I need to be fully transparent here when I say that Retroware might just be my favourite indie publisher right now. The company has worked with indie devs to release greats like Iron Meat, Prison City, Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit, and will be releasing the upcoming Toxic Crusaders beat em up title and The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest. Retroware works with some great developers to release excellent throwback style games that are just what I like, especially Neon Inferno, developed by Zenovia Interactive.
When I first saw a trailer for Neon Inferno, I was intrigued. This was a cyberpunk side-scrolling run n gun game that reminded me a bit of Contra, but it also was a gallery shooter like Wild Guns. I was really excited to see how the game would ultimately play once I got my hands on it, and I have to say that Neon Inferno greatly impressed me. This is not just a Contra and Wild Guns mashup like I first thought, but something else, and a real evolution of genres.
Neon Inferno is indeed a side-scrolling run n gun game, but hitting a shoulder button lets you shoot into the background. That is not all though, as some enemy shots can be deflected with a parry mechanic and even redirected after going into slow mode. This can take a bit of time to get used to, but Neon Inferno starts with a tutorial the first time you play, and while it will not appear on subsequent playthroughs, can be accessed at any point if you need to brush up on things.
Neon Inferno has a story mode that gets you into the action, and with your choice of character. The game can be played in single-player or co-op and with how intense the action can be, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed at times. Still, Neon Inferno is a game you get the hang of not long after you start playing and soon find yourself addicted.
The over the top action of Neon Inferno really is its biggest draw, as both the side scrolling action and the foreground to background action are blended well and keep you on your toes. Neon Inferno also adds in a melee attack for when you get too close to enemies, and the way the stages work ends up making me realize the developers incorporated beat em up mechanics for progression and action. This is not to the extent of something like Bucky O’Hare’s arcade version, but more akin to how the stages are laid out and how enemies approach the action.
Neon Inferno constantly throws new challenges and ideas at you, such as vehicle based stages, unique and exhilarating bosses and various platforming obstacles that take full advantage of the game’s gimmick while keeping up the difficulty. Neon Inferno is a game that encourages you to try the game at the hardest difficulty, but if you are overwhelmed, there is no shame in going down a difficulty level. It helps that Neon Inferno is not a 1 hit per life type of run n gun, although there is an arcade mode you can choose that does use that style.
Neon Inferno’s cyberpunk aesthetic helps give the game a very unique identity. It is not to say it does not look like anything else, and there is a clear influence from the Mega Man X series on the game, but Neon Inferno’s retro style visuals call to mind more influence from a variety of sources including the aforementioned titles as well as various anime series, then blending them together into something different. The visuals really pop in the game and the level design is handled extremely well, with the bosses especially being eye popping.
In terms of audio, Neon Inferno sounds great, not just in terms of music, but also with the sound effects and incidental sounds. Of course that is not to take away from the music, as that is awesome as well. Neon Inferno’s fast paced soundtrack helped keep the game moving and really sets the mood for a game that requires quick movement and thinking and gets you pumped up in the right way.
As stated before, Neon Inferno can be a bit overwhelming at times, especially with regards to keeping in mind all of the controls. You will stumble more than a few times, you will miss the deflection of attacks and redirections and will die over and over. The thing is, once you get going, everything clicks and the frustration just fades away. What remains is a game that manages to blend so many different styles of shooter games into a run n gun that pushes the genre forward in a meaningful way, which is saying something given how established the genre has become over the decades.
Neon Inferno does not just feel right as a game. It is both fun and exciting in its own right, and feels like a real innovation in a genre that does not innovate as much as refine. With elements of fighting games, beat em ups, gallery shooters, Contra, Mega Man X, Cyberpunk anime and more, Neon Inferno is nonstop excitement and thanks to a variety of additional modes like the aforementioned arcade mode, there is enough to keep you coming back over and over again after you finish. If you are looking for some real excitement and an indie game that changes the formula, then you need to check out Neon Inferno and see for yourself why this is so great.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
