Well, what can I say about this one? It might just be my game of the year.

Neon White is essentially a speed running platformer/shooter with a very light emphasis on card based puzzle solving. Each weapon, comes in the form of a card strewn across the levels. Pick up an assault rifle and you now have an assault rifle card in your hand, good for rapid fire as long as the ammo lasts. However, the twist is, that if you discard a card, it has a secondary function. The aforementioned assault rifle gives you a delayed sticky grenade that can give you a jump boost if you are close to it when it goes off, the basic pistol gives you an extra jump and the rocket launcher acts as a grappling hook. As you would expect, discarding a weapon gets rid of it, but often affords you new mobility options, that are sometimes required by the level and sometimes useful for the speed running aspect. There's a handful of these cards, most with their own unique quirk.

Levels are all designed with these mechanics in mind, some obviously requiring you to use these abilities just to get to the end, some have crazy shortcuts that help you unlock the top times. The game itself is easy enough to breeze through start to finish and only the later stages may require a few restarts, which thankfully are quick enough to reset. The real challenge and longevity is from the completionist element of obtaining the games top medals and secret items. It all adds up to a satisfying, 'just one more turn' moreishness that will keep you hooked if you want to unlock everything. Add on extra modes, such as the 'Hell' rushes that ask you to run through all 96 levels of the game in one sitting, without failing and the challenge can really ramp up. The controls are tight, the action is quick and once you get a handle on the systems it will make you feel like an absolute pro.

All the great gameplay comes in a very nice wrapper too. The whole aesthetic, from the texture work to the menu's have a real strong early 2000's vibe, to the point where you sometimes feel like you are playing the best Sega Dreamcast game that never existed. This aesthetic is matched perfectly with a fantastic earworm of a soundtrack, mixing euro house with more Japanese sensibilities to once again root this game into a time period it never existed in.

All of this review is glowingly positive, but there is a but. The story is absolute cringe. From the edgy anime dudes, to the busty waifu side characters and terrible voice acting, it's the one part of the game that grated on me. Its clear to see that the developers probably had their tongue firmly in their cheeks with this element but instead of managing to ride the line of 'so bad it's good' it misses the mark and just ends up being fairly bad. Luckily, Neon White, much like your favourite adult films, basically uses its story as a thin device to get you straight into the action. If you buy games for the narrative first, give this one a swerve though.

Overall then, despite the thin and poorly executed story, Neon White is an absolute masterpiece on a design and gameplay front. It's one of a few indie titles that came out this year that really highlights the creative rut that the AAA industry is in currently and highlights that games like this might be the way out. Even at full price, this one is a must buy. Also as an addendum, I spent most of my time playing on the Steam Deck and it runs absolutely perfectly and the controls are tuned extremely well for use with a gamepad, despite the first person perspective.

Anyway, why are you still here? Buy it. (Unless you're like me and like to read other peoples reviews to justify purchases you've already made and/or validate your own opinion. In that case- well done for supporting a great game.)