Neon White review: A brisk dash steeped in demons, angels, and explosive cards

Neon White resists concrete labels that players can tag it with and sort it in a particular genre. The title combines puzzle-platforming with a lightning-quick pace, a card-based system of guns and movement types, and a gorgeous and loud anime art style with a well-matched score for rampaging around the heavenly abodes.

That is a mouthful to get a grasp of, but during my time playing Neon White, it was clear that the developers had done a praiseworthy job balancing each aspect while crowning the primary mechanic of speeding through levels.

Developed by Angel Matrix and published by the stable of Annapurna Interactive, the trailer for Neon White at the Summer Game Fest 2022 cheekily characterizes the game as made by freaks and for freaks. After spending hours dashing, stomping, and slashing demons at the bid of the angelic Believers, I would hardly argue with the quip.

Neon White brings exhilarating gameplay coupled with intricate level designs, vibrant art style, and an upbeat soundtrack

Stepping into the world (Image via Neon White)

The premise of Neon White is quite simple. God has brought up a number of assassins, called Neons, from Hell to purge the sprawling demons in Heaven during the Ten Days of Judgment. These assassins compete amongst each other to earn a ticket to ascend from the depths of fiery purgatory and find a spot in the cheerful and comfortable Heaven with all its delights.

The protagonist is known as Neon White. The character is suavely dressed in monochrome with an animal mask on his face, like every Neon. He has lost his memories of who he was before and his relationship with other Neons and will be figuring it out throughout the game.

The developers have utilized colors not just in the loud and zesty art style of the game but also with the names of the various assassin NPCs. Players will come across the Harley Quinn-esque Violet, the mysterious Red, the bro-code-infused Yellow, and the big hulking Green who did remind me of Broly.

White’s tasks will be assigned to him by Mikey, an angel who appears to White as a cat sitting on a cloud with a burning cigar in hand.

The game has a dozen chapters that players need to play through, with most of them having ten levels per chapter. The goal is to speedrun each level as fast as possible while clearing the demons. Clocking high scores will open up various features for that level, like hints and gifts.

The latter can be given to specific Neons, which will open up newer dialog options and side-quests. Collecting all the gifts is mandatory if the player wants to find the secret second ending of the game, which sees every one of the characters receiving a happier conclusion.

Where the hell is God?

Neon White's story is not the highlight of the title. You have anime-inspired characters, with often cheesy, on-the-nose, almost always horny dialogs, skirmishing among each other and embodying specific attitudes. There are betrayals not just among the Neons during the game, but a couple of them that have happened before.

Interact with NPCs (Image via Neon White)

The bright expanse of Heaven with sprawling clouds and cool breeze is not what it seems and there is a reason that God, the Almighty omniscient being, has not cleared the angelic abode off demons with a snap of His finger.

White's amnesia drives the plot forward as he slowly figures out his life before death and his connections to Red, Violet, Yellow, and Green. Deep into the game, Mikey will finally reveal the true nature of the Believers, the state of Heaven, and the whereabouts of God. Fuelled by rage, guilt, and a need to make things right, White will wage war against Green and try to bring back God.

Neon Red and her teasings (Image via Neon White)

There is bickering, teasing, arguing, sacrifices, and backstabbing that players will wade through during their time in Neon White. The almost clueless amnesiac protagonist slices through demons with ease and comfort but trips and stumbles in deciphering who he is and who to trust.

As I said, the philosophical story of somberly musing on religious tenets is not the highlight of the game. Gladly, it never felt like the game wanted it to be so either.

Jumping, dashing, and smashing my way through the numerous levels

Neon White’s brilliance lies in the design of its levels and the fluidity it allows players. Before I picked up the title, I was not sure if I would fare well in it. I am admittedly not adept at FPS or fast-paced speed-running titles. Yet, from the very first level, I felt hooked on Neon White.

The blistering pace of the levels demands a nimble-footed player to parkour gracefully and destructively over the glassy summer surfaces of Heaven while dispatching various kinds of demons through diverse means. The card mechanic, for me, shines with flair and finesse while aptly fitting the demon-hunting gameplay.

There are different kinds of Soul Cards that White will come across during his dashes. The cards can be used to slice or shoot demons with a limited amount of ammo. They can also be alternatively used for their one-time secondary ability through right-clicking.

White’s basic card is the Katana, and he will be able to pick others with their unique abilities off the ground, in chests, or by killing enemies. The pistol allows the character to double jump, the machine gun launches a grenade, the rifle provides a forward dash, the uzi stomps on the ground, the shotgun lets White dash in any direction, and the rocket launcher can act as a grappling hook.

Players will be able to break through destructible objects, make their way up or down the platforms with relative ease, and purge any ink-colored demons they see through the use of these cards, often in quick succession. The trick is to figure out where to use what and at which exact moment.

Although that sounds hectic and possibly a tad complicated, Neon White makes it feel like a breeze with an intricately brilliant level design that makes it easily discernible where players have to go next. The difficulty lies in finding out the fastest way to reach the endpoint through a hop, skip, and jump. Furthermore, the soundtrack from Machine Girl sets the perfect tenor to accompany you on your dash at break-neck speed.

And despite the aforementioned doubt regarding my proficiency in completing the levels, I found myself doing so with relative ease and repeatedly replaying a level to beat my own score to get a better medal. Higher medals reveal both the global and friends leaderboard for you to see how you fare in comparison.

The quick loading time for a replay is a huge positive that makes sure there are no obstacles other than those designed in your wish to beat the score above.

In Conclusion - Try to keep up

Neon White is a title that feels confusing on paper. The cauldron of the game has a mix of a number of genres and the end product could easily have been a freaky disaster. Instead, we get a freaky delicacy, the likes of which White did not enjoy in Heaven, from the minds at Angel Matrix, and one that will surely rank high up the best game of 2022 lists once the year draws to an end.

It’s been some time since I played a game that so effortlessly draws the player into a heart-pumping adrenaline-infused race just to shave a second or two off their finishing time. I was often stuck in a loop of replaying levels, completely oblivious to the story that I needed to focus on or that I already had a high enough rank to qualify for the next chapter.

Neon White is an exhilarating journey with a high replay value attached to it. Players will easily be spending countless hours figuring out the quickest way to complete a level and replaying them until they get so. The gameplay feels so disarmingly simple that perfection seems just within your grasp. And even if you miss it, do not fret, press 'F' to reload and dash away.