Neon White – Review
Simply put, Neon White is a speedrunner’s paradise when it comes to first-person shooters. It’s likely that people will be trying to improve their times in this game for a long time because of its satisfying movement, a wide variety of powers, and built-in leaderboard features.
As soon as the player understands the goal of the game, the game immediately plunges them into the action. The first level, titled ‘Movement,’ teaches you exactly what you need to know. It’s hard not to be enamoured with the game’s sense of speed after sliding around on the water and seeing the “you’re going fast” particles appear on the screen. When you press a button, you’re immediately thrown into the next level, where a timer keeps you on your toes and nudges you to keep moving forward. Quick-witted Neon White.
The loop is well-executed, and chances are you’ll be thinking about replaying a level right after you finish it to get a better time. Neon White has a medal system, and the better your times on each stage are, the more trophies you’ll receive. You’ll be able to do new things on stage as you win more medals. It’s possible to get to platinum in the game if you learn a secret shortcut in each level after you get gold, for example. Because some missions are locked behind a “neon rank,” you’ll need a certain number of gold medals in order to progress in this game. To ensure that the player is fully immersed in the game’s spirit rather than simply focusing on their levelling times, this never felt too challenging.
Those who enjoy solving puzzles will be enthralled by the hidden collectibles that can be found at the end of each stage. Gifts appear on the stage after the first time through each level. Heaven’s hub area contains a number of characters who can be given these. Problem-solving is almost always required to obtain these. In order to reach the items, you’ll need to conduct a scouting mission and determine which powerups you’ll need.
Here, the game encourages you to slow down and conserve your powerups because the gifts are often located either at a high altitude or a long distance away. For example, instead of using your default katana to slowly dispatch an enemy, you’ll creep up on them and use your powerup-granting powerups to quickly advance. This puzzle platformer comes alive when you finally manage to get your hands on a hard-to-reach collectible after numerous failed attempts.
Neon White’s movement is made more complicated by the use of powerups. In the form of guns, these powerups are gradually introduced throughout the game. When playing Angel Matrix, the guns never appear in the player’s hands, but instead appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen as cards. You should see the guns as movement tools rather than weapons, and this is deliberate on the part of the developers.
In addition to the weapon’s primary ability, the secondary ability allows players to trade their weapon for movement. You’ll find everything from Mario-style stomps to air dashes and double jumps there. If you think a well-executed bomb jump into an air dash will allow you to finish the stage faster, then go ahead and give it a try. As we will discuss in detail later on, some levels require you to perform quick combinations in order to progress, which is just a joy to experience.
Outside of the occasional flick shot as you fly through the air, killing demons does not feel rewarding. The demons, with the exception of certain enemies who can one-shot you, do not pose much of a threat. If approached cautiously, most demons can be taken down with the katana that comes standard with your character’s character. While it’s obvious that demons and weapons exist primarily to facilitate movement, players expecting a meaty shooter may be disappointed by Neon White’s lack thereof. There is a sense that the demons are being used to ensure that the player does not skip large sections of the stage because they must be slain in order to progress. While some demons will randomly drop powerups, they are usually placed in an obvious location to aid the player’s progress through the stage.
In Neon White, you play as a character named Neon White. For White, it’s a battle against the demons for a chance to remain in heaven. The only problem is that he’s up against his fellow Neons, as there’s only one spot available. Neon White is a parody of anime, so if that plot sounded familiar, it’s because it does.
The “dudebro,” “cute deranged alt girl,” and “flirtatious domineering love interest” that White meets are all intentionally and amusingly stereotypical. In spite of the fact that he knew some of the other characters in real life, none of them seem willing to fill him in on his past relationships with the titular character, who has amnesia since his death. This adds to the intrigue of the story, as no one is willing to share any information about White’s past except for White himself. Neon White’s interaction is based on pop culture references, satirical anime stereotypes, and amusing dialogue – the game doesn’t take itself seriously. Additionally, the character art is excellent.
The player is in Heaven when they aren’t on missions. Heaven is a top-down map where you can pick and choose who you want to interact with rather than a place you can explore first-person. Accepting new missions and delivering gifts to other characters are the primary functions of this tool. For those of you who enjoy handing out gifts, each one White receives will give him new information about the recipient, whether it’s new dialogue, an emotional connection to the character’s past, or one of many other interesting and rewarding sidequests.
The sidequest stages for each of the characters have their own set of rules that set them apart from the main stages. When playing Neon Yellow, for example, the player cannot use the gun’s movement capabilities and must rely solely on jumps and camera movements to succeed. As a refresher between the main stages, these quests allow you to play the game in a new way.
