Neon White is a game made by someone who really knows how to make engaging, fun, fast-paced action, and does NOT know how to write a compelling narrative. There's a lot that I absolutely LOVED about Neon White, and plenty that I hated as well.
Let's start with the positives. Neon White's gameplay is the star of the show here. Almost every level made me smile and excited, especially towards the end. The game is not afraid to test your speed and knowledge of its mechanics. It does a good job of introducing you to concepts at a good pace. Just as certain abilities are going stale or running out of uses, BAM, a new weapon or way to use your weapon that changes the way you have to think about things. The movement can be a little floaty at times, but for the most part, the action is fast-paced and thrilling.
The art style and music are also fantastic. I love the way things look both in the VN sections and during the action. It isn't anything mind blowing, but its very pretty to look at. The soundtrack by Machine Girl has been praised a ton, and that's for good reason. These tracks help ramp up the action and intensity during levels, especially as they grow more difficult.
Unfortunately, Neon White's huge red flag is its story, dialogue, and characters. While I liked some of the side characters (Raz and Mikey specifically), the main cast is a huge let down. This is mostly because of the very, VERY poor writing. The main plot is nothing special and never really amounts to anything interesting. Character dialogue is meh at best and, at worst, so cringe inducing I just had to skip it. Whenever you are engaging with characters in its VN sections (akin to a dating-sim at times) you can't help but feel like you just want it to be over. This concept is so cool and interesting, but Ben Esposito just doesn't know how to engage its players with a compelling narrative, instead trying to appeal itself to dumb anime fans who will eat up the game's terrible writing simply because it tries to be like an anime game.
Another thing I was disappointed in was the game's lack of bosses. There are only 3 boss fights in this game, and they are all against the same character. While gameplay wise, I LOVED the boss fights, having it be with the same character was a huge bummer. I would have loved to have seen some unique demon bosses that could have tested the player on different mechanics or weapon abilities just to shake things up. It doesn't detract too much from my overall opinions on the game, but it is something worth noting.
Neon White is the product of incredible gameplay and horrible writing. If the story had been better, this could have been a real GOTY contender for me. Instead, we have a pretty great game that is held back severely by its lack of compelling characters and plot. But hey, I had a great time with this game overall. The gameplay kept me engaged and wanting me to keep trying for faster times and finding each level's secret presents to unlock secret challenge levels. If this game were to ever get a sequel, the biggest improvement needed would be its narrative. If this had been a full $60 title, I would probably rate it a bit lower, but for only $25, I'd say its worth picking up, even with the horrible writing. Give us a great narrative and keep up with the amazing gameplay, and you would have a surefire hit on your hands, Esposito
Let's start with the positives. Neon White's gameplay is the star of the show here. Almost every level made me smile and excited, especially towards the end. The game is not afraid to test your speed and knowledge of its mechanics. It does a good job of introducing you to concepts at a good pace. Just as certain abilities are going stale or running out of uses, BAM, a new weapon or way to use your weapon that changes the way you have to think about things. The movement can be a little floaty at times, but for the most part, the action is fast-paced and thrilling.
The art style and music are also fantastic. I love the way things look both in the VN sections and during the action. It isn't anything mind blowing, but its very pretty to look at. The soundtrack by Machine Girl has been praised a ton, and that's for good reason. These tracks help ramp up the action and intensity during levels, especially as they grow more difficult.
Unfortunately, Neon White's huge red flag is its story, dialogue, and characters. While I liked some of the side characters (Raz and Mikey specifically), the main cast is a huge let down. This is mostly because of the very, VERY poor writing. The main plot is nothing special and never really amounts to anything interesting. Character dialogue is meh at best and, at worst, so cringe inducing I just had to skip it. Whenever you are engaging with characters in its VN sections (akin to a dating-sim at times) you can't help but feel like you just want it to be over. This concept is so cool and interesting, but Ben Esposito just doesn't know how to engage its players with a compelling narrative, instead trying to appeal itself to dumb anime fans who will eat up the game's terrible writing simply because it tries to be like an anime game.
Another thing I was disappointed in was the game's lack of bosses. There are only 3 boss fights in this game, and they are all against the same character. While gameplay wise, I LOVED the boss fights, having it be with the same character was a huge bummer. I would have loved to have seen some unique demon bosses that could have tested the player on different mechanics or weapon abilities just to shake things up. It doesn't detract too much from my overall opinions on the game, but it is something worth noting.
Neon White is the product of incredible gameplay and horrible writing. If the story had been better, this could have been a real GOTY contender for me. Instead, we have a pretty great game that is held back severely by its lack of compelling characters and plot. But hey, I had a great time with this game overall. The gameplay kept me engaged and wanting me to keep trying for faster times and finding each level's secret presents to unlock secret challenge levels. If this game were to ever get a sequel, the biggest improvement needed would be its narrative. If this had been a full $60 title, I would probably rate it a bit lower, but for only $25, I'd say its worth picking up, even with the horrible writing. Give us a great narrative and keep up with the amazing gameplay, and you would have a surefire hit on your hands, Esposito