Neon White

It presents as a first-person shooter – guns in your hand, demons at your front – but really it’s a racer

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One minute is a very long time in Neon White. Here, moving at anything less than a breakneck sprint is a sign of failure; heck, even the water underfoot helps speed you along. Decisions are made by your hands before your head, which is too busy processing the persistent rush of bullet-hell sprays and rocket jumps and giant screaming heads that fire laser beams. No wonder the tracks here last less than the duration of a single held breath; we’re not sure we’d survive otherwise.

OK. Exhale. Let’s slow down for a second and attempt to explain. Neon White presents as a first-person shooter – guns in your hand, demons at your front – but really it’s a racer. Every level is a track, its hallways and curves all pointing towards a finish line you’re trying to reach as quickly as possible. Yes, you’ll generally need to explode every single demon along the way, but they’re less enemies than hurdles in an obstacle course. Even opportunities, in some cases.

Take this bulbous floater over here, like a Cacodemon repurposed to decorate a children’s birthday party: jump onto its head and you’ll bounce upwards, perhaps to a previously unreachable ledge. Now, this squat ball of eyes, which explodes when shot: perfect for blowing open a door to your destination. What does this crablike one with the glowing eyes do? Nothing special, but you’ll want the Soul Card that drops when it does.

Soul Cards are how