Secret Neighbor: Unveiling the Mystery in Multiplayer Mayhem
Dive into a creepy suburban setting with a twist: one of you might just snatch you up!
last updated Nov 27, 2023
A healthy dose of originality, sprinkled with a light dusting of 'who can you trust?'
Multiplayer Hide-and-Seek on Steroids
Picture this: the timeless thrill of hide-and-seek but injected with a horror-spiced steroid shot straight into its pulsating jugular. That’s pretty much the essence of 'Secret Neighbor'. You team up with pals (or randoms, for those with an appetite for digital trust falls) to infiltrate the neighbor's carefully booby-trapped abode, aiming to rescue your effortlessly captured friend from their basement. But there's a snag — one of you is masquerading as the creep with the 'I definitely don’t have candy' face, sabotaging the rescue. It's multiplayer social deduction with plenty of moments that split the difference between giggles and screams, offering an engaging dance between the clueless minor-league Scooby gang and the cunning faux-friend.
Sounds Like... Suspense!
Audio-wise, 'Secret Neighbor' delivers an auditory backdrop that amplifies the tension lurking around every corner. The soundtrack is a carefully crafted composition that oscillates between playful mischief and impending doom. Why does something as simple as picking up a key have to sound so sinister? I’m not sure, but I'm not turning the volume down. The array of sound effects—from the neighbor's heavy breathing (dude, ever heard of a gym?) to the scuttle of sneakers on hardwood—brings the sneaky, sneaky atmosphere to life. It cranks up the paranoia to eleven and has you questioning whether that creak was a floorboard or your buddy betraying you yet again.
Visual Deceit and Performance Feat
Graphically, 'Secret Neighbor' sports a cartoony aesthetic that blankets its horror tropes with a layer of deception softer than microfiber. The seemingly friendly visuals clash magnificently with the sinister undertones, creating a world that's as colorful as it is chilling. As for the game's performance, players have noted significant improvements post-update, proving that the devs aren't just sitting around playing their own game. The occasional glitch might have you walking through a wall, but let's call it a feature—the walls in this neighborhood have personality. Besides, what’s a little wall-walking between friends, or should I say frenemies?
Stay on Your Toes, Trust No One
Keeping alliances in 'Secret Neighbor' is as futile as expecting your leftover pizza to be there when you return. It encourages a playful sense of paranoia, where you're as likely to hurl a flashlight in suspicion as you are to use it to scour for basement keys. The developers deserve props for designing game mechanics that faithfully reproduce the mistrust and confusion inherent in social deduction games. However, the game is not devoid of hiccups. The balancing act sometimes falls flat, particularly with recent updates that introduced some eyebrow-raising power imbalances. The Taxidermist's shotgun, for one, could seemingly benefit from a bit more QA love. It's not a deal-breaker, but it sometimes makes the experience feel like you're bringing a nerf gun to a real shotgun fight.
STEAM RATING
Developer
Hologryph, Eerie Guest Studios
Publisher
tinyBuild
Release Date
October 24, 2019
The Verdict
In the ever-growing garden of multiplayer social horror games, 'Secret Neighbor' firmly plants its roots with a healthy dose of originality, sprinkled with a light dusting of “who can you trust?”. The game’s engaging mechanics, rich sound design, and delightfully deceptive visuals, combined with quirky humor and moments of genuine terror, make it a solid pick. Sure, there are a few rough edges—hello, penalty system and the occasional overpowering character—but overall, it’s a worthy addition to any gamer’s library looking to add some chills and thrills. 'Secret Neighbor' exemplifies the kind of indie charm that makes you want to keep an eye on those suburban basements... and maybe your friends too.
