There are few things in gaming more exciting to me than speedrunning. Twice a year, without fail, you'll find me plonked in front of my TV watching Games Done Quick - a week-long marathon celebrating the latest and greatest runs around. As I watch on with my eyes glued to the screen - the eyebags developed from staying up most nights during each event worn proudly like dark, fleshy medals - I ponder what it's like to sink your entirety into mastering a game inside and out.
However, as one might imagine, life as a games writer requires me to be aware of everything, everywhere, all at once in the gaming world, and descending down the speedrunning rabbithole is a recipe for disaster. Yet, there I was, several hours into Angel Matrix's anime-infused, breakcore-injected, speedrunning FPS game, Neon White, refusing vehemently to progress past the first level until I had taken the top spot on the leaderboard.
Taking up the mantle of White - the leader of a group of deceased assassins called 'Neons', which are summoned up to Heaven by its denizens to exterminate demons in return for a chance at salvation - you must gun your way through 96 expertly-handcrafted levels as quickly as possible.
RELATED LINKS:
Neon White lead says Steve Blum was always first choice for White
Neon White dev says Resident Evil could've gone hornier with Lady D