Hello Neighbor - A Journey into the Unknown

From my childhood, the mystery surrounding my dour and reclusive neighbors next door has always intrigued me. So when I first set my sights on Hello Neighbor, my excitement knew no bounds! 'This is my autobiography come to life, I thought!'. In this thrilling game, you transform into an adorable, unnamed young hero who witnesses eerie activities happening in a neighbor's house and decides to investigate. But brace yourself as the eeriest part is not the neighbor but the bewildering puzzle designs!

The Unraveling Threads of Stealth

The core of Hello Neighbor is a stealth game where the objective in each of its three acts is to penetrate the neighbor's house, particularly their basement while sidestepping the middle-aged man who's on a mission to keep you at bay. However, the stealth gets trickier as the house's floor plan grows complex in each act. I found the game slightly off-putting as the first act’s small cottage was challenging to breach due to the limited space to maneuver. The neighbor is just too close for comfort, making it easier to get caught. A successful scary game would make you dread getting caught while ensuring it doesn’t happen too often to keep the thrilling fear intact.

The Eccentricity of Puzzles

The first act does establish the tone of fear well, but as I ventured into the latter two acts, I was surprised by the complexity of the puzzles. They reminded me of the 90s adventure games that would make you spend hours guessing the next step. They defy all sense of logic and you are plunged into a world of trial and error that challenges your patience more than your IQ. 

Revealing the Unknown

One of my baffling experiences involved freezing a pool of water using a globe found in a hidden corner of the house. The sequence of actions required to resolve puzzles is abstract, and often, associating them with real-world logic will just leave you frustrated. The game underlines the mysteriousness of its world without offering any explanation, often making me lean on the game's early access community guides to find a way forward.

Beating Your Way Around

Hello Neighbor disappoints on one key part by poorly indicating its gameplay interactions, which could lead you towards progress. Without external resources, the game requires an enormous amount of time and patience to complete. However, despite these hiccups, there's a silver lining in the dark clouds. 

The Brighter Side 

Hello Neighbor offers a fulfilling experience once you overcome the maze-like game design. The climactic basement segments in each act are effective in scaling up the creepiness and unsettling horror. The graphics, audio, and overall ambiance are commendable, and the neighbor's memory of your routes through the house and setting traps is quite an impressive feature.

In retrospect, Hello Neighbor shines in terms of graphics and audio and the game’s artificial intelligence that adapts to your gameplay style. 

Hello Neighbor could have indeed benefited from clearer clues and a more logical puzzle system to present a more enjoyable and comprehensive gaming experience. That said, the thrill of the hunt and the eeriness of the horror are worth persevering for.