Neon White is a lightning fast first-person action game about exterminating demons in Heaven. You are White, an assassin handpicked from Hell to compete with other demon slayers for a chance to live permanently in Heaven. The other assassins seem familiar, though… did you know them in a past life?
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The existence of the red ace medals makes this game.
Lost in the cringe and I'm not comin out
Addicting gameplay, and a story that, depending on your tolerance for 90's OVA melodrama, is either high art or a cringeworthy slog.
What a blast!
Neon White feels like a nostalgia-induced fever dream in which the major goal is maintaining the player in a very pleasurable state of flow for as long as it's possible. The clever level design plays a big role at this, rewarding a sense of rhythm, quick reflexes and a bit of memory -- with a little help of the excellent soundtrack and charming low poly, windows98-core visuals.
The story and plot are... not great, but personally I don't think they are much worse than a lot of very popular games out there, whose tropes Neon White tries to emulate. It's just a shame this will be the first contact of a lot of people have with a VN because, lol, talk about a bad impression.
Neon White feels like a nostalgia-induced fever dream in which the major goal is maintaining the player in a very pleasurable state of flow for as long as it's possible. The clever level design plays a big role at this, rewarding a sense of rhythm, quick reflexes and a bit of memory -- with a little help of the excellent soundtrack and charming low poly, windows98-core visuals.
The story and plot are... not great, but personally I don't think they are much worse than a lot of very popular games out there, whose tropes Neon White tries to emulate. It's just a shame this will be the first contact of a lot of people have with a VN because, lol, talk about a bad impression.
got me into machine girl
Neon White has a perfect blend of twitch-shooter action and puzzle solving gameplay, with music and art that immerse you in the world of a tainted heaven.
You're goal is to reach the end of each level while defeating every enemy, through expendable weapons that also function as your platforming abilities. Though each level functions the same, playing through them all never felt repetitive since the game continues to bring new mechanics to the table that always expand the possible interactions. No idea feels wasted as they all get full attention, and in consistently unique combinations. After each area you can repeat missions to find secret gifts, that require you to slow down to puzzle out how to reach each one, and it gave me a further appreciation for every level. The gifts you find can be given to characters to unlock entertaining dialogue, additional levels that make you play in new ways, and memories that give a bit more backstory.
As a huge Machine Girl fan, i can't deny the huge bias when i say that this soundtrack is amazing. Ethereal synths and energetic drum breaks get me fully immersed in the moment to moment action, that feels relaxing yet aggressive. The environments are also beautiful, with painterly visuals and good color usage that makes navigating each level easy, which works perfectly with the split-second decision making you'll be performing.
While conceptually interesting and has a lot of fun ideas, id say the story is the weakest aspect overall. Its very character driven, most of it being told through conversations with either heavenly beings or your twisted friends. The characters are fairly one note, feeling like a sort-of parody of anime tropes. Though they're presented as dangerous killers, its obvious that they're really just a bunch of lovable dorks. They're very charming though, and while i never felt too emotionally invested in any of them, i always enjoyed each interaction with them. I do wish we got to have more cinematic moments, as the majority of the story is spent in visual novel text boxes, which do fit the games vibe though it sometimes hinder some of its more important moments. However i assume this was likely due to a smaller budget, and the team (rightfully so) putting priority on the gameplay first.
For the gameplay alone i'd say the games absolutely worth it, plus a killer soundtrack and a fun story to accompany it.
You're goal is to reach the end of each level while defeating every enemy, through expendable weapons that also function as your platforming abilities. Though each level functions the same, playing through them all never felt repetitive since the game continues to bring new mechanics to the table that always expand the possible interactions. No idea feels wasted as they all get full attention, and in consistently unique combinations. After each area you can repeat missions to find secret gifts, that require you to slow down to puzzle out how to reach each one, and it gave me a further appreciation for every level. The gifts you find can be given to characters to unlock entertaining dialogue, additional levels that make you play in new ways, and memories that give a bit more backstory.
As a huge Machine Girl fan, i can't deny the huge bias when i say that this soundtrack is amazing. Ethereal synths and energetic drum breaks get me fully immersed in the moment to moment action, that feels relaxing yet aggressive. The environments are also beautiful, with painterly visuals and good color usage that makes navigating each level easy, which works perfectly with the split-second decision making you'll be performing.
While conceptually interesting and has a lot of fun ideas, id say the story is the weakest aspect overall. Its very character driven, most of it being told through conversations with either heavenly beings or your twisted friends. The characters are fairly one note, feeling like a sort-of parody of anime tropes. Though they're presented as dangerous killers, its obvious that they're really just a bunch of lovable dorks. They're very charming though, and while i never felt too emotionally invested in any of them, i always enjoyed each interaction with them. I do wish we got to have more cinematic moments, as the majority of the story is spent in visual novel text boxes, which do fit the games vibe though it sometimes hinder some of its more important moments. However i assume this was likely due to a smaller budget, and the team (rightfully so) putting priority on the gameplay first.
For the gameplay alone i'd say the games absolutely worth it, plus a killer soundtrack and a fun story to accompany it.