#I’m not trying to be harsh on the mascot horror genre but let’s be real. a lot of those games aren’t made from genuine joy for the genre.

[badolmen]

On the topic of ‘bad mascot horror video games for kids’ the exception to the rule (or rather, something that understood the assignment) would be My Friendly Neighborhood.

I don’t want to spoil anything if you haven’t booted up the game before, but just…don’t be fooled by jumpscare compilations or the character design. From the opening cutscene this game grabs you by the fucking throat. The mechanics have thought put into them, the voice acting is top notch, and christ the fucking story - a complete story, one that has an end that isn’t promised in future ‘chapters’ or left ambiguous.

Yes, it has jumpscares from goofy muppet monsters, but they’re not cheap tricks. Once you learn how the game works they’re easy to avoid or at the very least anticipate - not to mention they’re survivable with the healing mechanic. And just when you think the scares are done, when you’re well into the game and have all the tools you need to navigate around potential jumpscares, the final act dunks you into the deep-end with the actual horror and nightmare fuel puppets.

I’m not sure how much the game as a whole qualifies as ‘horror,’ but it’s certainly being lumped in with the Whatever-Mascot Horror Game of the Week genre. Which is a shame because My Friendly Neighborhood is leagues ahead of those other games. It has more in common with survival horror than it does with mascot horror in terms of gameplay and tropes. It’s literally just the ‘monster’ designs leading people to assume its another Poppy Playtime clone complete with half baked story and repetitive, unimaginative gameplay loops. And that’s so far from the truth -

My Friendly Neighborhood is like if Sesame Street and Resident Evil had a beautiful muppet baby that opened its eyes to have an existential crisis when confronted with the horrors and apathy of modern capitalism.

#ra speaks #personal #video games #mascot horror #survival horror #my friendly neighborhood #I’m not trying to be harsh on the mascot horror genre but let’s be real. a lot of those games aren’t made from genuine joy for the genre. #which is a shame because as MFN shows you CAN make a kid friendly horror game that CARES deeply about the message and story it has to tell. #a lot of ‘click bait’ video games these days aren’t…games. they’re walking simulators. at best a compilation of fetch quests w flavor text. #video games are an ART medium. what emotions are you trying to evoke. what are you trying to communicate beyond language. #its art that cannot exist without participation of the viewer and that participation needs to be considered as an active force. #the player is not passively turning the page they are writing the story the rules the world with you. but if there’s no genuine love for it #from the creator…what is there? what’s left when the player is a vehicle for YouTube jumpscare clickbait and not an integral piece of art? #I’m rambly today. sorry.