Now this is a video game in its purest form. The splash screens are like 5 seconds at most and then it's right to the incredible intro sequence. The story is interesting with the world being full of intrigue. Even if your relationship with your old cohorts relies on amnesia as a plot device which brings it down a little bit, you still have what is going on in the afterlife to ponder on. Working around the VN portraits that maybe would have benefitted from a few more poses, the artwork is really good. On top of that the voicework is fantastic, with Steve Blum in the lead as Neon White which any time he does his Spike Spiegel voice is good, and an ensemble talent to accompany him. I wouldn't say I was completely emotionally invested, it did pique my curiousity as to how things would play out, especially with the good execution of said story.

But that isn't even the best part of this game, that would be the addictive gameplay. Your default moveset is fairly simple, but your depth comes from these weapon cards. I thought it'd be like a card game platformer which turned me away at first, but it's actually quite simple: You have the gun as a weapon, but you can discard it for a mobility option. THIS is how you play Neon White, having to figure out how to best utilize these cards to beat the levels and get the best times. At first I was okay with simple gold or silver medals, but then I wanted to get Ace Times, and after I started getting those I even got a few Dev times! Unfortunately I didn't focus on the gifts as much since they didn't provide that big thrill for me as they're more a simple puzzle than a big one, but the rewards of additional challenges are nice. My only minor issue with the levels is they can get really long by the end of the game meaning I need to keep that intense focus going for long strings at a time. Nothing above 5 minutes mind you so it was never a detriment but the pressure still felt there with having to execute all of it perfectly. But trying again and again and figuring out how to get those medals is the excitement, first it was just beating my friend's times but only one other friend beat the game so my lead isn't super impressive but being better and better is just fun for me.

Neon White is all in all a thrill of a game I enjoyed from start to finish, and I recommend it to anyone who loves honing their skills in a video game.

Sure the dialogue is a little cringey and cheesy at times, but idc. I laughed a few times and enjoyed the characters mostly. I was somewhat invested in the story. Plus I liked the voice cast. Steve Blum is great as always, plus ProZD being here is a plus as well. The game felt very anime. There was even a beach section so you know it's legit. Haha.

But the GAMEPLAY! This game is extremely fun. Speedrunning through levels is the most satisfying thing and the movement feels great. The card mechanic is so cool and the levels themselves are fun to traverse. I had a damn good time with this game and basically loved every second of it.

As much as I would like to platinum it on playstation, ain't no way in hell that's happening. Beat the ENTIRE GAME twice without dying? Yeah ain't no way. But I still loved playing the game and it was worth the $25.

A phenomenal game. The negative press this game received online (twitter freaks) about it's cornball dialogue is so heavily blown out of proportion it genuinely a huge disservice to what this game actually is sure it's cringe but who actually cares, if you don't like that part, there is a nifty fast-forward button that lets you skip that section to get right back into the fantastic gameplay loop. This is a paradise for anyone with an interest in speed running, insanely addicting leaving yourself think "I can do that faster". The most fun I got out of the game was constantly seeing my friends' times improve, and trying to take them back, it's such a small thing but the amount of satisfaction you get exchanging top spots is unparalleled.

Glad I finally went back and revisited this. I really shouldn't like this game on the surface - I generally don't like platforming, and I like first-person platforming even less, but Neon White just feels incredible to play - especially when I switched to keyboard and mouse about 2/3rds of the way through.

I understand why people hate the writing, but it never bothered me. I actually enjoyed the main cast, even if the story isn't anything special.

For me, it was the perfect weed/podcast game - I got into a flow that reminded me a lot of Doom 2016, of all things.

Pros:
+Excellent music and presentation
+Excellent game design. Each level is like a puzzle to complete with little mechanical skills required.
+Very addicting. The levels are short with an emphasis on replayability to get the best scores possible. I never got bored once.

Cons:
-Characters are unlikeable, story is fine. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect game.

Objectively a kinda random meh game.

Subjectively my favorite game of all time.
Story is shit but I like the cheesy "written by a 12 years old" vibe of it, gameplay is litterally everything I love, blending speedrunning mechanics, boomer fast FPS kind of controls, and a kind of cards game mechanic, where you have to chose in a second between keeping a cool weapon or discarding for a boost, the aesthetic is just basic Ambient Jungle weeby shit, and I like it too, and the game has a big replay value, especially thanks to the Level Rush mode.
Oh yeah also this game made me listen to Machine Girl 2 years ago, and now it's my favorite band, it's my biggest musical influence, and now I feel like I'm a MG cult member.

So just for that, thank you Neon White, you're definitely my favorite game.