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First person platformers are a genre that I've always wanted to enjoy more of, however a large majority of the standouts are still generally unremarkable or deeply flawed titles. Cyber Hook was fun until it started throwing overly-cramped levels at you and locked the ending behind DLC. Valley had a really fun movement system, but most of the game played like a mediocre FPS. Neon White stands head-and-shoulders above its peers. And while that isn't a very high bar to pass, what was more astonishing was just how good this game actually ended up being.


While obviously not a technical marvel by any means, I find Neon White's visual style to be a strength of the game. It's simple, but I really like the flair of the HUD. There's enough to tell you everything you need to know, but adds a little extra charm with the titular White's portrait. I also think the choice to use cards instead of actual weapons was more creative than it lets on, as it's a great way to quickly establish how the game is meant to be played (discarding them to use abilities being a major point), and also keeps your screen clearer because there's no weapon covering the bottom right quadrant of the screen.


More than anything, Neon White is a gameplay-focused experience, and it's in this category where the game excels. The mechanics are incredibly tight and responsive, and this is complimented nicely by great level design. For a game this overwhelmingly fast-paced, nailing the level design is an important point in order to make sure the player never gets lost or confused halfway through the level, and this game did a great job of guiding you without holding your hand.

It is important to note that the game is far closer to a first-person platformer than a shooter, though. Most enemies do not pose a threat and I think I've only died to them a couple times at most. There's a pretty solid selection of weapons that are all very fun to use, and it feels like you really get to make the most out of each weapon and ability. Another interesting observation is that Neon White is surprisingly addictive.

The core gameplay loop generally consists of playing through a level casually, playing it again to get an Ace medal (done by reducing your time), and then playing through the level at a slower pace to get the hidden gift. The first two parts of this process are incredibly fun, and highlight just how satisfying the mechanics are.

Getting the presents, however, was a far more tedious process. While I did enjoy it initially because it was a nice change of pace, later levels had a tendency to hide gifts in completely random areas, forcing you to explore the entire level just to find a tiny nook hidden away behind a random building in the background. Giving those gifts was also an annoying process, because you generally could only give one at a time, and had to skip through the same dialogue before you could do so. It became an incredibly tedious process, and I wouldn't have done it if it didn't affect the game's story. However, that is the only blemish on what is otherwise an incredibly satisfying and airtight experience overall.


"By freaks, for freaks" is Neon White's slogan, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in this game's story. When talking about the story, the developer said to Washington Post, "I wanted to do something that was just stupid and over the top and really self-indulgent," and it shows. The story has more cliches and tropes than acne on a teenager's face.

You've got the generic cool guy character with a trenchcoat (also voiced by Steve Blum to fully complete the stereotype), you've got the silly quirky psycho girl, and even the edgelord villain, down to the anime villain[static.wikia.nocookie.net] haircut.[i.ytimg.com] There's even a scene where the aforementioned psycho girl is singing My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. So, obviously, the game isn't trying to make a compelling story. But even if it's intentionally cringeworthy and grating, it's still cringeworthy and grating. And most annoyingly, it gets in the way of gameplay, and rather than being a nice break in between sections, I felt that it largely bloated the game and I think I would've enjoyed it more without the story.

However, I will at least admit that it's not offensively bad like, say, Borderlands 3. It will appeal to a very specific subset of people, and I'm aware of the intention behind making this story incredibly dumb. Those people will find this game endearing, but for people like me who don't have that connection, it's grating and something I wish I could've turned off completely.


On the bright side, the music is another major highlight. Machine Girl is a perfect fit for what this game was going for, and it's arguably my favorite soundtrack of the year so far. The voice acting is also quite solid. As previously mentioned, Steve Blum voices the titular protagonist, but the entire cast has decades of voice acting experience. There's only so much you can do with cheesy 2000s anime writing, but they did quite well with what they were given.


Despite the $25 price tag seeming a little steep at first glance, this game has a surprising amount of depth to it, and the gameplay loop is so addictive that you could very well get extra playtime just by trying to finish levels as quickly as possible. This is not a criticism of the game, but I think Neon White would really benefit from a level editor. Community-made levels could give this game some impressive longevity, especially with how good the core mechanics already are.


Neon White is an unapologetically cheesy game with a story and feel that will only resonate with a small subset of people, but is worth playing for anyone who likes fast-paced games just for how stellar the gameplay and music are. For those two aspects alone, this is easily one of 2022's finest games, and I hope it gets some rightfully-deserved recognition during awards season. And maybe a Heavenly Delight ticket as well. How fun!

Graphics - 4/5
Gameplay - 5/5
Story - 2/5
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 4/5

.:9.0/10:.
"Amazing"

+ Tight and satisfying mechanics
+ Addictive gameplay loop
+ Excellent level design
+ Amazing soundtrack
+ Impressive visual style
+ Great voice acting

- Obnoxious story & writing (even if it was intended)
- Tedious gift collecting

[u]Like my reviews? Go follow my [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/33012112-Gandhi-Talks-Games/]Curator page.[/url][/u] [h1][b]Not bad for a dead guy[/b][/h1] First person platformers are a genre that I've always wanted to enjoy more of, however a large majority of the standouts are still generally unremarkable or deeply flawed titles. [i]Cyber Hook[/i] was fun until it started throwing overly-cramped levels at you and locked the ending behind DLC. [i]Valley[/i] had a really fun movement system, but most of the game played like a mediocre FPS. [i]Neon White[/i] stands head-and-shoulders above its peers. And while that isn't a very high bar to pass, what was more astonishing was just how good this game actually ended up being. [h1]Graphics[/h1] While obviously not a technical marvel by any means, I find [i]Neon White's[/i] visual style to be a strength of the game. It's simple, but I really like the flair of the HUD. There's enough to tell you everything you need to know, but adds a little extra charm with the titular White's portrait. I also think the choice to use cards instead of actual weapons was more creative than it lets on, as it's a great way to quickly establish how the game is meant to be played (discarding them to use abilities being a major point), and also keeps your screen clearer because there's no weapon covering the bottom right quadrant of the screen. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] More than anything, [i]Neon White[/i] is a gameplay-focused experience, and it's in this category where the game excels. The mechanics are incredibly tight and responsive, and this is complimented nicely by great level design. For a game this overwhelmingly fast-paced, nailing the level design is an important point in order to make sure the player never gets lost or confused halfway through the level, and this game did a great job of guiding you without holding your hand. It is important to note that the game is far closer to a first-person platformer than a shooter, though. Most enemies do not pose a threat and I think I've only died to them a couple times at most. There's a pretty solid selection of weapons that are all very fun to use, and it feels like you really get to make the most out of each weapon and ability. Another interesting observation is that [i]Neon White[/i] is surprisingly addictive. The core gameplay loop generally consists of playing through a level casually, playing it again to get an Ace medal (done by reducing your time), and then playing through the level at a slower pace to get the hidden gift. The first two parts of this process are incredibly fun, and highlight just how satisfying the mechanics are. Getting the presents, however, was a far more tedious process. While I did enjoy it initially because it was a nice change of pace, later levels had a tendency to hide gifts in completely random areas, forcing you to explore the entire level just to find a tiny nook hidden away behind a random building in the background. Giving those gifts was also an annoying process, because you generally could only give one at a time, and had to skip through the same dialogue before you could do so. It became an incredibly tedious process, and I wouldn't have done it if it didn't affect the game's story. However, that is the only blemish on what is otherwise an incredibly satisfying and airtight experience overall. [h1]Story[/h1] "By freaks, for freaks" is [i]Neon White's[/i] slogan, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in this game's story. When talking about the story, the developer said to Washington Post, "I wanted to do something that was just stupid and over the top and really self-indulgent," and it shows. The story has more cliches and tropes than acne on a teenager's face. You've got the generic cool guy character with a trenchcoat (also voiced by Steve Blum to fully complete the stereotype), you've got the silly quirky psycho girl, and even the edgelord villain, down to the anime [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/scarlet_nexus/images/2/29/Karen_Travers_Profile.png/revision/latest?cb=20210628164527]villain[/url] [url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G_7G98wMk84/maxresdefault.jpg]haircut.[/url] There's even a scene where the aforementioned psycho girl is singing My Chemical Romance's [i]Welcome to the Black Parade.[/i] So, obviously, the game isn't trying to make a compelling story. But even if it's intentionally cringeworthy and grating, it's still cringeworthy and grating. And most annoyingly, it gets in the way of gameplay, and rather than being a nice break in between sections, I felt that it largely bloated the game and I think I would've enjoyed it more without the story. However, I will at least admit that it's not offensively bad like, say, [i]Borderlands 3[/i]. It will appeal to a very specific subset of people, and I'm aware of the intention behind making this story incredibly dumb. Those people will find this game endearing, but for people like me who don't have that connection, it's grating and something I wish I could've turned off completely. [h1]Audio[/h1] On the bright side, the music is another major highlight. Machine Girl is a perfect fit for what this game was going for, and it's arguably my favorite soundtrack of the year so far. The voice acting is also quite solid. As previously mentioned, Steve Blum voices the titular protagonist, but the entire cast has decades of voice acting experience. There's only so much you can do with cheesy 2000s anime writing, but they did quite well with what they were given. [h1]Content Value[/h1] Despite the $25 price tag seeming a little steep at first glance, this game has a surprising amount of depth to it, and the gameplay loop is so addictive that you could very well get extra playtime just by trying to finish levels as quickly as possible. This is not a criticism of the game, but I think [i]Neon White[/i] would really benefit from a level editor. Community-made levels could give this game some impressive longevity, especially with how good the core mechanics already are. [h1]Verdict[/h1] [i]Neon White[/i] is an unapologetically cheesy game with a story and feel that will only resonate with a small subset of people, but is worth playing for anyone who likes fast-paced games just for how stellar the gameplay and music are. For those two aspects alone, this is easily one of 2022's finest games, and I hope it gets some rightfully-deserved recognition during awards season. And maybe a Heavenly Delight ticket as well. How fun! [b]Graphics[/b] - 4/5 [b]Gameplay[/b] - 5/5 [b]Story[/b] - 2/5 [b]Audio[/b] - 5/5 [b]Content Value[/b] - 4/5 [b].:9.0/10:. "Amazing"[/b] + Tight and satisfying mechanics + Addictive gameplay loop + Excellent level design + Amazing soundtrack + Impressive visual style + Great voice acting - Obnoxious story & writing (even if it was intended) - Tedious gift collecting