Reviewed: November 24, 2003
Reviewed by: Justin Delabar
Publisher
JoWood Productions
Developer
JoWood Productions
Released: September 22, 2003
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
8
6
6
5
6.3
System Requirements
Recommended System
Welcome to the wacky world of the most sadistic reality television show you have ever encountered: Neighbors From Hell, a unique mix of puzzle-solving and strategy from developer Encore Software Inc. In Neighbors From Hell, the player takes on the role of the show’s star, Woody, who must play pranks on his neighbor in order to garner high viewer ratings throughout a number of “episodes” over three seasons. Players will have to use their brains along with a variety of household items in order to make Woody’s vile neighbor’s life as difficult as possible while attaining the highest viewer rating possible.
Features:
- 14 hugely varied episodes of anarchy
- Use stealth,skill and style to perform the perfect ambush
- Easy to use interface and controls
- Superb cartoon-style graphics
- Excellent soundtrack
Pranks are at the center of Neighbors from Hell, and certain pranks garner higher ratings than others, and stringing a number of pranks together successfully lends to bonus points as well as keeps the show’s audience engaged. Pranks are set by utilizing different items from within the neighbor’s house, from shoe polish to laxatives, and setting them up in different places in order to catch the neighbor completely off guard. The camera is set up to show off a cross section of the neighbor’s house, which expands from two floors to an attic and a basement as the game grows in difficulty. Woody is moved from place to place by simple left-clicking, while the mouse pointer changes to denote different actions such as object observation to item retrieval. Controlling Woody is extremely easy, allowing the player to focus more on the unique mix of puzzle-solving and strategy that is required to be successful in the game.
There are a variety of household items throughout the game that Woody can pull out of chests, drawers, and other places, and they show up in the bottom pane of the screen. The puzzle aspect of the game comes in at this point, as Woody must figure out a way to use the items he gathers in order to pull off an effective prank. The player can get clues by clicking the different objects in the items pane, which provides a thought balloon giving general information about the item’s intended effect, as well as by clicking on other objects or places throughout the house that also present clues. Once the player figures out what items interact correctly with other items, a trap can be set.
Setting a trap is not exactly an easy task, however, as the player must make sure Woody is not caught by the neighbor as he sneaks from room to room, and this is where strategy comes into play. The lowly neighbor in each episode tends to stay on a basic, set path which is only disrupted when Woody plays a successful prank that forces a change in the neighbor’s routine, i.e. placing laxatives in his beer which leads to an emergency bathroom visit. Generally the player must observe the neighbor’s actions for a cycle before feeling comfortable enough to continue searching the house for items in order to set traps. If Woody is caught by the neighbor during the mission, he gets pummeled and the episode must be restarted.
Neighbors from Hell has an extremely short learning curve, and within minutes the player will know exactly what he or she is doing. The downside to this is that the gameplay is not exactly deep, and the difficulty level is not exactly high. Of course, the game does grow in complexity as the player moves from episode to episode, but this increase is only negligible.
New floors and the addition of easily-startled animals in later episodes does add an extra element to the strategy involved with the game, however it is not enough to keep hardcore gamers entertained for an extended period of time. Although, if one is looking for a casual and quick gameplay experience – maybe only a few hours tops if one attempts to attain the highest ratings possible per episode – then Neighbors from Hell may just be that game.
Neighbors from Hell’s graphics are nothing spectacular, but they really do not need to be in order to achieve the developer’s intended effect. The screen is set at a constant 800x600 resolution, which works fine with the pre-rendered backgrounds and character animations.
Fans of British claymation such as Wallace and Gromit will feel right at home with this game as the characters take on a similar style. The characters are a bit limited and there is only a small number of animations they can go through, so boredom can set in considering their static, pre-rendered nature. However, the characters’ expressions are rather humorous, and as such aids in creating the game’s comedic atmosphere.
The background art is rather detailed, presenting the neighbor’s house nicely. Considering the camera stays on a two dimensional plane and the game takes place in the same locale throughout its three seasons, one can expect to see the same locations within the house over and over again from the same perspective. While new levels are added to the house and certain aspects of rooms change from time-to-time, there is not enough change to keep gamers who are accustomed to complex 3D worlds interested for long.
Neighbors From Hell’s soundtrack is also nothing groundbreaking, although it does fit the premise of the game. The theme and short, cycling clips of music that play throughout the episodes are reminiscent of a game show’s music. That along with laugh tracks that play whenever a prank is successfully pulled reminds the player that he or she is participating in a reality show in order to keep an audience entertained.
The sound effects are also effective, yet nothing special. Like the graphics, the sound effects present a cartoonish, comedic effect from Woody’s short “Hahs!” of approval whenever he discovers an object to the neighbor’s disgruntled bellows whenever he falls face first into a trap.
The game’s simplistic play style makes it accessible to the more casual gamer, while the refreshing combination of puzzle-solving and strategy will keep the more-involved gamer entertained for a short while. Replay value is rather low, since it will not take many attempts in order to achieve the highest rating possible in each episode.
Is Neighbors From Hell worth the $30 price tag if it will only offer a total of 4 to 5 hours of gameplay regardless of the player’s level of gaming expertise? If one is looking for a game to pass short amounts of time with without getting overly involved, or needs a break from flashy 3D games, then Neighbors From Hell may be the answer. However, it may be better to save up that $30 for something that will provide a little more substance and longevity.
Neighbors From Hell is not exactly a jaw-dropper, although it does succeed in being just quirky and original enough to keep one entertained. How long that entertainment lasts is the primary problem with the game, as the combination of puzzle-solving and strategy works well, but there simply are not enough episodes and environmental variations to keep the player engaged for more than 5 hours at the maximum.
The game is not bad by any means; it’s just rather simplistic and functions mainly as a casual diversion. In this sense, casual gamers may find Neighbors From Hell to be the quick fix they have been craving, although those who desire more substance from their games will be let down hard.