Hello Engineer: Everything We Know

Forget what you knew about Mr. Peterson’s eerie basement and all those kidnapped kids; Hello Neighbor doesn’t care about any of that malarkey anymore. In fact, the studio behind the hide-and-seek puzzle series has moved so far away from the source code, that they’re now attempting to make a sandbox-racing chapter and stick a Hello Engineer label to it — for the Hello Neighbor universe, weirdly enough. How’s that for milking the cash cow? Tut tut.

Of course, such an idea is going to attract mixed reactions, given the fact that Hello Neighbor has, at no point whatsoever, expressed an interest in mechanical engineering or vehicular combat. But there you go. It’s happening, and it’s due out in just a couple of days.

So, what more do you need to know about the next entry in the Hello Neighbor timeline? Will it retain any of its original features, or will it be an entirely different game, only with the same HN branding? Here’s everything we currently know about it.

What Is Hello Engineer?

Hello Engineer is a four-player co-op crafting game by tinyBuild, and a new, albeit slightly unorthodox, entry to the Hello Neighbor universe. In the latest episode, players are invited to take the fight to Mr. Peterson’s home away from home—an amusement park, of all places, that houses various track-based obstacle courses and puzzle-heavy departments. Either alone or with up to three friends, budding builders will have the opportunity to forage for scrap metal and build exciting new vehicles and other contraptions. Why? Well, as it turns out, Mr. Peterson’s up to his old tricks again, and has employed an army of evil robots to terrorize the amusement park. Oh goodie.

“Hello Engineer is a multiplayer machinary-construction game set in the Hello Neighbor universe for up to 4 players!” the Steam description reads in part. “Scavenge, craft and overcome challenges in the bizarre world of a mysterious amusement park. Put together incredible machines built of scrap, and challenge your creepy Neighbor and his evil bots. Roll, fly or bounce your way to victory; any machine that gets the job done is a successful design!”

Story

Hello Engineer will once again cast players as local kids brought straight from the suburbs to tackle the infamous neighbor known as Mr. Peterson. This time, however, the dreaded basement won’t be making an appearance, as the story will center itself around an abandoned amusement park — a world that has been transformed into an engineer’s haven. As building enthusiasts, you and your squad will take to the scrap and build unique contraptions to whittle down Mr. Peterson’s ever-evolving trials and robotic inventions.

According to the devs, Hello Engineer will feature a story mode, and a sandbox mode. “Working alone or with friends, navigate challenges and puzzles using entirely custom-built machines,” the blurb explains. “Gear up your creations for a fight in brain-bruising boss battles!”

“Unwind in the sandbox and build without restrictions,” the description continues. “Create the ultimate machine of your dreams! Ever wanted to build a Rocket? Your chance!”

Gameplay

From the looks of the footage, Hello Engineer will keep ahold of its core puzzle elements, but will ultimately lose sight of its traditional hide-and-seek blueprint. It’ll be a crafting game at heart, so we can definitely expect to see our fair share of foraging, exploration, and co-op building. In addition to these three things, Hello Engineer will also make room for a semi-open world, which will include its own unique biomes and unchartered locations. So, a lot like Hello Neighbor 2, perhaps, but with an amusement park backdrop, from the looks of it.

“Using frame parts, gears, engines, wheels, weapons, and even jet engines from the amusement park scrap, you can build different vehicles that suit your ever-changing needs,” the description elaborates. “There are several advanced features such as electrical circuits and smart modules that are accessible for skilled engineers to build self-driven mechanical vehicles or mechanical creatures.”

Development

Surprise surprise, it’s being developed by tinyBuild, the same firm that has brought life to every other Hello Neighbor game to date. Granted, it’s an unusual step for the studio, what with every previous iteration in the series being more survival-based with heavy doses of puzzle-solving and whatnot. But it’s here, which means we haven’t seen the last of Mr. Peterson and his questionably bad taste in traps and sportswear.

Hello Engineer was first teased back in 2020 as a Google Stadia product, after which it went on to receive a playable demo. To cut the long story short — it didn’t garner the high praise its developer had hoped for it to achieve, which in turn led to a two-year hiatus and several revisions. Before long, it received an updated announcement trailer, stating that it would be heading to consoles and PC. But more on that shortly.

Trailer

There is a trailer of Hello Engineer, so that’s a start. If you’re interested in catching a glimpse of what’s to come, then be sure to check out the announcement trailer above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Hello Engineer will be launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 17, 2023. So, hardly any time at all, then. You can go ahead and add it to your wishlist over on Steam here. Alternatively, you can add it to your cart on the Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, or Nintendo eShop.

For more updates on the Hello Engineer launch, be sure to check in with tinyBuild over on its official social feed here. If anything changes ahead of its global release, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Hello Engineer when it rolls out on consoles and PC later this month? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.