Hello Neighbor 2 is the latest sequel (and the first numbered one) to 2017’s Hello Neighbor. The final version of Hello Neighbor 2, released on December 6th, is very different from all the betas and alternative versions that were teased through the years, like the prototype Hello Guest and the Hello Neighbor 2 alpha.
Compared to all previous iterations, Hello Neighbor 2 feels a lot closer to the original Hello Neighbor, with a few key differences: the protagonist is a journalist and not a child, allowing him to use different tools like security cameras and crowbars; the game is set in a semi-open world town, with different buildings and neighbors to deal with during each act.
6 Use The Cameras
The main additions to the player’s arsenal found in Hello Neighbor 2 are the security cameras that the player can collect throughout the game. Even though there are multiple cameras coming in a few different types, they all occupy individual spaces in the inventory. Players are better off sticking to their flying camera drone, since they can move it around and check its screen with only one item in their inventory.
The other security cameras besides the flying drone are the sticky cameras that the player finds throughout the various acts. There are 4 of those, and they can all be controlled with the same monitor, though that monitor can’t control the drone. The biggest problem with those cameras is that, unlike the drone and its monitor, the neighbors can steal them after catching the player.
5 Learn To Identify Which Buildings Are “Open”
Not all buildings in the not-open-world Hello Neighbor 2 can be visited. What’s more, most of the buildings that players will have to eventually explored as part of the story will only be open during one of the four acts of the game. Players are better off keeping to the one building currently available and its immediate surrounding.
Players can recognize which buildings hide the next challenge because there is usually some activity there, like a police car blocking the road or a restaurant opening for business. All the inaccessible houses have a certain feeling to them that players will no doubt learn to recognize. They will certainly notice how, even though they aren’t all the same building, the empty houses are all variations of the same few models.
4 Don’t Try To Attack The Neighbors
Walking around with 5 large stones and a 9 kg kettlebell makes one feel quite powerful. Sadly, not even the weight of a small child combined with the throwing machine stuck on the protagonist’s right arm is enough to stop the neighbors. They can sometimes get stuck in the object laying on the ground, although that might be one of the many bugs currently plaguing the game.
There is no intended way to defend from the neighbors, but this causes no real issue. As long as players aren’t carrying a key item with them, getting caught only teleports them back to the main entrance, ready to try again.
3 Don’t Worry About Getting Caught
Unless the player is carrying a puzzle piece or a rare tool, a neighbor catching the player sneaking around their house will only kick them out. Not only that, but they will be in front of the main entrance, next to the protagonist, once the player regains control. Players can use this to their advantage by running to a secondary entrance while their enemy is stuck on the other side of the house.
If the player gets caught while carrying some puzzle items, all those items will be returned to the place they were taken from. This is why the best way to go through the game is to only carry one puzzle item at a time, dropping it in the right place as soon as possible. Even if a neighbor does surprise the player with a key item in their pockets, they will only put it back where it belongs, without resetting whichever puzzle protected it. They won’t even close safes and display cabinets.
2 When In Doubt, Just Run
Players can quickly clear most puzzles in the game by just running in by the front door, getting a single item and putting it in its place. Even if the neighbor catches the player, they will only be teleported to the front door. As long as they don’t have any puzzle pieces with them, getting caught won’t penalize them in any way.
Since the neighbors only starts running after they see the player, there is no reason to sneak everywhere. As long as the player reacts fast enough, even activating noisy objects like squeaky toys or a noisy floor won’t be an issue.
1 Hide On Top Of The Wardrobe, Not Inside
This one is weird, but it works. Wardrobes are the only explicit hiding spot in the game, the only one where players are safe from the neighbor. So why should players hide on top of them, and not inside? The answer is that the neighbors aren’t able to catch players if they aren’t on the same horizontal plane.
Hiding on top of a wardrobe gives players enhanced visibility and allows them to check the cameras, something that hiding inside the wardrobes bafflingly disables. Hiding on top of furniture is even better than hiding below it. In both cases the neighbor won’t be able to catch the player, but they will sometimes spot them when hidden below a table. At this point the enemy IA breaks and makes them sit still until the player moves out on their own. Meanwhile, sneaking on top of stuff hides the player and doesn’t make the neighbor want to camp around that spot.
Hello Neighbor 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.