What is it about puppets that is so unsettling? Maybe its got something to do with their creepy, lifeless eyes, or how you feel like they are going to spring to life at any moment. Whatever the reason, puppets certainly lend themselves well to the horror genre. While visiting the DreadXP Booth at PAX East this year, I played a game called My Friendly Neighborhood, a non-linear survival horror FPS that pits you against puppets that are out get you. And I have to say, for a horror game that features puppets that look like they were pulled right out of Sesame Street, that relies on atmosphere and tension-building, and does not include a single drop of blood, My Friendly Neighbor really hooked me. It’s no wonder I kept returning to play the demo time and time again – and I’m now impatiently waiting for the full release.
MFN is takes places in a TV studio where a peculiar Saturday Morning Puppet Show called Our Friendly Neighborhood is filmed. Right from the get-go, it’s clear that something is off with the colorful cast of fabric friends. Enter Gordon – ordinary-ass repairman – to find out what’s going on. The demo begins with Gordon taking a tumble down a slide and into the basement, one of six playable areas that will be available in the final game. As I approach a door at the end of a hallway, a sock puppet named Ricky pops out of a a dangling pipe to provide a bit of chilling exposition. The long and short of it is that all the other puppets are…not…well and…let’s just say their hugs are a little too tight. As I walk ahead, I hear the sounds of what I can only describe as insane rambling somewhere in the distance. Just around the corner, I see a man-sized puppet standing in place, flailing and talking to itself. If it sees me, it goes completely ape-shit, and relentlessly begins to chase me. Now the real fun begins.
Gordon has got some creative ways of defending himself. In the demo there are two weapons available. The first is a Rolodex (remember those!?), which acts as your standard pistol. Ammunition is called ‘Magazines’ (I see what you did there…), and look like little cards with letters on them. When fired, they turn into full sized letters to blast your puppet pursuers into submission. This only temporarily knocks them out, however. Once you exit the room, they’ll come right back up and start messing with you again, babbling away and ready to hug you violently onto the ground. The only way to stop them from getting back up is with Duct Tape, of course. When they’re knocked out they can be bound with the stuff. Yes, they’ll still ‘reawaken’ upon entering the room, and yes, they’ll still be spouting off the same insanity, but they can’t hurt you anymore. The other weapon in the demo is a shotgun-type firearm called The Novelist, which essentially looks like a typewriter with a barrel attached to it, and is totally badass. The ammo for this heavy hitter is a typewriter platen, you know, the black roller inside the typewriter carriage where the metal key heads hit the paper to print the characters. And just like a typewriter, only one ’round’ can be loaded at a time. I sense a theme with these ‘writing’ based weapons. I don’t know if that’s a coincidence, but I hope the trend continues throughout the rest of the game.
In addition to the shooter element, the demo also offers a glimpse of the game’s puzzle elements. These aren’t exactly brain teasers, but the solutions aren’t clearly spelled out for you either. One involves a Punch Card Machine and the other had me setting fuses in the right order so I can restore power and unlock a door. Figuring out the puzzles feels like an accomplishment, and helps break up all the puppet-bondage action.
MFN’s Inventory System will be familiar to anyone who played Resident Evil 4. But in lieu of briefcase, Gordon sorts his stuff in a toolbox. Everything is set up in a grid-based inventory and the items can be rearranged as needed. There are also Inventory Boxes that can be used to store additional items. And instead of using Ink Ribbons to record your progress, My Friendly Neighborhood uses Coins to save your game at Save Stations and Health Stations. It all cheekily fits in with the aesthetic of the game as there’s an in-universe purpose for all these mechanics, making everything feel more genuine and believable. It also doesn’t hurt that the writing is very good.
Whether it’s listening to the crazed rambling of the puppets, Gordon talking to himself, or Gordon bantering with the puppets themselves, the writing is so well done in MFN. The perfect compliment to this constant exchange of words, is how well the voice actors perform. Gordon sounds like a blue collar worker and the puppets sound completely deranged. Even Ricky, the most level-headed one of the bunch, shows that his grasp on reality isn’t exactly all there, and that element comes through in his voice acting. The other puppets, though, are hilariously morbid with some of the things they say. Anyone who tries out the demo should really take the time to listen to the puppets ramble on; it is highly entertaining.
To complete the overall cartoony vibe, the graphics are colorful and vibrant. Even the darker areas I explored, like the sewer, have a pop of color. It really shows that horror can be achieved with more than blood and gore. Something about the bright, inviting look of everything makes the juxtaposition of the deranged puppets all the more jarring. This is exactly the line the developers wanted to walk when making the game: stay respectful to the source material to which they are paying homage while still having a genuine element of horror. If you noticed throughout all this, I never used the word “kill” in relation to the combat. The baddies can be put down with the weapons, at which point they will fall silent. And duct taping them only renders them immobile. Even the weapons are atypical of what you would defend yourself with in a horror game. There’s imagination on full display in every corner of this game.
My Friendly Neighborhood is the most refreshing and inventive horror titles to grace the genre in a while and I can’t wait to see what the final game has in store for Gordon. A demo is up on Steam right now for those who want to give it a go. With multiple difficulties and secrets abound, it will definitely keep you busy until the full game launches later this year.
