Neon White is an amazing new game and the second from the creators of Donut County. It’s a game that tells the story of a former assassin who’s forgotten his memory and is trying to win a year in heaven. It might be a daunting task, but with some grit, he might win it all. With one hundred levels to take on, White has a long road ahead and will need the patience to win it all.
Neon White is a speed-running game done right. The player must find the quickest route to the end of each level, which continually adds new elements to keep things fresh. It’s also a shooter which makes things interesting as the game does get rather frenetic. I’ve never played a game that blends these ideas together but Neon White does it spectacularly.
The other amazing part of this game is the card mechanic. There are numerous cards to collect from enemies. There’s a sizeable blue enemy that provides a light speed card, which is an unstoppable dash. A clawed yellow enemy offers White a gun that can be discarded to jump again. I’ve never found this mechanic in a game before, but I love it. It might offer up the same cards but that adds to a better understanding and the ability to grow as a player. Having the same powers pop up time and again means players will understand how they work and how to use them to their advantage.
The cards might come from the same enemies, but there is always a chance to use them differently. Sometimes all it takes is holding the right cards, and shortcuts can be found. Neon White wants to be played differently, it wants to be played as fast as possible. Finding quicker routes is a great confidence booster, even if you might not be as fast as the world record holders. These world record holders are no joke and even during the beta period finished levels in less than ten seconds. It’s honestly worth watching videos of their runs to figure out some pointers.
Neon White is broken up into different missions. White will get his mission and take on a variety of levels working to get to the end as fast as possible. Some require him to kill a certain amount of demons and are a little harder to cheese. But others just require getting to the goal, so once the best path is found it’s easier to get there quickly. Just go in with a mindset that, the level might take a few tries and everything should be okay.
After completing the mission, White can find gifts for his friends, race his shadow and see the online rankings, if his time is fast enough. The game opens up more as White clears each level faster, earning medals from Bronze to Master Rank. This adds incentive to playing the levels again, which is good for those who aren’t used to speed running.
To progress in the story White must not only clear each level but also must achieve at least a gold rank to level up. The level-up system is different because his level decreases, noting how many levels there are left to get gold rank. Some levels definitely will take work to gold rank, but again it always feels good to arrive at the end quicker. The master rank
White isn’t alone on his journey to the top. He has a few friends to join him and break up the monotony. Neon Yellow is his self-acclaimed best friend, who is a little slow but has fun. Neon Violet is a little younger and seems to love White but might be crazy. Neon Red is White’s love interest who plays hard to get. Lastly, besides the other unnamed Neons, there is Neon Green, who wants nothing more than to kill them all.
The game is also a dating sim, and it might not be too in-depth, but some challenging levels hide within this mode. After White completes a level, he can gather a present within each for one of the Neons or the cat angels. Each character has dialogue and side quests hidden in this mode. It’s not vital, but with so few characters, anything can help flesh them out. The characters have their own wants and wishes, and White is always happy to spend time with them, even if he might not show t.
The side quests are often challenging and require a little more know-how than the main levels. It’s not mandatory to even play them so to make them tough is a good move. White simply gives them a gift, and the level starts if the rank-up notes it. Getting to know the characters is totally worth it. Even after completing some challenging main levels, the sidequests still offered enough challenges that I haven’t completed them all yet.
There are also a number of angels who act as shopkeepers and lead events. Surprisingly many of the non-Neon NPCs are cats! Gabby is the assistant to Mikey, the mission organizer. Gabby is rather sarcastic but seems sweet. Mikey might be a little off his rocker but seems to care for White eventually. There’s also another cat who owns a bar where the Neons relax.
As White progresses through the story and the missions, they will receive heavenly gift vouchers. Each voucher offers up a reward like ice cream, a spa day, or an awesome sword. These moments offer up more time with a specific character and can be done at any time. It’s a brief moment of respite for White and after running through levels over and over again, he certainly deserves them all.
The game also has great music that while it could be repetitive isn’t. I enjoy listening to the songs even after running through the level over and over again. The songs are great, and electric, it helps keep pace and makes it easier to win with them blasting. I definitely had more trouble running through the levels without the music.
Neon White is a surprising game and one that everyone should try. It’s a surprising blend of a shooter, card game, and speed running. White and his cohorts are charming characters and it’s always interesting seeing what trouble they get into. White just wants to spend a year in Heaven, is it in the cards?
Available on PC and Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
Disclaimer: A review key was provided