Back in June of 2022, PC and Nintendo Switch gamers we were treated to the bizarre, unexpected fusion of Mirror’s Edge-style parkouring, first-person shooting, speed-running, and card deck mechanics that is Neon White, courtesy of publisher Annapurna Interactive and indie dev studio Angel Matrix. Our reviewer, Eduard Gafton, was enamoured with it, describing it as “unlikely as it is amazing,” and unreservedly gave the PC version of the game a 9.5 score.
Sadly, those of us who only owned a modern PlayStation or Xbox at that time ultimately had to wait quite a while before they, too, could get in on the demon-slaying fun. PlayStation owners received a faithful port of the game six months later, while the “fashionably late” Xbox version is finally set to release this week on July 11th, two years after the game’s initial launch. On the bright side, however, Neon White will also be launching directly into Xbox Game Pass for console, cloud and PC, which is quite the make-good if you already happen to subscribe to the service.
In his review of the PC version, my colleague Eduard called Neon White “unabashedly an anime game,” and it’s an observation that is quite on the nose. Despite being a Western-developed, Neon White’s characters’ art direction and tone give off a haunting, 90’s-era Shin Megami Tensei vibe that immediately draws me into the story, especially given how much of its plot revolves around slaying demons, conversing with angels (who just happen to look like cats), and doing the bidding of the snobbish denizens of Heaven who collectively run paradise. Much like classic SMT games, Neon White often relishes turning traditional Western concepts of good, evil, and Christianity on their heads.
“Neon White’s characters’ art direction and tone give off a haunting, 90’s-era Shin Megami Tensei vibe that immediately draws me into the story.”
The game is striking both visually and thematically and only betrays its North American sensibilities through its deliciously dark humour or when the masks of its featured assassins are briefly peeled back during visual-novel-inspired sequences to reveal the emotions on their faces, which are drawn in decidedly Western style.
That’s not to suggest that there is anything wrong with that; over the past few decades, the acceptance of anime and manga worldwide has grown to encompass not just purely Japanese works but those inspired by them as well. That being said, the human faces of protagonists, White, Red, Violet, and Yellow, almost seem at odds with the rest of the game’s art style, causing it to hit quite differently. It just feels a tad “off,” is all.
I wish that I could say I am just as big a fan of Neon White’s platforming gameplay as Eduard was, but I’m not. Running and platforming in Neon White feels a lot like sliding around on the ice, especially when White, the main protagonist that you play as, runs on water. There are no mantling animations, nor is there the ability to see your feet or body interact with items or enemies beyond simple shooting and/or slashing, which can make things difficult when attempting to mentally place oneself in the game world.
More often than not, you’ll jump with the intent to balance on a ledge and think you’ve nailed the landing, only to slip off of it by a millimetre and fall to your death. Or you’ll discover that particular outcropping that you hoped to traverse is actually just window dressing that you can fall right through and fail the entire run. I do get that Neon White is a puzzle game, first and foremost, and that the action is meant to be a simple, fast-paced race against time. It’s all a part of the conceit, and the ability to see your feet or watch a mantling animation would probably just get in the way of one’s view.
But even with that in mind, I can’t help but notice how slippery the controller feels and how easy it is to fall through objects once they’re out of your normal line of sight. Every time I died simply by sliding off the corner of a building or platform I thought I was standing on safely, it added to the frustration I was already feeling from dying over and over again as I gradually explored and figured out the level.
Also adding to that frustration is the stage music in just about every chapter. Don’t get me wrong, there are some drum-and-bass parts of these tracks that totally slap, but the tracks themselves are far too short and repetitive. Once you’ve spent enough time dying in a level to the same irritating, overused vocal samples like “GIRL,” you’ll eventually want to stop “REACH(ING) FOR THE HEAVENS” and instead begin to ponder if the “Hell” where White and his rival assassins were released from was really all that bad. Eduard had similar complaints about the music in his review, so I’m not alone on this one.
“Running and platforming in Neon White feels a lot like sliding around on the ice, especially when White, the main protagonist that you play as, runs on water.”
Apart from the slip-n’-slide platforming and the repetitive stage music, however, I still found myself contentedly picking up a lot of what Neon White is laying down. The shooting feels tight, and the auto-aim is generous, both of which are important when a key mechanic of the game is to fatally slash, shoot, or otherwise dispatch enemies quickly while zipping by at full speed.
Meanwhile, Neon White’s card-game mechanic keeps gameplay remarkably simple by driving home the concept of the player’s cards as “weapons” (lead designer Ben Esposito would prefer to call them “resources that allow for greater movement,” but I’m sticking with what works for me). These cards, such as an always-present katana (Japanese Sword) card, a handgun, a sniper rifle, etc., can either be “used” or “fired” with the Right Trigger or “discarded” with the Left Trigger in order to activate a special ability, like an air-jump, air-dash, forward air-thrust or ground-and-pound special attack. These abilities allow for various types of traversal in addition to the offence.
Eduard’s 2022 review of the PC version eloquently covered all the basics, but even after having read his review before trying out the game for myself, I wasn’t prepared for how quickly my brain would start to thread together strategies once I started playing. Once I had an understanding of a level and managed to finish it, I found myself compelled to immediately jump back in to try and earn the Gold and Ace medals by posting faster times, and then dove in once again to uncover each item’s hidden item.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are some drum-and-bass parts of these tracks that totally slap, but the tracks themselves are far too short and repetitive.”
Angel Matrix’s wise decision to limit the cards picked up during a run to a fixed sequence based on the stage’s obstacles contributes significantly to the challenge, making it more of a speed run. Everyone gets the same cards at the same time and understands how to use them.
However, the difference lies in clever card use, precise timing, and taking advantage of shortcuts in the level. If I had been thrown into a level with a random selection of cards and left to figure it out on my own, I don’t think I would have played the game as effectively or enjoyed it nearly as much.
Neon White may be a two-year-old game, but its character chemistry still feels fresh in 2024, particularly the banter between the cynical, partial amnesiac White and his Neon (read: assassin) colleagues Red, Violet and Yellow, as well as his interactions with “Cat Angels” Mikey, Gabby and Raz.
Yellow’s genuinely determined efforts to rekindle a bromance with White from their past lives although their current rivalry endeared me to him immediately and some of the things that occasionally come out of Violet’s mouth had me laughing out loud in complete shock. Additionally, uncovering hidden items in mission stages and gifting them to White’s colleagues to learn more about their past relationships was a compelling gameplay loop that kept me coming back.
To wrap up, it’s difficult for me to hold the Xbox version of Neon White in quite as high regard as Eduard did back in 2022, as it’s effectively the exact same game repackaged, with no added content or features. Having said that, I still love the fact that this faithful port, minor flaws and all, won’t just be arriving on Xbox consoles next week but also on Windows PC and Cloud, the latter of which will soon potentially include millions of Amazon Fire Stick users. My platforming gripes aside, Neon White is still a quality indie game that deserves every success, and the more people out there who can access and play it at affordable cost, the better.
