Neon White

Neon White drops you into Heaven, but it's not the paradise you'd expect. You play as White, a demon-killing assassin competing with other Neons for a shot at redemption. The catch? You've got a deck of cards that double as weapons and movement tools. Each card can be fired at enemies or discarded for a unique ability like a double jump or air dash. Levels are short, tight gauntlets designed for speedrunning, where every second counts and the leaderboard is the final boss.

Developed by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive, the game launched on PC and Switch in June 2022, with PlayStation consoles following later that year and Xbox versions arriving in July 2024. It blends first-person shooting with precision platforming, demanding split-second decisions. The writing, handled by Ryann Shannon of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and Aevee Bee of We Know the Devil, mixes snappy dialogue with a surprisingly emotional story about memory, guilt, and letting go.

Neon White earned a Metacritic score of 88, praised for its addictive loop and clever card-based mechanics. It's a game that respects your time, offering instant restarts and a clear path to mastery. Whether you're chasing ghosts or your own best time, it turns every run into a high-stakes sprint through a neon-lit afterlife.[edit]

Each level in Neon White is a compact arena, usually completable in under a minute. The player must reach an exit while eliminating demons that block the path. The twist: every weapon is also a movement powerup. A pistol card might be discarded to grant a double jump, a shotgun card to propel you forward. Choosing between shooting an enemy or saving the card for a shortcut is the core tension. Levels are ranked from Bronze to Ace, with Ace times often requiring pixel-perfect routes that chain multiple card discards in sequence. A global leaderboard shows ghost replays of the fastest players, and the game tracks your personal bests across every level. A Gift system lets you offer spare cards to NPCs between missions, unlocking new story scenes and sometimes new abilities.[edit]

White awakens in Heaven with no memory of his death, only to learn he is a former assassin now competing in the Great White, a tournament among Neons. Each Neon is a damned soul given a chance to earn permanent residence in Heaven by eliminating demons and collecting Soul Cards. As White advances, he encounters familiar faces from his past life: Yellow, a cheerful rival; Red, a woman he once loved; Violet, a cold strategist. Through visual novel-style dialogue, the story peels back layers of betrayal, guilt, and the truth behind White's death. Heaven is revealed to be a bureaucratic machine run by an indifferent angelic council, and the tournament is a cycle of exploitation. The ending branches based on how many Gift scenes you unlock, but the core resolution involves White choosing to let go of his past and accept oblivion or redemption, with the game's final moments landing on a quiet, melancholic note.[edit]