"Games that make you feel like you're totally sick at them even when you're not doing anything that impressive" is a whole-ass genre at this point and Neon White one of its crown jewels. This game is just cool man, it has a bunch of cool ideas and pulls them off with such finesse. Neon White is a blast, speeding through levels has you feeling like such a god at the game even when most of the time it's just the level design's natural momentum carrying you through, and that it's greatest trick! It has just enough interactivity and player decisions sprinkled into its moment-to-moment gameplay that you feel like this is all you, and that disproportionate level of player competency to player confidence is exactly the kind of magic that makes games addictive.
Artistically there's so much to love about Neon White as well, in all the best ways it makes think of the kind of game SEGA would make if they were still a 1st-party developer with home consoles and stuff; the unique ideas, the anime cheese, the bright sparkling blue skyboxes, it all just screams Dreamcast to me. As much as I appreciate all the different backdrops and environments the game takes you to, I can't help but wish there were more levels that just looked like the early Glass Port stages because UGH, they get me so nostalgic for the good ol' days of Sonic Adventure. Maybe it's the movement as well, lol. (While I think the whole game's OST is good by far my fav songs are in the first 2 areas as well!!)
Also, the dialogue isn't that cringe, and when it is it's mostly intentional! I think people are kinda overreacting - the characters, White and Violet in particular are supposed to be pathetic losers who still reference no-scopes in 2022 and talk about their boob sweat! Take it from me, Anime Hater #1, - it's not that bad, in fact it's at it's worst when it's trying to be serious imo! All this "we were a family of assassins" and "you were the only one who could ever beat Green in combat" bs lmao, gimme a break. The anime brainrot is so real. Go back to the silly references to John Cena! I liked that shit! This game could actually genuinely be pretty funny sometimes, and it did so through actively painting the characters as sad idiots, that's the point!
Neon White is focused, original, and ends just when you start to worry it might wear out its welcome. It's not a 5/5 for me because some of the storytelling I did find kinda eye-rolling, the boss fights were pretty lackluster (altho this may partially be the Switch's fault bc this console can not handle this shit no more) and I think it's clear that the game's mechanics could still be pushed further and I wanna see that potential grow - but damn, what a cool game. Like a fusion of Super Monkey Ball, Mirror's Edge and a tiny bit of Persona. Nothing else like it out there, and totally unlike anything any self-important AAA studio would ever dare be creative enough to put out. Proof that indie games are the future right here folks
Artistically there's so much to love about Neon White as well, in all the best ways it makes think of the kind of game SEGA would make if they were still a 1st-party developer with home consoles and stuff; the unique ideas, the anime cheese, the bright sparkling blue skyboxes, it all just screams Dreamcast to me. As much as I appreciate all the different backdrops and environments the game takes you to, I can't help but wish there were more levels that just looked like the early Glass Port stages because UGH, they get me so nostalgic for the good ol' days of Sonic Adventure. Maybe it's the movement as well, lol. (While I think the whole game's OST is good by far my fav songs are in the first 2 areas as well!!)
Also, the dialogue isn't that cringe, and when it is it's mostly intentional! I think people are kinda overreacting - the characters, White and Violet in particular are supposed to be pathetic losers who still reference no-scopes in 2022 and talk about their boob sweat! Take it from me, Anime Hater #1, - it's not that bad, in fact it's at it's worst when it's trying to be serious imo! All this "we were a family of assassins" and "you were the only one who could ever beat Green in combat" bs lmao, gimme a break. The anime brainrot is so real. Go back to the silly references to John Cena! I liked that shit! This game could actually genuinely be pretty funny sometimes, and it did so through actively painting the characters as sad idiots, that's the point!
Neon White is focused, original, and ends just when you start to worry it might wear out its welcome. It's not a 5/5 for me because some of the storytelling I did find kinda eye-rolling, the boss fights were pretty lackluster (altho this may partially be the Switch's fault bc this console can not handle this shit no more) and I think it's clear that the game's mechanics could still be pushed further and I wanna see that potential grow - but damn, what a cool game. Like a fusion of Super Monkey Ball, Mirror's Edge and a tiny bit of Persona. Nothing else like it out there, and totally unlike anything any self-important AAA studio would ever dare be creative enough to put out. Proof that indie games are the future right here folks