Quick Review: My Friendly Neighborhood

Something’s not quite right with the neighborhood.

Looks like I've got a welcome committee.

Developed by Joe and Evan Szymanski, published by DreadXP and released on July 18th, 2023, My Friendly Neighborhood is a fresh take on the “mascot horror” genre popularized by Five Nights at Freddy’s and its followers. You are Gordon O’Brian, a grumpy veteran who now works as a repairman. Local broadcasts are being interrupted by odd airings of an old children’s show, My Friendly Neighborhood (MFN), at increasing frequency. This began after the studio where the show was filmed lit up, and Gordon is tasked with heading in there and turning off its antenna. Gordon can't mess up, he needs that job. Though perhaps he should be worried with all the felt-people running around and spouting… uh… unfriendly lessons.

And for some reason, they're also in the sewers.

Our protagonist isn’t in top shape, a common thing for horror game protagonists; but he’s plenty good to do the job. The “monsters” are the puppets of MFN. Come close, and they’ll attack with a dangerous hug. That’s not euphemism; they hug so hard they hurt. Three hugs, and you’re dead. However, you can defend yourself with weapons found on the premises, like a pipe wrench or firearms.

This one isn't getting back up. Duct tape solves everything!

The first “gun” shoots steel sheets with letters on them. It was invented so it wouldn’t damage the puppets too much, while calming them down. Just gotta find magazines of letters to reload. Later weapons build upon the letter/text motif. Alongside new ammo, you can find Health-Lax bottles to regain HP, or rolls of tape – if a puppet annoys you, shoot them, and then mummify ‘em with tape, they won't move again. But use it wisely; tape rolls are rare.

I'm running out of room here!

Every once in a while, you'll see an inanimate puppet in an
area. The best horror trick this game pulls is to animate them
at the absolute worst moment for you. Oh, and did I mention
that they all take two to SEVEN hits to go down?

You should inspect every corner to ensure you don’t miss out on some item or document necessary for progress, or on some ammo or helpful thing. (I did get stuck once ‘cause I didn’t see something I needed.) However, space in your briefcase is very limited, so pack wisely – if you can’t put it in the briefcase, you can’t take it. Plot-relevant items take up room in there, too; classic horror inventory management. You’ll also find keys with colored shapes on them, which will be necessary to open doors bearing the corresponding symbols.

Finally some respite. Yeah, better not get hurt by the puppets
as soon as I leave this darn room.

Safe rooms contain machines allowing you to save the game or fully heal – each at the cost of a token, which can also be found while exploring. Tokens are VERY rare, so don't save too often! (Using them for health also feels like a waste. Though, you will find tokens for a free save in each new safe room.) Those rooms also contain toolboxes, allowing you to store items away. You can then take those items back from any other toolbox.

Nothing quite like running out of tokens and trying to survive as long as possible while desperately searching for new ones. Or worse even, having a few, but since the safe rooms are spread out, making a lot of progress through the game’s enigmas and puzzles, and then dying to a puppet before you get there. Or running out of letters and having to rely on the short-range wrench to fight.

Beware of the dogs - they're hungry. And they won't
friggin' stay down. Vicious things.

Maybe the solution to all this... is to teach lessons to the
puppets once again. Maybe, then, will they come back
to the way they used to be.

This was all about gameplay – as you can see, it’s strong, and even has a few surprises up its sleeve. Jump scares? Of course! And yet, the story is oddly… charming and sweet. Through found documents, you can piece together why the show went off the air andwhy the puppets went crazy. The "stars" can be unsettling, but there’s still that spark of a classic children’s program in them, if you can find it – and, in fact, perhaps you can reignite that flame yourself… So yeah, the story’s great too. (Not to mention, one of the major puppets, Ricky the sock, is voiced by YouTuber Arlo, who represents himself as a puppet on his channel.)

And now, an entire floor made of cardboard and
crayon drawings.

It’s not too scary, so I think it could be tolerable even for people who aren’t into horror gaming usually. The game includes a ton of cheat modes for fun, as well as a few difficulty settings and extra challenges that are unlocked after beating the game once, so if you loved exploring this twisted kids' show, you can do it again.

Hey! Hey! Get off me!

My Friendly Neighborhood is available on Steam for 29.99$ USD.