Neon White

Neon White - A Heavenly Gaming Experience

A Dead Assassin's Thrilling Journey to Earn a Place in Heaven

Not Your Average First-Person Shooter

Neon White, developed by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive, is perhaps the first game that allows you to exterminate demons and pull off sick parkour moves. The unique action-adventure game launched on June 16th, 2022, and is available for Windows and Nintendo Switch. Even if you are a dedicated, hardcore gamer, there is little chance you have ever experienced a game quite like this fast-paced and exhilarating game.

Compete for a Spot in Heaven

You play as Neon White himself, a deceased assassin who has been pulled from the depths of Hell to participate in a divine competition in Heaven. In the game, vicious demons invade Heaven, so Neon and several other souls taken from Hell have been given the hefty task of getting rid of them. What is large-scale demon extermination without a bit of high-stakes competition, though?

Equipped with an arsenal of heavenly weaponry, you will speed through several districts, blasting away every demon in your path as you race from platform to platform. Whichever of the banished souls does the best job clearing Heaven of evil earns the ultimate prize: a permanent residency within the Pearly Gates.

As an added twist, Neon White has lost his memory, but as the game progresses, more pieces of his past life will fall into place. As it turns out, those other assassins he is competing against may not be the strangers they seem.

Concept Rating: 5/5

Gorgeous Levels

Neon White takes place over several levels, each located in a different area of Heaven with its own distinctive look. Overall, the graphics on these levels look spectacular, featuring vibrant color schemes, creative designs, and an almost majestic feel that fits perfectly with the setting.

The game also features cutscenes with surreal, anime-style visuals, which take place in between the many fast-paced platformer levels. Since the game is in a first-person perspective, these breaks from the action are when you get to see the fascinating assassin characters. Each one has its own look, somehow appearing both creepy and strangely beautiful at the same time.

Also, Neon White has an epic soundtrack featuring speedy, synth-infused tunes from the electronic music project Machine Girl. When you are flying through Heaven shooting at demons, it is the perfect accompaniment to keep you engaged.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 5/5

A Platformer at Its Core

Although Neon White most certainly features first-person shooter elements, it plays more like a speedrunning platformer. When you need increased mobility, you can even toss aside your gun to get an extra boost or jump.

When you are moving through a level, you will need to prepare for things to happen fast. One moment a monstrous demon will be a mile away, and the next, you will suddenly be hurtling toward them only a few feet in front of you. It takes practice to successfully leap and maneuver from one surface to another, giving Neon White a fairly significant learning curve. However, it is very satisfying when you finally master a level and manage a killer run.

Collecting Cards

It would not be accurate to describe Neon White as a deck-builder, but card collecting is a significant aspect of the game. As you navigate the various levels, you will find Soul Cards scattered around each map, and they can help kill demons and get through districts.

Collect “Soul Cards” to attack your foes or discard them to use unique movement abilities.

Each card you come across will have an associated weapon with two distinct functions. The first function is simply shooting at your enemies, and the other is a discard option. Each type of gun offers a different power-up when you discard it. A pistol gets you a double jump, a shotgun gives you a quick dash and a moment of invincibility, an assault rifle spawns a powerful bomb for you to use, and an SMG lets you pull off a devastating ground pound.

Mastering the Lightning-Fast Movement

To truly master the gameplay of Neon White, it takes more than simply running, jumping, and shooting your way through each level as quickly as you can. As you play, you will realize that it takes more creativity and finesse to help Neon earn his permanent place in Heaven.

Compete for the best times by cleverly combining cards to discover massive shortcuts.

Each level requires different strategies and maneuvers to complete and make good time in the process. Sometimes, you must land a jump perfectly to slide along a rail. Other times you might need to drop a bomb beneath you and use the explosion to propel you to the finish line. In some cases, you will probably have to play the same level many times to get it down, but it feels so good when you finally find the magic maneuver to pull it off.

Discovering Neon's Past

If you are not speeding through Heaven and exterminating demons, watch the storyline progress through a visual novel. The plot, which features Neon trying to discover why he and his fellow assassins are dead, is a bit silly at times, but it still manages to be compelling. Considering how fast-paced and thrilling the main gameplay is, these scenes give you a nice breather while presenting a vibrant story and stunning visuals.

Gameplay Rating: 5/5

A Price Worth Paying

Released in full on June 16th, 2022, Neon White is available for only $24.99 for both Switch and PC (It's even Steam Deck compatible!). Frankly, considering how new and entertaining this game is, it would be a relative bargain for double that price, and you would be crazy not to jump on it if you enjoy fast-paced action gaming.

Neon White Is a Rush

There is a lot to love when it comes to Neon White. Although it is frustrating to fail because of the game's fast-paced nature, each level is relatively short, which means, that even when you struggle with a particular level, you are never investing more than 10 minutes in a run only to fail and have to do it all over again.

Neon White is not the type of game you should play when you are looking to relax, but when you are in the mood for exciting action, it will quench that thirst in a way that very few games can. The gameplay is engaging and rewarding, the visuals are stunning, and most importantly, Neon White is just straight-up fun.

Replay Value Rating: 4/5

The Heavenly

• Unique, visually appealing levels.
• Exhilarating and satisfying gameplay.
• Novel card-collecting aspect.
• Interesting storyline.

The Evil

• Relatively bland weaponry.
• Probably too fast-paced for some.

TL;DR

Neon White is a thrilling platformer, combining speedrunning, demon-killing, and card collecting in one heavenly package.