Image Credit: Annapurna Interactive
Neon White is a first person shooter, full-stop. It comes to Nintendo Switch and Steam, and on the computer it uses the standard WASD and mouse input. It’s not on track, and in fact freedom of movement and speed are the key elements in the game. Players earn medals for quickly beating levels, adding a delightful layer of speed to the game.
Actions and weapons are supplemented by the floating maps scattered around the sky platforms or left behind by fallen enemies.
“The whole idea of the game is the cards that are both weapons and movement,” Esposito said. ‘The way it works, you start with just a silk arm, like a little katana card, and you wipe it. And then come all the weapons you get on the level, whether they sit in the world, or if you kill an enemy, they will sometimes drop a ticket. And if you pick up the card, you can now use the card as a gun. It has a number of shots, depending on what gun it is, or you can throw it away, which will essentially remove it. And in return, you will gain a kind of mobility. ‘
Take the Godspeed card, for example. If you choose to use it as a rifle, it is essentially a rifle with four shots, and it is accurate and powerful. But if you throw it away, it’s a streak that kills every enemy you move through. These decisions about throwing away the card quickly play out in succession in the game, as players catapult themselves from one Heavenly platform to another.
Every action is extreme in Neon White.
“If you jump, you jump three people long,” Esposito said. “When you do movement, you go really, really, very far. So, it’s like a first person platform in something I like a lot about those old school games, is that it can be nice and wide and clear, and that they can be a bit abstract in the form of the levels, which can make me really interesting, weird layouts. ”
It also makes Esposito weird about the second critical aspect of Neon White:
Story
Annapurna Interactive
“The story component is very large,” Esposito said. ‘It’s 100% structured around the story, which is strange for a fast shooter. That, in my opinion, was not really done. ”
Neon White‘s narrative begins with a simple conceit. You are awakened in heaven without any idea how you got there, and you are immediately thrown into a competition to be the best devil’s slayer and earn a permanent place outside the Pearly Gates. The thing is, all the other devil killers seem to know you, and you do not remember anyone.
Most of the story takes place in dialogue scenes between missions. Missions consist of ten levels of rapid fire, map-throwing, and demon-killing demons, with story battles scattered throughout.
“And then you get an opportunity to visit heaven,” Esposito said. ‘You talk to all the other characters, and you can find gifts and goodies for it. It has kind of sim elements for dating, and you can give gifts to deepen your relationship, and they will give you things back to give gifts to them. You will therefore be able to do interesting readings and things that will deepen the relationship even further. ”