Neon White turns you into a demon-hunting speedrunner

Image: Annapurna Interactive

I couldn't get enough of Neon White, it had me straining my neck. Neon White combines thrilling parkour action, a late ‘90s Quake-style aesthetic, and a crazy story that would make The Purge jealous. It is similar to speeding through heaven while learning more about angels and demons. It works very well, even though it is a seemingly odd combo.

The basic idea of Neon White is straightforward. The denizens of hell are often invited to go to heaven to help eradicate the demon population. The person who accumulates the most kills will get a place in heaven. Neons are demon hunters who form alliances with each other over the course of the event. Neon White has no idea who he can trust because he has lost his memory.

The story plays out like a visual novel with some hilarious writing and delicious betrayals, and it is as strange as it is. There are sidequests where you can give out gifts to learn more about your friends. All of the angels looked like floating cats.

Most of your time will be devoted to missions. The goal is to kill every demon in a short period of time. Most stages are less than a minute long and will take you less than 20 minutes to complete. As you run through the levels, you can collect cards representing various weapons, from machine guns to shotguns.

Neon White isn't a shooter Once you get used to its distinct brand of action, you will realize that everything is just a way to get through the level faster. You can double jump, dash through the air, or smash into the ground with most weapons. Some emies have their own mobility features as well. There is a demon that can be bounced on a balloon. To find the best path through the stage, you need to link all of these together.

At first, I didn't know what I was getting. I was racing through each level trying to kill as many demons as possible before moving on to the next story beat. Neon White makes you understand how it works. Getting good times on most levels is what you need to progress through the narrative. To increase my rank, I had to replay older stages.

Image: Annapurna Interactive

This was a bit frustrating at first. I wanted to dig into the mystery of White and how his past life connected to the other neons, but here I was trying to shave two seconds off of a parkour run. Forced replays showed me how the game works and now I want to replay stages until I have mastered my run. There is a story that can be waited on. Once you are thrown into a boss fight, you need to know all the ins and outs of the game.

Repetition is a core part of Neon White, so you aren't forced to get a perfect score on every stage. The replays are less frustrating due to the fact that the stages are short and you can restart almost immediately.

Neon White is strange and confusing on the surface. You have to run through heaven to get a high score. It's a visual novel. It is your job to figure out how to use the various components in order to get the best time. Even though it may take some time and a few run-ins with giant heads that fire lasers at you, it is incredibly satisfying when you pull it off.

Neon White will launch on June 16th.