And then all the weapons that you get in the level come from either they're sitting around in the world, or if you kill an enemy, sometimes they'll drop a card. “The way that works is, you start with just a sidearm, like a little katana card, and you swipe it. “The whole conceit of playing the game is the cards that are both weapons and movement,” Esposito said. Players earn medals for beating levels quickly, adding a delectable layer of speedrunning to the game.Īctions and weapons are augmented by the floating cards scattered around Heaven’s platforms or left behind by slain enemies. It’s not on rails, and in fact, freedom of movement and rapidity are key gameplay elements. It’s coming to Nintendo Switch and Steam, and on PC, it uses the standard WASD and mouse input. Neon White is a first-person shooter, full-stop. My parents played Donut County and they enjoyed it. I mean, my parents don't know what to think or say. So, people don't really know what to think or say. “And there's expectations that people have that you'll just make the same thing over and over again. “This game is just so different than stuff I've made in the past,” Esposito told Engadget. Is this a first-person shooter, or a card-based game?Īnd finally: Wait, Neon White is made by Ben Esposito? The dude who created Donut County, that bastion of wholesome, pastel-slathered gameplay and design? Its debut trailer showed off frenetic first-person gameplay and stylish cinematics, but once the screen faded to black, viewers were left with a handful of questions:
It looked like a mature, anime-styled game set in Heaven and starring a cast of demon assassins, with tinges of Cowboy Bebop, Bayonetta and Danganronpa. Neon White stole the show during the February 2021 Nintendo Direct live stream.