Neon White showcases its fast card combat and social sim side ventures

Fast and furious combat, with a side of social sim

Ben Esposito’s previous project, Donut County, was a very wholesome (donut hole pun unintended) game that the whole family could enjoy. Neon White is a little different. As Esposito said today, it’s not a game for kids or adults; it’s a game “for freaks.”

Shown during today’s Annapurna Interactive Showcase, Neon White is described as a single-player speedrunning FPS, where you can sacrifice guns and weapons for parkour movement options.

We got a look at Neon White during February’s Nintendo Direct, showcasing its style and card-driven combat. Today, Ben Esposito spent some time breaking down exactly how that card system works, and how it turns careful card usage into lightning-fast combat trials.

Every card offers either a regular use, like shooting an SMG, or a secondary option you can use by discarding the card, like stomping the ground. Completing the level unlocks levels of Insight, which can open up new features in the level, and there are also leaderboards, so you can compete with your friends.

Also unlockable in the levels are gifts, that you can grab by completing a mini-puzzle of traversal and card usage. These gifts can be given to other characters in Heaven, deepening your relationships and unlocking sidequests, or even uncovering memories of your previous life, which could change how the story ends.

Neon White looks super stylish and fast, like a mix of Doom and Paradise Killer. Adding in a layer of social sim and relationships that develop over time just makes it all the more appealing to folks like me, who cannot resist that aspect of games. Making everyone happy, while also trying to become the fastest and most effective demon slayer in Heaven, is looking like a pretty good time.

Neon White is still looking to launch this winter on Nintendo Switch and PC.