Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek

Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek is the prequel to the stealth game Hello Neighbor. Two siblings try to cope with the loss of a family member. Their shared games of hide-and-seek lead through imaginative environments that connect memories, fears and childlike imagination.

The focus is on exploration, items and environmental puzzles. Unlike the main game, you don't sneak into a stranger's house. Instead, you experience events from his family history.

Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek was released in December 2018 for consoles and iOS. The PlayStation 4 version launched on Dec 6, while Nintendo Switch and Xbox One followed on Dec 7, 2018. A PC version also initially came out via the Epic Games Store.

On Steam, the game has been available since Dec 10, 2019. The different PC dates relate to release on different stores, not to two different games.

Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and iOS. The Xbox One version can be played on Xbox Series X|S. The PS4 version can be used on PS5 via backward compatibility, without being a standalone PS5 release.

The Switch version is designed for handheld and TV play. On iPhone and iPad, the touchscreen version is available separately and offers additional chapters as in-app unlocks.

You move through three-dimensional scenes, collect items and search for paths to new areas. Your brother plays the role of the pursuer. To avoid being discovered, you watch his movements, use cover and try out different routes.

Many tasks rely on interacting with the environment: finding items, overcoming obstacles and recognizing which details in a scene open a path. Exploration alternates with short escapes.

For the Windows version, Steam lists an Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 960, DirectX 11 and 2 GB of free storage as minimum requirements. Recommended are an Intel Core i7 or Ryzen 7, 16 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 970.

Regarding the OS requirement, note the Steam client: its current version requires Windows 10 or newer.

The plot shows why the neighbor's family falls apart and how events lead to the first Hello Neighbor. The siblings' hide-and-seek game is the frame for an increasingly oppressive story about grief and changes within the family.

If you already know the original, you get background on its characters and locations. The story takes place chronologically before it, but is designed as a standalone adventure.

The adventure is divided into five sections, whose scenes and puzzles differ. The environments use exaggerated proportions and motifs from children's imagination. As a result, familiar things like furniture, animals and toys suddenly seem unusually large or threatening.

The iOS version initially lets you start the game. Sections 2 to 5 can be unlocked there via an in-app purchase.

Hide and Seek is a single-player first-person adventure. The brother is controlled by the game. There is no shared local or online co-op for the campaign.

Although both siblings play together in the story, the actual gameplay is a chase between the player character and a computer-controlled opponent.

The PlayStation version includes German on-screen text, among other things. Steam also offers German interface text, while the mobile iOS version lists English as the app language in Apple's Store.

The differences depend on the platform version. For dialogue, menus and settings, the details from the selected store are therefore decisive.