''Neighbours from Hell'' is a

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...

strategy game A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decision tree-style think ...

developed and published by JoWood Productions. It was originally released for

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in 2003, with later releases for

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, Android and

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. A remastered compilation of the first two games titled ''Neighbours Back from Hell'' was released on Windows,

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, Android and

THQ Nordic THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were r ...

in October 2020. It features increased frame rate and HD visuals.

Gameplay

In ''Neighbours from Hell'', the player takes control of Woody, an average man who seeks revenge on his neighbour Mr. Rottweiler by performing tricks on him, all of which is secretly caught on camera for a reality TV show of the same name. In each level, the aim is to complete a set amount of pranks on Rottweiler, whilst keep out of sight of him; if Rottweiler spots and catches Woody, the level ends in failure and the player must restart it. The game itself sees players moving between various rooms in the house, such as the kitchen and hallway, via their doors, with levels grouped into "seasons"; as the player progresses to new seasons, the player gains access to more rooms with more challenging prank puzzles to complete. In order to prank Rottweiler, the player must interact with objects, some of which Woody will sabotage, while others require him to find items that are appropriate for the object (i.e. using a saw to sabotage a chair). While moving around the house, players must observe the routine that Rottweiler undertakes between various objects in the level and the path he uses, in order to plan how to avoid being seen and when to set up a prank. His routine can be disrupted in different ways; two of these involve his pets, a parrot and a guard dog, which will make noise if Woody fails to sneak around them and cause Rottweiler to check on them. To hide out of sight, players can make use of a wardrobe, and later slip under a bed to avoid being seen by Rottweiler. Once a level's required number of pranks is completed, the player can continue to complete any additional pranks available, and eventually they must finish the level by bringing Woody to the neighbour's front door, whereupon they are scored on their performance.

Plot

Woody is an average man who has a happy life, until his neighbor Mr. Rottweiler makes his life miserable. Woody decides to take full revenge on Mr. Rottweiler and calls up a TV crew, which produces the self-titled

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

that shows the neighbor's relations from worst sight.

Reception

The PC version received "average" reviews, while the GameCube and Xbox versions received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the

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website

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Legacy

Ports and re-releases

The original Microsoft Windows version was digitally re-released on GOG.com with its sequel by JoWood on June 9, 2009. It was released on

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on November 7, 2013 after successfully getting Greenlit by the community. A mobile port of the game was released worldwide by

for iOS and Android on May 25, 2017 on the

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and

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, respectively. A port for

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was released on the

on June 22 of the same year.

''Neighbours Back from Hell''

A remaster, named ''Neighbours back From Hell'', was released on October 8, 2020 for consoles and PC by

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

-based developer FarbWorks and

HandyGames www.handy-games.com GmbH (trade name: HandyGames) is a German video game developer and publisher based in Giebelstadt. In July 2018, the company was acquired by THQ Nordic. History The company was founded in 2000 by brothers Christopher and Mar ...

(a publishing division owned by THQ Nordic), and contains both the first game and the sequel, remastered and reworked in HD and at high framerates. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and fans.

Sequel

In 2004 a sequel was released, called '' Neighbours from Hell 2: On Vacation''. In this game, instead of being in a house, the player travels to various locations around the world. This time the player must have their caution turned to the mom of the Neighbour as well, if they do not want to be caught.

Notes

References

External links

The official website of the ''Neighbours from Hell'' series
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neighbours From Hell 2003 video games Cancelled PlayStation 2 games GameCube games Nintendo DS games Puzzle video games Strategy video games Windows games Xbox games iOS games Android (operating system) games macOS games Video games about revenge Video games developed in Austria JoWooD Entertainment games THQ Nordic games Embracer Group franchises Encore Software games Single-player video games