Neon White

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 48

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Cringe anime storytelling aside, Neon White achieves everything it sets out to in a brilliantly designed blend of first person shooter and platformer.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 48

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 48

Cringe anime storytelling aside, Neon White achieves everything it sets out to in a brilliantly designed blend of first person shooter and platformer.

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Critic Reviews for Neon White

Critic Reviews

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48

Reviews

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Average Score - 90/100

90%

Low Score - 80/100

80%

8/10

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

A stylish and brilliantly designed blend of first person shooter and platformer, which nails the compelling and addictive chase for the perfect run.

June 15, 2022 |

Full Review

[T]he crux of Neon White is its speed. If nothing else it’s a school for learning how to speedrun – one that, if time permits me, I will genuinely try to learn how to run myself. In a way that’s the highest possible compliment I can give Neon White. It’s not a game for everyone, especially for those who like to take things slow. But for freaks like me, it’s something I can’t do without.

June 15, 2022 |

Full Review

Recommended

Oisin Kuhnke (Eurogamer)

9.5/10

Blake Hester (Game Informer)

Neon White achieves everything it sets out to with remarkable success. Not only is it one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve played in years, but it also speaks to a highly specific audience many just don’t anymore. It’s for weirdos, misfits, and dorks. Neon White is one of the best games of the year, and it’d be a colossal mistake not to check it out.

June 15, 2022 |

Full Review

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

8/10 - (Read Review)

A stylish and brilliantly designed blend of first person shooter and platformer, which nails the compelling and addictive chase for the perfect run.

Oisin Kuhnke (Eurogamer)

Recommended - (Read Review)

Blake Hester (Game Informer)

9.5/10 - (Read Review)

**Read all 48 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (48 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Attack of the Fanboy	Shaun Cichacki	5 / 5 stars	06-15-2022	This is a video game about flying around heaven, shooting and dashing through demons, flirting with your other neons, gathering cards that happen to double as weapons, and talking to angels that just so happen to be cats with comically large sunglasses. If any of that sounds even slightly interesting to you, you may have found your new obsession.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Mick Abrahamson	9.5 / 10	07-04-2022	Neon White nails the “one more try” mentality. With complex and fast levels, great enemy variety, and easy readability, it feels like a fantastic intro to speedrunning. My biggest gripe? I want more! Not that there isn’t enough, but I just can’t get enough of the Neons and the gripping nature of this game.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Tom Quirk	8.5 / 10	06-16-2022	Neon White is a truly unique first-person action experience. With its clever level design and Soul Card system, chaining together demon-slaying and platforming to get to the goal the quickest is a breeze. The game’s compelling cast and setting draw you into its story, and the wealth of side content and drive to improve on one’s scores will keep you coming back. Even its sluggish boss fights and somewhat samey visual style doesn’t do much to hold the game back. If you are looking for a truly unique indie action title, you should definitely check out Neon White.	Read review
COGconnected	Jaz Sagoo	85 / 100	06-15-2022	Neon White takes elements of a range of genres and combines them to create a truly fascinating experience. Part hectic, card-based, FPS speedrunner and part visual novel, dating sim, the game manages to strike a perfect balance that successfully blends a multitude of strands. Due to its highly addictive and massively replayable gameplay, online leaderboards and secrets within, you’ll love each and every minute of this heavenly title.	Read review
Destructoid	Eric Van Allen	8.5 / 10	06-15-2022	Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.	Read review
Digital Trends	Giovanni Colantonio	4 / 5 stars	06-15-2022	Neon White swings for the fences with its card-based gun-platforming, but it pays off to create a wildly enjoyable action game.	Read review
Echo Boomer	Unknown	Recommended	07-12-2022	All the hyperbolic words used to describe how great Neon White is don't make it justice. This is one of the craziest and peculiar rides of the year.	Read review
Eurogamer	Oisin Kuhnke	Recommended	06-15-2022	Neon White achieves everything it sets out to with remarkable success. Not only is it one of the most entertaining experiences I've played in years, but it also speaks to a highly specific audience many just don't anymore. It's for weirdos, misfits, and dorks. Neon White is one of the best games of the year, and it'd be a colossal mistake not to check it out.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Andrea Sorichetti	9.5 / 10	06-16-2022	Neon White is therefore an absolutely unmissable video game, capable as few of paralleling a very precise, frenetic and totally skill-based gameplay and a narrative that embraces stereotypes to use them as a picket with which to dig into the human soul.	Read review
FingerGuns	Miles Thompson	10 / 10	06-28-2022	Neon White is a video game vision executed with the kind of immense creativity and skill the industry needs more of. Intensely satisfying gameplay combines with a well-executed story, engaging characters and a crisp art style. Every facet compliments another area of the title with a serene cohesion which culminates in an adrenaline pumping, high-octane blockbuster of a game. Neon White is a very strong contender for my game of the year, and if you own a Switch or PC you owe it to yourself to experience this incredible title. Failure is common in Hell, but only through trial can you reach the salvation of Neon Heaven.	Read review
Game Informer	Blake Hester	9.5 / 10	06-15-2022	Neon White achieves everything it sets out to with remarkable success. Not only is it one of the most entertaining experiences I've played in years, but it also speaks to a highly specific audience many just don't anymore. It's for weirdos, misfits, and dorks. Neon White is one of the best games of the year, and it'd be a colossal mistake not to check it out.	Read review
GameMAG	Unknown	8 / 10	06-27-2022	Neon White is a rare example of a game that is basically almost impossible to put down.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	8 / 10	06-16-2022	As long as players know what they’re getting into With Neon White, chances are they’ll have a brilliant time. It’s got a clean visual style, a brilliant soundtrack, and gameplay that’s challenging but moreish. Add in a story that will keep you interested in uncovering the fate of Neon White and his acquaintances, and you have one of the most interesting releases of the year so far.	Read review
GameSpot	Richard Wakeling	9 / 10	06-29-2022	Neon White's story stumbles at times, but its slick, breakneck action is flawless and elevates it to be one of the year's best games.	Read review
GameXplain	Adam Conner	Recommended	06-15-2022	Video Review	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Elliot Hilderbrand	9 / 10	06-15-2022	Sitting down for even ten minutes with Neon White makes me feel like I've gotten a lot of playing time in. Stages are fast, and replaying them when things don't go your way doesn't feel like a drag. The addictive nature of Neon White meant I was going back to the same stages again and again until I was able to ace them. The story isn't for me, and feels predictable, but I can see how it might hit the right crowd. The easy to learn gameplay, with the unique weapon cards made for an experience I couldn't get enough of.	Read review
GamingTrend	David Flynn	100 / 100	06-22-2022	Neon White is a ballet of bullets and death that always leaves you wanting just one more run. There are a ton of levels and powers to master, along with a witty and sincere story at the center. One of 2022's best games.	Read review
Giant Bomb	Dan Ryckert	5 / 5 stars	06-28-2022	Neon White gets its hooks in deep and fast. I knew within 10 minutes that I loved it, but I appreciated and enjoyed it more as I spent more time with it. My first playthrough was a blast as I discovered new weapons, explored levels, and experimented with shortcuts. But the “real game” felt like it started after I saw the credits. That’s when I started going back to each level, playing them over and over until I achieved the Ace rank, and then played them more just to shave hundredths of a second off so I could climb my friends leaderboard. It feels amazing to see “New Best!” on your time after dozens of attempts, and failing never gets frustrating considering how short the levels are and how quickly you can restart them. Whether you’re looking to best your own runs, compete with your friends, or attempt to make a splash on the global leaderboard, Neon White presents a welcoming on-ramp to the world of speedrunning, offers compelling challenges to overcome for those that want to pick up the pace, and delivers a satisfying gameplay loop regardless of the speed you want to tackle it at.	Read review
God is a Geek	Chris White	9 / 10	06-15-2022	Neon White is as addictive as it is challenging, with plenty of replayability and varied gameplay, looking gorgeous at every step. It's a magnificent take on the FPS-genre, building complex and thrilling levels where simply pulling the trigger isn't enough.	Read review
Guardian	Simon Parkin	5 / 5 stars	07-02-2022	Timing is all as you wake from the dead and race towards a heavenly finish line, slaying demons en route, in this chaotic yet ingenious anime-inspired game	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Kyle LeClair	4.5 / 5 stars	06-24-2022	Neon White isn't just a contender for the title of year's best action game, but also a fascinating blend of genres, all mixed together to create a truly unique delight.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Andrew Thornton	4.5 / 5 stars	07-08-2022	While the story never fully grabbed me, Neon White is an absolute joy to play, keeping me hooked and repeatedly making me ask myself if I had one more run in me. Even if you’re not the sort of player who usually gets into chasing high scores and leaderboards, Neon White might surprise you.	Read review
IGN	Luke Reilly	8 / 10	07-05-2022	Part visual novel, part lightning-fast FPS platformer, Neon White's angst-ridden assassins are unbearable but its airtight level design and fantastic sense of momentum ensure its gameplay is something to celebrate.	Read review
IGN Italy	Damaso Scibetta	8.8 / 10	06-15-2022	Neon White is everything you want from a speedrunning game: fast, super precise, well structured and built around short and various levels. This alone would be enough to recommend it, but the package is completed with a unique artistic style, a valuable writing and a clearly original and strange game design that mixes together visual novel, dating sim, first person shooter and platformer. Some very small technical uncertainty in the repetition of the attempts does not affect the overall quality.	Read review
Luis Alamilla	Luis Alamilla	9 / 10	06-20-2022	Neon White is a fun narrative-filled speedrunner game that got me, someone who never cares about competing for a high score, to actually care about it for once. I think that speaks volumes as to how polished and addicting Neon White can be. Complete with a lovely presentation whether you're playing at your Desk through Steam or on a bus with your Switch, Neon White's quick pick-up and play nature is short and sweet yet hard to put down. It's an easy contender for my GOTY list and one I can't recommend enough.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	8 / 10	06-15-2022	A stylish and brilliantly designed blend of first person shooter and platformer, which nails the compelling and addictive chase for the perfect run.	Read review
MonsterVine	Diego Escala	4.5 / 5 stars	06-15-2022	If you’re looking for a game to scratch that adrenaline chasing itch, Neon White might just be the thing you’re looking for.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Scott McCrae	9 / 10	06-15-2022	From its excellent writing, music, and presentation to its intense and satisfying core gameplay, Neon White is one of the most exciting things we've played all year, and it's a game we can't see ourselves putting down for a long time as we try to best our previous times. It successfully brings together elements from apparently disparate genres in new and exciting ways and seems poised to become the next great speedrunning title. It's one that action game fans and Switch owners in general won't want to miss.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Donald Theriault	8 / 10	06-15-2022	Although it's coming out at a packed time of year, Neon White should definitely be on the radar of Switch owners. Whether trying to stay ahead of the story, ripping off a stage or two in between games, or trying to shave a few hundredths of a second off your level time to get up the leaderboards, there's always an excuse to shoot up heaven.	Read review
NoobFeed	Azfar Rayan	90 / 100	06-18-2022	Neon White creates a very intriguing experience by incorporating aspects from a wide variety of genres and combining them. The game is a fast-paced, card-based first-person shooter speedrunner and a visual novel dating simulation. It creates an outstanding balance that skillfully integrates a collection of different threads. For anybody with a Nintendo Switch, Neon White is an essential title to keep an eye on, and if you're looking for a game that will push you at every step, it's a must-have.	Read review
Oyungezer Online	Ali Sezgin	8.5 / 10	07-08-2022	The combination of a great story, interesting game mechanics and the most gaseous music of the recent period has been magnificent.	Read review
PC Gamer	Natalie Clayton	85 / 100	06-27-2022	You might love or loathe Neon White's willfully cringe anime storytelling, but these blistering platforming time trials are a heavenly delight.	Read review
PC Invasion	Andrew Farrell	10 / 10	06-15-2022	Neon White is a tour de force, combining incredible level design, excellent storytelling, and brilliant mechanics.	Read review
Polygon	Jacob Geller	Recommended	06-28-2022	Game lead Ben Esposito has described Neon White as “for freaks, by freaks.” And yet, identifying as a freak isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying Neon White. The game’s greatest strength may, in fact, be how welcoming it is. Its difficulty is perfectly curved, its story is disarmingly charming. But after an hour of restarting the same level, ignoring all my other responsibilities to cross the finish line just a little faster, I realized that Neon White may have turned me into a freak so gently that I didn’t even notice.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Rymarr Williams	Recommended	06-21-2022	A speedrunning fps with tight level design and satisfying movement.	Read review
Saving Content	Evan Rowe	4 / 5 stars	06-15-2022	Stylish, beautiful, and frenetic, Neon White's unique blend of anime platforming FPS speed-runner is challenging fun you can't put down.	Read review
Screen Rant	Jacob Zeranko	4.5 / 5 stars	06-22-2022	Overall, Neon White is a fantastic game that pushes players to get faster and faster in a way that is addicting and supportive. Getting into the flow of a level feels empowering, and there are even a handful of boss fights that add a refreshing twist on the otherwise platform heavy levels. Those that choose to play on PC will likely have a smooth and bump-free experience, but the Nintendo Switch version does struggle with accurate aiming and hand comfort. Despite that, players can't go wrong with either version because Neon White is fundamentally a fun and empowering experience.	Read review
Shacknews	Morgan Shaver	9 / 10	06-27-2022	If I had to sum it all up into a single sentence, I'd simply say that Neon White is truly one of the most enjoyable and original feeling platformers that I've seen in a while, and one that's well worth checking out.	Read review
SpazioGames	Nicolò Bicego	9 / 10	06-20-2022	There's no reason for missing a little gem like Neon White is, if you love video games.	Read review
TechRaptor	Austin Suther	10 / 10	06-27-2022	A speedrunner's dream and an adrenaline junky's delight, Neon White is a helluva game with top-shelf gameplay, impeccable voice acting, and outstanding visuals.	Read review
The Games Machine	Pietro Iacullo	9.5 / 10	07-08-2022	Playing Neon White is like being John Romero in 1993 in front of a machine running the original DOOM. The same need for speed, the same surgical precision, the same satisfaction in beating a level and getting the maximum score. Arcade at its finest, at its essence, at its core. One of the fastest-paced experiences on the market and definitely this summer's gaming obsession.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Miguel Moran	10 / 10	06-22-2022	Neon White is a love letter to turn-of-the-decade internet weirdos. It's full of rule-of-cool anime nostalgia, ear-shredding electronic music, and dialogue ripped straight out of my group chats. It's a genuine game made for an audience rarely prioritised, but even if you don't fit the archetypical person this game was made for, you're still in for the most stylish and satisfying action-platformer I've ever experienced.	Read review
VGChartz	Paul Broussard	8 / 10	06-26-2022	For most of its runtime Neon White is a real treat to play, and the unique tradeoff of gunplay and movement choices is a fun gimmick that holds the title together quite well.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	8.8 / 10	06-27-2022	Neon White is the 2nd best indie I've played this year so far. With a brilliant combination of genres, you're sure to spend hours upon hours mastering stage after stage as you uncover more about its very strange cast of characters.	Read review
WayTooManyGames	Kyle Nicol	9.5 / 10	06-20-2022	Neon White is not only the most surprising game of the year so far, but also my personal favourite of this year. It provides an interesting story told in the strikingly beautiful visual novel format. It also provides one of the most addicting and satisfying gameplay loops since Ghostrunner. The thrill of moving up those leaderboards and cutting down your times millisecond by millisecond never gets old. I really hope we see a lot more from Neon White in the future.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David Morgan	4 / 5 stars	07-01-2022	Neon White is going to make more than a few people realize they're speedrunners at heart. Its brand of competition with the self is enthralling, and it's lifted to greater heights by its presentation, music, and mechanics.	Read review
WellPlayed	Mark Isaacson	9 / 10	06-16-2022	Neon White perfectly captures the sense of speed without compromising on accuracy or enjoyment. It’s a ride that’s worth playing, whether to appreciate its finely tuned level design, its enjoyable narrative or that sense of accomplishment when you best a run on the first try.	Read review
Worth Playing	Chris "Atom" DeAngelus	9 / 10	06-15-2022	Neon White is an absolute delight of a speed-running game. It's easy to pick up and play, and it has enough bite that you need to master how to shave off a few seconds from your time to proceed. More importantly, it feels really good to do so. The plot is fun, if not groundbreaking, and the likeable characters keep you invested. Aside from some backtracking that I wasn't fond of, Neon White hits all the marks and hits them well. Just be prepared to start playing and discover that eight hours have flown by.	Read review

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Awards & Recognition

Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Neon White is a lightning fast first-person action game about exterminating demons in Heaven. You are White, an assassin handpicked from Hell to compete with other demon slayers for a chance to live permanently in Heaven. The other assassins seem familiar, though… did you know them in a past life?

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Developed by Ben Esposito. All titles, content, brand names, trademarks, logos, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. © All rights reserved.