Kakuchopurei Best 30 Games Of 2022: #23

Head here for #24.

#23: Neon White

This indie game’s premise is simple: go through the many levels of Heaven as fast as you can, killing all the demons in the way using various parkour and platforming power-ups available. The kicker? You need to at least get Gold or Platinum rankings for each level to progress further into the game.

This means you have to find ways to game the system and sort out the fastest way possible through practice and perseverance. What makes this first-person running game stand out is that it takes the Mirror’s Edge formula and multiplies the speed and shortcut-taking gameplay tenfold. You have different powerups disguised as weapon cards -from auto rifles to sniper rifles- you can trade off to do double jumps, air dashes, and explosions that double as springboards.

As you replay the same levels for that elusive high ranking, you discover better shortcuts and routes that cut down your time. Even if you just earned Gold, you’re tempted to just do one more run and outshine your previous performance. Neon White does a bang-up job in slowly instilling that mindset so that you become better at tackling its many challenges, with the experience being accentuated with tight controls, a simple-but-lush art style, and a banging soundtrack.

Cringeworthy dialogue and grating story aside, Neon White makes you feel like a speedrunning game-cracking badass once you’ve fully earned it from your due diligence.