That’s right, one of the favorite games of 2022 is about to hit Sony consoles. According to reports, designer Ben Esposito and distributor Annapurna Interactive announced the date when the game would be making its debut on December 13 on PS4 and PS5 consoles with new features.
But before we dive deeper into the topic, let’s see what Neon White is all about and why this first-person action platformer (available for PC and Switch since the middle of this year) became so renowned within the gaming community.
Plot
Neon White is an ultra-fast first-person shooter in which you have to exterminate demons beyond the gates of heaven. Basically, a unique combination of first-person shooter, platformer, and puzzle gameplay is topped off with a social linking system where you can meet your fellow dead assassins.
In this opportunity, we follow White, a soul sentenced to hell who has the chance to win a pass to paradise if he manages to win a contest in which he must eliminate as many of the demons invading God’s territories as possible.
Goal
The objective is to get to each player’s goal as quickly as possible by finding the fastest route and eliminating all enemies. In addition, the levels are bite-sized challenges created from scratch to make them rewarding to replay and optimize; this is achieved through the unique Soul Card system, which serves as weapons and movement abilities.
For example, the Godspeed card is a high-powered rifle that can kill demons, but if you discard it, you execute a forward dash. You can take your time and finish a level by shooting demons, but if you want to get things done quickly, you’ll have to sacrifice your weapons.
Performance
As you can see, Neon White is a game all about speed, so the developers prioritized performance, as it was important that the PlayStation 5 version would run at 120 Hz across the board. When accuracy matters, high frame rates make all the difference.
They have also taken full advantage of the system’s SSD to significantly reduce load times. It is important that restarting levels is as fast and painless as possible. Therefore, if you want to beat your friends’ ranking times, you will have to restart the levels over and over again.
Soul Cards
Neon White also makes use of PS5’s adaptive triggers to make each Soul Card feel unique when you fire them as well as when you discard. Controller Haptics provide an extra level of feedback on top of that.
You’ll feel it when you’re moving faster on water and you’ll get a subtle confirmation when you successfully snipe a distant demon. It should be noted that all these improvements and modifications will not only make you feel great but at the same time help you develop a sixth sense while becoming a speedrunning fanatic.
Tips
Okay, now you know almost all the details about Neon White, but before you kick down the pearly gates, here are a few tips to help you optimize levels and earn those Ace medals:
Let discards do the work
In shooting games, it is sometimes tempting to stockpile ammunition to maximize damage output. However, your goal here is speed, not DPS. So the advice is: when possible, your discard should both move you and kill enemies at the same time. The Purify bomb discard might kill four enemies at once, but why not try jumping on it at the same time for a boost?
Aim with Gyro
Neon White supports Gyroscope aiming using the DualSense controller, and even though Gyroscope can take some getting used to, it’s well worth it for an extra degree of fine-grained control when sniping demons from the start of a level.
Katana Tricks
Neon White has a handful of secret features that can give you an edge over the competition. White’s default Katana card isn’t powerful on its own, but it can be used to deflect many enemy projectiles back at them, dealing extra damage. Successful parries with the Katana also give White a small speed boost, which is even more effective when White is airborne.
In short
Definitely, leaving aside the tips and secret techniques that any player with more experience in Neon White can give you, the best way to experience the game is to enter and try it for yourself.
You won’t regret it, as it’s a game that includes all the tools you need to climb the leaderboards regardless of your experience level. Although if you don’t care about the leaderboards, you can simply play the first mission at your leisure. Finally, remember that Neon White will be released on PS5 and PS4 on December 13. Enjoy it!