Running from A to Z at lightning speed to set the best time: ‘speed running’ is a popular hobby in games. Of Neon White small developer Angel Matrix wants to give the genre a new impulse. And that works too – at least, if you only pay attention to the fast running itself.
You play a dead soul who is told on the threshold of purgatory that he will be given a second chance. As ‘Neon White’, he must kill as many demons as possible, more than all the other Neon souls. If he succeeds, he gets a ticket to heaven.
Each level contains a number of demons with their own qualities, which cannot move but can shoot at you. Special cards allow you to shoot back – or sacrifice a card to run faster or jump higher. For example, you have to find the best combination of route and map use for each area, in order to wipe out all demons as quickly as possible.
If you’re in the flow, Neon White is a masterfully enjoyable game that constantly challenges you to try a level one more time, just to get that better time. Before you know it you are hours further, first with figuring, then with perfecting.
But that’s where the fun ends. Besides the sense of accomplishment, Neon White only offers rewards in the form of pieces of story. These dialogues between you and the other Neons are so cringingly pubescent that you immediately hit the speed-up button – these are minutes you would rather have spent on one more attempt.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of July 29, 2022