There was some skepticism going into My Friendly Neighborhood; the "evil kids entertainment mascots" genre has surprisingly become oversaturated in recent years due to the popularity of Five Nights at Freddy's. That issue could be one reason why My Friendly Neighborhood received little buzz during its lead up to launch, and that's truly a shame, because it provides a polished and engaging experience.

Developed by siblings John and Evan Szymanski, My Friendly Neighborhood is a survival horror game similar to Poppy Playtime. Both are founded on open gameplay that uses large interconnected levels, difficult puzzles, and various gadgets in order to survive. When it comes to gameplay, however, My Friendly Neighborhood plays less like Poppy Playtime and more like Resident Evil and Bioshock. With its unexpected but effective gameplay, puzzle design, writing, performances, and sense of self-awareness, My Friendly Neighborhood is a joy to experience and an absolute must-play.

Great Writing & Even Better Acting

My Friendly Neighborhood kicks off with some mixed media, as a small TV plays an ominous live-action interview that is suddenly interrupted by an airing of "The Friendly Neighborhood." This was a popular Sesame Street style kids show that had been canceled years before, along with its production studio. While that's ominous enough, it was made worse when this sudden reappearance included footage of the puppets eating each other. To figure out what happened and shut down the broadcasting antenna, players take control of a technician named Gordon who quickly realizes something is off when he is welcomed to the production lot by Ricky, a whimsical sock puppet.

Not only is this an effective opening, but the character work is immediately endearing. One aspect of this is the fantastic writing that is able to deliver dialogue that feels perfectly "children's tv" whenever necessary. Whether it's a cutscene, character barks, personal thoughts, or the random notes and newspaper clippings, the writing always feels clear, unforced, and full of subtext.

What really makes the writing come to life are the performances. Gordon's performance is pitch perfect, nailing the disgruntled technician archetype, but Ricky steals the show with its perfectly unhinged delivery that's as lovable as it is threatening. The same go for the puppets as well, which are introduced almost immediately. After leaving Ricky, My Friendly Neighborhood decides to have one of the puppets running across the lot and into a building. With almost no fanfare or build-up, Gordon enters the studio to hear the puppet saying random lines that would be perfect for a children's show, only to descend into something disturbing and off-kilter within seconds. No matter what they say, the puppets always sound jovial - and that eerie, inappropriate-to-the-setting delivery establishes an unforgettable atmosphere.

Polished & Creative Gameplay

With the same level of quality as its writing, My Friendly Neighborhood's first-person gameplay manages to balance bare-bones controls with complex mechanics, all the while combining different styles. The first gameplay style introduced is point-&-click, clearly inspired by classic puzzle games. This activates whenever Gordon is near an object he can interact with, be it a puzzle, searchable object, item to pick-up, and so on. The second style is the first-person shooter gameplay.

As mentioned before, the gunplay feels similar to games like Bioshock and Prey. However, because the similarity is based on feel, it's hard to articulate how and why that is. It's partly due to things like weapon handling and the progression of wrench, to pistol, to shotgun; but it's ultimately something that's only abundantly clear when playing. When it comes to guns, My Friendly Neighborhood takes into account that real firearms wouldn't be on a studio lot, especially for a children's show. Instead, the guns use rolodex pieces as ammo and fire comedically large letters. With non-lethal ammo and puppet enemies, the guns only incapacitate enemies until players leave the room. So, to keep them down permanently, players can tie them up with duct-tape that can be found throughout the journey.

The Resident Evil similarity comes in the form of RE4's inventory management system and safe-rooms. Gordon uses his briefcase for storage and since there's only so much room, players have to do some Tetris style organizing to make things fit and either use or sacrifice items when they need more room. To get some additional storage, heal, and save their progress, players will need to find the safe rooms scattered around the map. While these systems are fun and challenging, the save and healing system comes at the downside of requiring coins to use, meaning players have to be especially picky about when to save.

Puzzle Design, Navigation, & Weak Spots

That pickiness is especially important since the puzzles in this game involve finding items and secrets scattered across large areas. Most of the puzzles are self-contained, such as a letter puzzle taking place in a single film set, but some require finding keys and backtracking to several locations. These puzzles are well crafted and intellectually engaging because players get no hints or guidance. Instead, they must be observant and utilize the various maps found along the way to mark rooms and areas that were previously closed off.

This not only makes the player feel smart, but it also makes the various locations on this production lot feel connected and unified rather than isolated levels. To navigate this lot, players are only given static maps that show what rooms were completed and an icon that shows what room the player is in. There is no voice or compass to point the way. It's purely up to the player to figure out what direction to go to next based on what they have acquired so far.

While the game mostly succeeds in everything mentioned thus far, there are definitely some flaws. With navigation and puzzles, there are occasions where it's really unclear as to what players are supposed to do. These moments are rare, occurring maybe two or three times in this playthrough, and they are frustrating. Combat feels great most of the time, but the pistol is inconsistent, with some enemies taking three shots to down while the same one in another room takes five or six. Finally, each area has a unique puppet that is built up as the "big bad" that players need be careful of, but nearly all of them are incredibly easy to avoid and the lack of that threat does negatively affect the overall tension.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

Thankfully, these weaknesses are overpowered by everything else and never become apparent until after the halfway point. From beginning to end, My Friendly Neighborhood is a wonderful game full of mystery, tension, clever design, and phenomenal performances. This is a must-play title that will hopefully gain the traction and attention it deserves.

My Friendly Neighborhood is available now for PC via Steam and Itch.io with console versions being announced at a later time. Screen Rant was provided with a Steam digital download for the purpose of this review.