Neon White (PC) Review

Trouble in paradise.

 Every now and then comes a game that completely blows me away with how good it is, and Neon White is one of those games. Developed by indie studio Angel Matrix, I've heard nothing but good praise for the game and as a fan of fast-paced action games, I had to check it out. So does Neon White lives up to all the praise? You bet!

 We follow White, an assassin who died and is reborn as a "Neon", a demon slayer who must cleanse heaven from demons. In order to escape the punishment of hell, White must compete with other Neons to reach the highest rank and get a chance at redemption. Who is White and why did he end up in hell remains a mystery, and he has 13 days to reach the top rank and find out. Without spoiling it, the story was a super enjoyable one with a catchy premise, neat twists, and decent cast of characters.

White's journey is a perilous one with
 some lighthearted moments.

 It's presented in visual novel style and I was surprised by how dark and gritty it got, which made it all the more engaging. White is your amnesiac but brash hero who eventually comes to terms with his past and ends up being a likeable guy at the end. As for the supporting cast, they were good and had their stories to share by taking part in their story-based segments. With all the good said, the dialogue in the game can be downright cringe-inducing at times, packing jokes and references that don't always land. 

 Neon White is a first-person platformer where you control White as he traverses through a variety of levels shooting demons and jumping around platforms to reach the goal. The catch here is that it's a faced-paced affair where you're zooming through levels, efficiently (and stylishly) killing enemies and aiming for the fastest time possible, which is a lot of fun. Your main weapon are a katana and special cards that come in the form of guns called "Soul Cards". 

 In addition to being a weapon, each card has a unique ability that you can use like a pistol that gives an extra jump, sniper rife that lets you dash, and rocket launcher that doubles as a grappling hook to name a few. Using said ability will come at the expense of the card, so it's best to use them wisely. Levels will require you to quickly master soul cards since you'll constantly alternate between them to get past traps and enemies, especially in later ones. 

The gameplay's easy to grasp even for newcomers,
but hard to master.

 It's a nice mechanic that always kept me on edge as you never know what obstacles each level has in store. That said, the gameplay is heavy on trial-and-error with you possibly mistiming a jump or using up a card early, forcing you to restart the level again. Speaking of levels, they're short often taking less than a minute to beat but will require multiple runs to get the fastest times and hidden gifts that you can give to characters to unlock special levels and more of their memories. The hub menu has you talking to NPCs, replaying missions, and generally look around the world. It took me around 20 hours to fully beat the game collecting all gifts and maxing out all character stories, which was worth the game's $25 price.

The levels and enemy variety did a good job
of keeping things fresh and interesting.

 From the anime-inspired character designs to the bright white and blue backgrounds, Neon White is an eye-catching game despite how simple it looks. You can even catch the Suda51 influences in its aesthetics, notably with the opening screens for the chapters. The game ran well on my PC at a smooth 60FPS and the voice-work was relatively good, with Steve Blum being the highlight as White. As for the soundtrack, it's outstanding with lots of upbeat, electronic tracks from composer Machine Girl. It's one of those soundtracks where you can listen to when you're not playing the game with how good it is. "Fade to White", "House of Cards", "Fight or Flight", "Angel's Peak", "Heavenly Delight", and "Glass Ocean" were some of my faves and that's naming a few.

The presentation is top-notch
with great visuals and soundtrack.

 Neon White was a fun experience and one of the most enjoyable games I've played so far this year. It has a lot going for it namely the flashy gameplay and fantastic soundtrack, as well as an interesting story. No doubt it'll appeal to those looking for a faced-paced and fun adventure.