Glory to Gaming: Neon White Takes You To Cloud Nine
Neon White Review in Perspective
Neon White’s fast-paced traversal and flexible skills makes each level a joy. They’re quick and short, but that’s where the challenge lies. Each level has you essentially speed-run an obstacle course, and you use different weapons such as handguns, assault rifles, or shotguns to defeat demons.
But the fun part is in having to discard those weapons for their mobility. For example, when the handgun is discarded, you get an extra jump. So the magic lies in building momentum and then perfecting when to jump, dash, and stomp. And after completing a level, a leaderboard opens up which expresses the time you need to reach max completion time. The ranks are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Ace. If you complete Gold each time, you rank up. So you need enough Golds to progress in the story.
The story had a lot more depth than I had initially imagined. I thought it was just going to be a short game with a few levels and essentially no story or character. But aside from the 100 plus levels, there’s an interesting philosophical story on the afterlife and what it means to repent. Essentially, the game revolves around neons who were chosen as slaves from hell to defeat demons and earn limited time in heaven. Without saying too much, the game greatly connects you with the characters with fun twists and progression, which actually plays into the gameplay.
The presentation is great as the levels feel fluid. The music flows well too. It’s not as distracting, but it’s there, and the sound effects make you truly feel like you’re a spiritual ninja with explosive guns. This all coalesces into an artistic journey to find some peace, as the game is quite colorful. Most of it is a soft blend of blue and white, but there’s enough variety to keep the journey engaging. And the palette is used well to express the emotions of the story too.
Verdict of Wisdom — Iconic, [Fantastic], Scenic, Static, Erratic
Neon White is a fantastic and fresh addition to the world of platformers. I never thought I’d be a fan of speed running games, as they involve perfecting most mechanics and then also breaking the game, but Neon White urged me to get good enough to want to get a Gold on most levels. There was just a magical feeling of getting good at the game that became addicting, and that’s something I can say for most games. Perhaps Hades is one such example, for which even such an example is great in its own merit.
I look forward to what Angel Matrix puts out next!
If you enjoyed this article do check out Poggers Memes‘ review on Alan Wake 2 or our thoughts on Jujutsu Kaisen season 2.