Developed by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive, Neon White is a first-person action-platformer that fuses gunplay with speedrunning mechanics. You play as White, a deceased assassin pulled from Hell to compete in a divine competition: eradicate demons from Heaven’s floating islands faster than your rivals, and win the chance to stay in paradise permanently. The core twist is that every weapon in the game is a Soul Card, and each card serves a dual purpose — it can be used as a firearm to dispatch demons, or it can be discarded to perform a unique movement ability. The game is built around replaying levels to shave seconds off your time, uncovering hidden secrets, and building relationships with a cast of fellow Neons. It holds an 89 on Metacritic and has been praised for its innovative mechanics and stylish presentation.
The Soul Card System: Fire or Discard
Every Soul Card has a Fire mode and a Discard effect. The Fire mode is a standard gun: a pistol, submachine gun, rifle, shotgun, or rocket launcher. The Discard effect sacrifices the card to perform a movement action, such as a double jump, a forward dash, a ground pound, or an explosive leap. You begin each level with a preset deck of cards, and managing them — deciding when to shoot enemies and when to discard cards for speed — is the fundamental skill.
Pistol (Discard: Double Jump) is your most basic card. The double jump is essential for reaching high platforms and skipping sections of levels. You can chain multiple pistol discards to gain enormous height.
SMG (Discard: Dash) is a rapid-fire weapon. Its discard propels you forward quickly and can be used mid-air. The dash is often used to cross gaps or to speed through linear corridors.
Rifle (Discard: Ground Pound) is a precise, high-damage weapon. Its discard sends you plummeting to the ground, killing any enemy you land on and breaking through certain floors. This is invaluable for vertical shortcuts.
Shotgun (Discard: Explosive Leap) is a close-range powerhouse. Its discard launches you in a high arc, granting both height and distance. It can be used to reach distant platforms or as an emergency dodge.
Rocket Launcher (Discard: Launch) is the most powerful weapon and the most dramatic discard. It sends you rocketing in any direction and can be chained with other discards for massive speed.
Understanding the levels means not just knowing where the demons are, but knowing where you can use a card’s discard to bypass an entire platforming section. A well-placed shotgun discard can launch you directly to the exit, skipping multiple enemies and obstacles. The game encourages experimentation, and the leaderboard times will push you to find these shortcuts.
Chasing Medals and Gifts
Every level awards a medal based on your completion time: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Ace. To progress through the story, you need to accumulate a certain number of medals. Gold medals require efficient routes, while Ace medals require near-perfect execution of shortcuts and skips.
To reach the final levels and unlock the true ending, you will need Gold or better on most stages. The game’s Ghosts feature shows you how other players completed the level, which is an invaluable tool. If you are stuck on a level, watch a Ghost replay from the leaderboard. You will often discover a hidden shortcut or a novel use of a discard you had not considered.
Each level also contains a hidden Gift for one of your fellow Neons. Gifts are placed in off-path locations that often require clever card usage to reach. Giving a Gift to a character unlocks a memory and advances your relationship. To see the true ending, you must collect every Gift in the game for every character and complete their dialogue chains. There is a dedicated Gift menu that tracks which ones you have found.
Key Gift Tips:
- Look for out-of-the-way platforms. The game often hides gifts just off the main route, visible but requiring an extra double jump or dash.
- Some gifts are hidden behind breakable walls, which can be destroyed by a shotgun blast or a ground pound.
- After finishing the main story, you unlock a level select that shows which Gifts you have missed. You can replay any level to collect them.
Reaching the True Ending
Neon White has two endings. The standard ending concludes the main story after you defeat the final boss. The True Ending requires you to have collected every Gift and completed all character sidequests. This involves building full friendship with all the Neons: Neon Red, Neon Yellow, Neon Violet, Neon Green, and the others. Their personal stories are intertwined with the central mystery of the competition and White’s own forgotten past.
Once all Gifts are given and all memories unlocked, the final mission’s dialogue will change, and you will be presented with a new choice. This leads to an additional sequence that provides full closure to White’s character arc and reveals the truth behind the competition. Achieving this ending is a significant time investment but is well worth it for the narrative payoff.
