‘Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue’ Brings the Terrifying Mr. Peterson to Meta Quest 2 Today
The Rescue Squad has a bit of a problem: The creepy Mr. Peterson kidnapped one of their own and imprisoned them in his basement. In Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue, it's up to this feisty group of kids to investigate their neighbor’s mysterious house and try to free their friend from captivity. The family-friendly horror game is available now on Meta Quest 2 + Pro for $29.99 USD.
As the first Hello Neighbor game in VR, Steel Wool Studios didn’t want to deviate too far from what made the franchise so successful in the first place. Mr. Peterson is just as strange as he ever was, and his house is a labyrinthine maze full of strange puzzles, machines, and other obstacles you must get through if you want to save your friend. The five kids in the Rescue Squad each possess different skills you have to use to get to the Neighbor’s basement, and you can switch between their perspectives at any time:
- Detective: Reveals hidden clues with a magnifying glass
- Brave: Smashes objects with a bat
- Scout: Shoots a slingshot
- Inventor: Helps with coordination and planning with their pin board and a map of the house
- Leader: Brightens dark rooms with a flashlight
We spoke to Creative Director Evan Lampi about the ’80s-inspired ensemble cast, how the game adds to the ever-expanding lore of the town of Raven Brooks, and what players can expect to see in this latest version of the Neighbor’s house.
Evan Lampi: The gameplay of Hello Neighbor has always had a mischievous and playful tone while at the same time being full of tension and mystery that we felt would work perfectly in the VR medium. The biggest new feature of this game is the ability to switch between each member of the Rescue Squad at will. Players will utilize the unique skills and abilities of each character while solving puzzles and avoiding the Neighbor as they work to uncover the dark secrets of his bizarre house.
One of the things we always loved about the franchise is its unique art style. Bringing the franchise into VR represented a unique opportunity for us to fully immerse players in the amazingly strange world of Hello Neighbor while creating a singularly visceral experience. We’re excited for players to be able to experience the living world of Hello Neighbor first hand!
EL: Absolutely! We really wanted this game to evoke the exciting feelings we got as kids while we were getting into trouble with our neighborhood friends. Coming-of-age movies like Stand by Me and The Mighty Ducks were key influences on us for that aspect.
Also, in a lot of ways the story of this game is structured like a heist—each member of the squad has a unique role on the team, and they all have to work together to accomplish the mission. Movies like The Sandlot or cartoons like Codename: Kids Next Door have such a great tone and were perfect references for the experience we wanted to create.
EL: I think what makes Mr. Peterson such a successful villain is that the “weirdo next door” is such a relatable archetype, and Hello Neighbor does a great job in really pushing that to the extreme from the warped perspectives of the neighborhood kids that he terrifies. At the same time, the layers upon layers of mysteries he guards keeps players coming back to unravel his secrets.
EL: Mr. Peterson’s behavior is dynamically influenced by the player’s actions. Players will have to trick, distract, and manipulate him to accomplish their goals. As the player progresses to deeper points in the house, Mr. Peterson will start taking desperate action to safeguard his secrets.
EL: The Neighbor’s house itself has always been one of the most important characters in the franchise, and in this game it’s no different. Players will explore every part of the house, inside and out. Every mysterious room, every secret crawlspace, from the pitch dark basement to the dizzying heights of the roof-mounted windmill—there are secrets to find everywhere!
One of the most fun aspects of designing the house was that all the pieces and puzzles are fully interconnected. Clever players will coordinate between the different kids to solve puzzles they wouldn’t be able to complete from only one perspective. The result is a complex spider web of gameplay possibilities, one that players must master if they ever hope to reach the basement and save their friends.
EL: The story of Search and Rescue picks up right where the first Hello Neighbor leaves off and really fills in the gaps between Hello Neighbor 1 and 2 from the perspective of the Rescue Squad kids. The narrative of this game holds answers to some lingering questions and also goes in some really interesting directions that I don’t think anyone will see coming. I’m really excited to see what the fans make of it.
EL: Explore everything! There’s no telling what secrets you’ll find...
EL: As the first VR game in the franchise, we wanted Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue to be something special that captures the heart of what fans love about the series while pushing for a fully unique experience that can stand on its own. Ultimately, I think the team’s passion and creativity really comes across in the final product. We hope the fans have as much fun playing it as we did making it!
Join the Rescue Squad and find out what Mr. Peterson is really up to in Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue, out now on Meta Quest 2 + Pro.
