Speedrunning heaven, narrative hell
Finished: 2026/01/24
Neon White excels on its gameplay: levels are well thought out, movement is tight, and the natural progression curve works great. In its best moments, new mechanics are introduced and then pushed to their limits. Even though the gameplay loop can feel repetitive at times (I decided to skip the rush modes because of this), it was still able to hook me into improving my runs until getting the ace medal on all levels.
Unfortunately, the game falters significantly in its narrative. The characters feel one-dimensional and the humor is juvenile, trending towards the embarrassing. I tried to follow the story initially but eventually lost patience and started skipping the optional dialogue entirely. The visual style also didn’t connect with me: it tries to replicate the distinct style of Persona 5 but fails to make it as interesting. It pains me to say this, but the game would probably be better without a narrative.