Neon White is an upcoming speedrunning First-Person Shooter, developed by Angel Matrix, published by Annapurna Interactive, and scored by Machine Girl. A free demo of the first two missions is available for play now; the full game is slated to release in Winter 2022.
You play as Neon White, a sinner plucked from Hell to purge Heaven of a demon infestation. White and his fellow Neons have ten days to exterminate the forces of Hell, with one incentive: the best gets to enjoy the spoils of Heaven, while the rest of the competitors are cast back down. A lone wolf assassin in his mortal days, White is fairly sure he's up to the task. Only one problem: some of the other Neons seem awfully familiar, and he can't quite recall who he once was...
Gameplay is lightning-fast, stylish, and precise. By killing high-level demons, you receive Soul Cards, each corresponding to a separate ranged weapon and granting special movement abilities once discarded. Your performance per level is graded on speed, with rewards and Insight granted based on your time. In addition to the main missions, Companion Specific Sidequests are available by gathering gifts and delivering them to your fellow Neons, granting hints of your past together.
Examples:
- Animal Motifs: While White has a mask of a demon's face, the other heroic Neons each bear the mask of a different animal: a bunny for the cheery, cutesy Violet, a wolf for the suave, aloof Red, and a ram for the headstrong, outspoken Yellow.
- Bad Guy Bar: The Neon Bar, a bar ignored by the rest of Heaven where the sinners hang out. Too bad Heaven took all the real booze.
- Betty and Veronica: The cheery, fun-loving Violet is head over heels for White, who has eyes for the serene Femme Fatale Red. In a twist on the trope, both girls are shockingly violent, with Violet being outright Cute and Psycho.
- Bunnies for Cuteness: A bunny mask serves to help indicate Violet as a cutesy, upbeat, childish girl, in contrast to White's demonic mask.
- Celestial Bureaucracy: Heaven has lobbies, kiosks, put-upon secretaries, strict regulations, and long waiting times.White: Look, I expect this much from the DMV, but I'm not waiting four hours for my stupid mission in HEAVEN.
- Cigar Chomper: Mikey, Da Chief of Heaven Central Authority, is never seen without a cigar.
- Cute and Psycho: Violet is just as easily provoked into a shrieking, violent rage as she is inclined to Squeeing over cute little animals and hot guys.
- Deliverance from Damnation: Whichever Neon wins the ten-day competition will receive utter forgiveness from God and a place in the heavenly host.
- Don't Think, Feel: Yellow tells White this after White rebuffs his attempts at partnership; he's not giving wise advice so much as looking for someone to bro around with.
- The Dreaded: Neon Green. Introduced by the Believers as "vicious and hulking", he immediately attacks a Neon who questions his fighting prowess, and the rest cower in fear. Red refuses to tell White who he is, only saying to stay away from him; Violet being Violet, though, seems more turned on than anything.
- Force and Finesse: Yellow and White respectively; Yellow is more brash and gung-ho while White is more straightforward and precise.
- Genki Girl: Violet's squeaky-voiced and upbeat energy is a sharp contrast to both the serene heavenly host and the rest of the sullen demon slayers.
- Good Is Not Nice: The pretentious, self-righteous Believers don't hide their blatant belief in their own superiority over the Neons, and cheerfully rebuke any attempts they make at indulging in Heaven's delights. Also, the masks on the Neons' faces are rigged to explode if they rebel.
- Goomba Stomp: Balloon Demons die when they're stepped on. As a nice bonus, they give you an upward boost at the same time.
- Hell of a Heaven: White remarks that Heaven is both exactly as he thought it would be, and incredibly disappointing.
- Hitman with a Heart: Though his memories are gone, White remarks that his drive to win the competition "feels a lot like guilt".
- I Work Alone: Spoken verbatim by White, who rebuffs any attempt the rest of the Neons make at teaming up with him.
- Katanas Are Just Better: White's default Soul Card is a katana; other characters gush at him about how cool the "freaking anime sword" is (and bemoan how lame their own cards are in comparison).The attached note reads: "According to our records, White's ideal weapon is a 'totally sick samurai sword'."
- Lady in Red: Exemplified by, well, Red. With red as her motif color, she's elegant, aloof, flirtatious, and frighteningly competent with a sniper rifle.
- Light/Darkness Juxtaposition: When they first meet, Yellow calls White his "Sasuke, the darkness to my light"... and then says he was just messing around.
- Nightmare Fetishist: To Violet, things like plushies and cupcakes are on the same level of "adorable" as bloodied weapons and splattered viscera.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Violet pretends that she forgot how to use a gun in order to entice White to... ahem, teach her.
- Our Angels Are Different: The angels at Heaven Central Authority appear to White as, of all things, cute little cats. Their appearances differ based on the viewer's psyche because You Cannot Grasp the True Form, so while White and Red see the angels as cats, Yellow sees them as... John Cena.
- Perky Goth: White refers to Violet as an "alt girl". She wears a black jacket, skirt, and collar, and is incessantly cheerful.
- Sassy Secretary: Gabby, the secretary at Heaven Central Authority. She has a thick Minnesotan accent, and is sharp-tongued and fond of playing pranks.
- Shipper on Deck: Violet apparently wrote a "crazy fanfic" about herself and... someone she interrupts Yellow from saying. By mauling him.
- Taking the Bullet: Yellow claims to have done this for White. He was kidding.
- Undeathly Pallor: All the Neons, former damned souls from Hell, have stark white skin.
