Hello Neighbor launched this week on the Nintendo Switch eShop, but early reports suggest the game isn't worth picking up on the platform, not least of all because of the Switch Tax that has been applied to the game. The game costs $29.99 on PC and PS4 and $15.99 for Android and iOS. So where does that leave the Switch version? You'll pay $39.99 to play this buggy mess and you'll like it, apparently.
Early reports suggest the game crashes easily and has unfixed issues galore. One poster on reddit detailed how he saw a serious Unreal Engine error that eventually crashed his game just five minutes into it.
A short cut scene plays of a kid kicking a soccer ball and then you take control. Of course, as any sandbox player does, I left the beaten path and starting seeing how big the sandbox is. I tried pushing swings (didn’t work), tried picking up a bike (didn’t work) and tried opening doors (didn’t work). But then I swung around to the backyard of a house and saw a round error.
Literally, it was a circle cut out of the world with a red and pink grid that read “! UnrealEngine MissingScript”. I eyed this thing the way you might a sleeping lion in your kitchen. Is it real? Where’d it come from? Should I approach?
And then I did... and my avatar began an endless descent through the sandbox. I kept falling, until it seemed to reset me closer to the sandbox but continued to fall and then the screen went black... followed by a new cutscene of me being captured by the neighbor. I awaken in the opposite yard (presumably mine) and attempt to break into the neighbors house unsuccessfully. I’m caught... but rather than wake up across the yard this time I wake up inside the neighbors house... I think? It’s a dark corridor, I run to the end of the hall, open the door of light and the game crashes.
Some cursory research about the game seems to indicate that these Unreal Engine errors are actually hidden easter eggs in the game, but there's no indication of this to the player without looking it up online. Still, the game crashed for this player at the end of the supposed easter egg sequence, which is frankly unacceptable for a game you've just forked out $39.99 to play.
Hello Neighbor seems rushed on all platforms as there are complaints about performance and crashes on both the Steam and PSN forums, where the game has been available for some time. Given the price, Switch Tax, and lack of performance here, it's probably best to steer clear for now.
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