Justice for the Neighbourhood - Indy Plays My Friendly Neighbourhood

My Friendly Neighbourhood got ported to console recently and y'all know I love a weird horror game. Billed as a survival horror, I brought my years of experience with Resident Evil and sallied forth.

Let's address this straight off the bat - I do not think I was ever scared playing this game. Frustrated, confused and amused, certainly. A strange sense of companionship with our felt friends? Weirdly, yes. Fear however never really factored in. I think it varies on what you find scary. If you don't like dolls, toys and (probably) Furbies, this might scare you. Given my hobby of toy collecting though it didn't really give me chills. I maintain though that even if that hadn't been the case I believe Outlast has ruined me for any other horror game. That's not to say that the game isn't worth playing though. The whole thing is charming, from weapon design to the puppets themselves. More on that later.

Felt slightly called out here

To business then. You are Gordon O'Brien, a network engineer at the end of his tether. Your last job of the day is to deactivate the antenna on the old City News Network building. This building hosted the broadcast of My Friendly Neighbourhood. - a show long cancelled which mysteriously started showing again replacing the news broadcast. From the moment you're greeted by Ricky - a sock puppet - things get weird. As soon as you enter the Sound Stage, it's obvious that the puppets may be a little more alive than previously expected. Your last job of the day just got a little more complicated.

It's not all bad news though. You are given an array of creative weaponry that uses letters to attack the puppets and knock them down. My favourite is the minigun called The Conclusion - powerful enough to bring anything to a full stop. There are grenades and duct tape to prevent your immortal enemies from getting up and attacking you the next time you enter the area. I like it, it's new, it's thematic, and it's quite fun to pelt puppets with letters.

These weapons are really showcased in the Neighbourhorde mode that is unlocked after you complete the game once. I had a lot of fun with it - particularly when you unlock Junebug as she starts with an infinite ammo The Conclusion. The reward for getting an S Rank with each character is pretty sweet too, access to a room filled with goodies that - if you're smart - means you can finish the game in 14 minutes even if you're not very good like myself.

Gameplay aside, what really grabbed me about this game though was that this wasn't a case of the puppets becoming possessed or any external force causng them to get up and attack. These puppets appear to have a rudimentary amount of sentience from the start, this isn't a new development. You can find various notes about hiding things from the puppets, or playing games with them. This isn't a Night At The Museum thing, these puppets are alive and the employees know it.

Just sleeping.

Let's really think about this for a minute. When the studio closed, the human employees were given a week to clear out, and the letter explicitly stated that the puppet performers were to remain. Most of these puppets are cariacatures of children, and the adults aren't much smarter. They left effectively a bunch of immortal children alone, in the dark, for years. Is it any wonder that they have a completely warped view of how they interact with the world? The puppets were looked after and cared for, until they could no longer turn a profit. Then Gordon shows up, and they're so excited to see him that they knock him down in their enthusiasm for touch. I can't help but feel sorry for them.

Think of Pearl the giant bird. Once, she taught the children the alphabet. On the studio's closure, they took her eyes and locked them away in a safe with a mechanism the puppets would not be able to figure out. They blinded her, and seeing her use her beak to navigate sound stage 4 was so sad.

Pearl before her sight is restored.

This is maybe where I'm being hyper empathetic, but my heart broke for the neighbourhood. They just wanted to help teach children to make the world a friendlier place, and when they outlived their usefulness they locked them away. Never to see the light of day again. It would warp and change anyone, the existence of the Unfriendly Neighbourhood is of no surprise to me. Wouldn't you grow to hate the people who locked you away like this?

For me, the only choice at the end of the game is to join the puppets in trying to get their show back on the air to let the light in. How could you see what the puppets were trying to live through and not want to help? Gordon may say in the beginning that the War taught him not to stick his neck out for anyone, but the sheer fact he sticks around and chooses to help the puppets where he can shows he's not completely given up.

It's a nice thought to have, that even when you think you have nothing left to give, you can still muster up the courage to help when hurting would be easier. To understand, rather than ignore. Really, that's all Ricky was trying to do with the broadcast restarting. Gordon is proof that there is still room for the light in that world. No matter how tiny the crack in the clouds, the sun still shines through as clear as day. It's something to hold onto, especially now. I know I'm not alone in trying to distance myself from the news cycle right now.

Despite the fact I wasn't scared*, and some bugs with getting achievements to unlock , this game is simply charming and I am obsessed. I've finished most of the achievements now. The only ones left are ones that won't pop for me. Thanks for the port devs, I had a wonderful time. I'll be sure to visit the Neighbourhood in future.

*As I edit this article I must correct myself. On a subsequent playthrough there was one point where I almost shat myself - when Norman multiplies after you meet Ray for the first time. Also, this game is now a confirmed kill! 1000G collected.