PAX South: Neighborhorde First Impression

You get to equip cooky weapons such as a pie, squirt gun, even a confetti popper.

I’ve gotten older. My tastes in gaming have changed. There I’ve said it. I’ve come clean. Why did this happen to me, and most everyone I know? Simple, life. I don’t have as much time to get invested in a huge campaign story, or 30 hours a week to raid in an MMOG for the highest tier set. Which is why I can’t find the willpower to put down Neighborhorde, an innocently-styled 4-player survival co-op game that draws inspiration from childhood memories and a simple but challenging theme of gameplay.

Within seconds of jumping into the game for the first time I was fighting off a wave of ghostly puppy heads by destroying them with paper airplanes and bowling balls. Currently the game, which is developed by a small team of three, has 36 unique weapons that can be selected and picked up throughout the game. After each wave you are able to choose a new power such as faster dashing, or an increase to melee power. Along with choosing a new power you can unlock a weapon and from then on it has a chance to spawn each wave.

Inspired by Calvin and Hobbes, Ed Edd & Eddy, and our own childhood experiences, Neighborhorde aims to capture those countless hours spent imagining action movie scenarios.

While the game has a light and humorous feel to it, it increases in difficulty quickly. This makes good team coordination essential to survive. For instance, when all four players are in a certain radius you regenerate health which ushers in the need to have fluid team movement, especially during a boss wave. Health, as you may have guessed, is pretty important to survival.

The game is currently in the process of being green lit on Steam and is vying for a spot on the PS4 market. Currently, Neighborhorde is aimed to release at a small affordable price of $5. It’s simple, challenging, and has a high replay factor. This is definitely something I would play when my friends come over.