heads are telling them, what would happen if the puppets go rogue? This is what awaits players in Evan & John Szymanski and DreadXP’s first-person mascot horror, My Friendly Neighborhood. The game did well on Steam and has not been ported to consoles, so is the hype worth it? Thanks to DreadXP for sending over a copy for me to try out!
My Friendly Neighborhood follows repairman Gordon, who has been called to turn off an antenna that started up mysteriously and started to broadcast the defunct children’s show “My Friendly Neighborhood” over other broadcasts. Once he started the job, he quickly learns that something wasn’t right with the puppets, who had all gone rogue.
Now, onto the game itself! When it comes to the controls for My Friendly Neighborhood, they’re pretty responsive and easy to learn. I wish that there was more of a tutorial at the start of the game instead of it randomly popping up as you start to play (the game starts almost instantly, dropping you into the action.
The art of My Friendly Neighborhood fits the game’s mood of being both silly and a horror with the bright colors of the mascots and scenery, while some areas are dark and foreboding. Along with the art, the voice acting is up there as some of the best I’ve heard. The voice actors have gone as far as to make themselves sound like parodies of beloved characters we grew up hearing on the Muppets and Sesame Street, but are saying some not-so-child-friendly things, which will get you a chuckle.
The sound desingn is good but I wish there was more of a soundtract, when you’re in the safe rooms there’s some nice jazzy tunes and sometimes when you’re exploring there’s a record player that’s playing some music, but overall, the game is a bit too quiet, which now that I’m saying it out loud, adds to the tension.
When it comes to gameplay, you have to explore while trying to avoid the mascots, but if you have to fight them, you can. What’s interesting is that when you defeat an enemy, if you don’t want them to attack you again, you have to duct tape them so they won’t bother you again. There are puzzles and backtracking involved. I know some folks are not into that, but in this game, it’s rewarding!
It’s hard to find anything “Wrong” with this game. I think the only thing that’s a bit worrying to me is that the game is rated E. I have issues with horror games that have Everyone ratings. Just because it lacks gore does not mean it’s truly suitable for children. That’s probably my only complaint about My Friendly Neighborhood.
Overall, My Friendly Neighborhood is one of the best Mascot Horror games I’ve gotten to try. The art is not childish, as some might think; the exploration is rewarding, and there’s actual dark humor. The voice acting is good, the art matches the game’s overall tone, and the gameplay is fun! On my scale of 1-10, it’s a 9/10; the questionable rating forced my hand to deduct one point.
My Friendly Neighborhood is out now on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, along with PC.
