Puppets are supposed to entertain children, but My Friendly Neighborhood has other plans for its colourful cast. The survival horror game from developer siblings John and Evan Szymanski is now available on Nintendo Switch 2, bringing its unsettling blend of puzzle-solving, resource management, and puppet dismemberment to Nintendo’s latest console.
Players take on the role of Handyman Gordon, who is sent to investigate a disturbance at a television studio once home to the children’s programme The Friendly Neighborhood. The show may be off the air, but its puppet cast has other ideas, having taken over the studio to broadcast a decidedly less family-friendly transmission. With the puppets turning hostile, Gordon must find a way to put an end to their bizarre uprising.
Survival won’t be easy, requiring players to conserve resources, manage their inventory, solve puzzles, and defend themselves against their former television favourites. Rather than relying on conventional firearms, My Friendly Neighborhood features an assortment of letter-based weapons, putting an unusual spin on its combat. The studio itself is equally distinctive, with environments that include cardboard corridors and crayon-covered hallways that contrast with the increasingly unsettling events unfolding around them.
The Nintendo Switch 2 release also includes the post-launch Neighborhorde game mode, giving players another way to experience the game’s puppet-filled nightmare. My Friendly Neighborhood has earned an 83 Metacritic score and thousands of Very Positive user reviews on Steam, making it a notable addition to the console’s growing horror library.
My Friendly Neighborhood is available now on Nintendo Switch 2 for $29.99. The game is also available on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and the Windows Store.