Hello Neighbor: Let the Water Flow Out
FLOW AND GOALS
For the tutorial puzzles, they can be completed in a flexible order.
For the challenging puzzles, the player must complete “Add water and freeze water puzzle (no shark)” and “Melt ice and drain water puzzle” first, then he can complete the last one.
OVERVIEW
“Let the Water Flow Out” is a Hello Neighbor level which is themed around water. The player needs to solve a series of puzzles about water, ice, valves, and heaters to open the final gates as well as evade the AI, Sosed. All the puzzles offer the player multiple solutions which are different in the difficulty of execution or planning. The open-world level also allows the player completed it in a flexible order. The level doesn’t require the player to play this game beforehand. All the mechanics are introduced in the first three tutorial puzzles.
PROJECT INFO
DESIGN GOALS
GAME: Hello Neighbor
GENRE: Stealth, Survival Horror
ENGINE: Unreal Engine 4
DEVELOPMENT TIME: 220 hours
( 10 weeks*22 hours/week )
PLATFORM: PC
• Theme around water
The entire level is themed around water. The player learns all mechanics from the tutorial puzzles and using these mechanics in the challenging puzzles. In some puzzle, the water or the ice is the barriers for the player. On the other puzzles, the ice can be a helper. Challenging puzzles combine multiple basic mechanics to challenge the player.
• Multiple solutions
All the puzzles offer the player multiple solutions which are different in the difficulty of execution or planning. The player can solve puzzles in a water-themed way, like controlling heater or valves. At the same time, he can also use the platformer way or other space solution.
• Open-world elements
This open-world level allows the player completed it in a flexible order and multiple solutions give him more freedom to explore the level.
TRAILER, PLAY THROUGH, AND SCREENSHOTS
MAP WALKTHROUGH
The player wakes up on the second floor of the house, and he faces to the window. From the windows, he sees the final gate and the high fence around the yard.
In the start rooms, there are three possible exits: the door to the next room, the window to the yard and the vent to the roof.
This room is about drain water puzzle. The player learns:
• How to drain the water with the valve
• How to kill shark
The wheel is on a box surrounded by water. And there is a shark in the water. Thus, the player cannot jump into or jump over the water.
(The bold solution is the recommended solution.)
• The player needs to turn off the valve linked to the water. It drains the water. And then the player can get the wheel.
• The player uses the magnet gun to get the wheel. (Magnet gun can be got from Map Label 2: Melt ice puzzle)
• The player stacks boxes in water and gets the wheel.
If the player enters the corridor, he can remove the chair blocked the door. The window in this room is crashed to give the player another flow option.
After draining the water, the player goes through the pool and enters the restroom.
This area is bout melt ice puzzle. The player learns:
• How to melt ice with the heater
In the restroom, the player sees a heater linked to the ice from a hole on the wall. And if the player goes out of the restroom, he sees the ice blocks two doors.
• The player switches the heater to the heating position to melt the ice. After the ice melted, the player enters the room and gets the magnet gun on a table.
• The player goes to the roof by the crashed window in the restroom and enters the room by the window.
• The player stacks boxes or uses chairs to go through the hole. After entering the room, the player gets the magnet gun.
• The player enters Map Label 3: Freeze water puzzle room and enters the room by the vent.
In the room, if the player enters the vent, he gets the wrench and sees a ladder to the 1st floor and a door to the Map Label 3: Freeze water puzzle room. The wrench can unlock the ladder next to the garage.
This room is about freeze ice puzzle. The player learns:
• How to freeze water with the heater
• How to kill shark
In this room, the key is on a target surrounded by water and blocked by fences. And there is a Sharkotron in the water.
• The player follows the pipes and finds the heater in the restroom. Then the player switches the heater to the freezing position. The water frozen, and the player walks on the ice and get the key.
• The player uses the magnet gun to kill the Sharkotron or suck the key.
• The player stacks boxes or other items to avoid the Sharkotron’s attack.
The player also can enter this room by vent or roof. In the restroom, the player uses the switch to open the gate and unlock the corridor area.
The garage is about add water puzzle.
The goal of this puzzle is to free the tube 1.
The tube 1 and the water pressure meter are placed high, which is impossible for the player jumping to reach them. There are a heater and two tubes next to the pool. One tube is for draining water, whose default status is free. The other one is for adding water, whose default status is blocked.
• The player controls the tubes to add water to the pool and then freezes the water with the heater. The player walks on the ice and frees the tube 1 with the wheel.
• The player goes to the 2nd-floor roof and jumps through the hole in the roof to get to the tube 1.
• The player stacks boxes or other items to help himself.
The kitchen and laundry room are about melt ice and drain water puzzle.
The goal of this puzzle is to free tube 2.
The ice blocks the tube 2, and there is a shark in the ice. There also are a heater and a tube next to the pool. The tube is for draining water, whose default status is blocked. And the laundry room’s door is locked by the blue lock. (The key is in the Map Label 3: Freeze water puzzle).
• The player switches the heater to the heating position to melt the ice. Then the player frees the valve with the wheel to drain the water and kills the shark. After doing this, the player unlocks the blue lock to enter the laundry room and turns on Tube 2.
• The player melts ice and drains the water. Then the player goes through the vents.
• The player removes boards and then breaks the window to enter the laundry room.
The living room is about add water and freeze water puzzle.
The goal of this puzzle is to start the steam generator.
The steam generator’s starting requirements are:
• Tube 1 is free
• Tube 2 is free
• The heater is on the heating position
The steam generator and its linked heater are placed high. There are a heater and two tubes next to the pool. And there is a shark in the pool.
• The player control tubes to add more water to the pool. It changes the water level, and the higher water level allows the player to get higher. The player uses the heater to freeze the new water and jumps to the heater to change its position. After doing this, if the tube1 and tube 2 are free, the gate will be open.
• The player stacks boxes or other items to help himself.
The player also can get the crowbar from the restroom.
After the final gate opens, the player reaches the exit and completes the level.
