Publisher Annapurna Interactive is quite known for putting bizarre titles under its wing. One genre that the publisher often gravitates toward is the point-and-click adventure, which includes games like Kentucky Route Zero and Open Roads, which is a mystery thriller set to launch this year.
Now, Annapurna Interactive has once again unveiled another upcoming video game—Neon White. The new game is from Ben Esposito, who also created the Donut County game from 2018. Compared to Donut County though, Neon White is a completely different game in terms of visuals and genre.
While 2018’s Donut County is more of a puzzle game that’s somewhat similar to Katamari Damacy, Neon White is a first-person shooter. It stars assassins from Hell who are on a mission to slay a variety of demons tainting the grounds of the supposed paradise that is Heaven.
While gamers were drawn to Donut County because of its charming aesthetics and easy-to-play mechanics, it appears that developer Ben Esposito was going for something completely different for Neon White. The upcoming title was announced for the Nintendo Switch during the Nintendo Direct livestream that took place recently, which came with a brief trailer that essentially served to provide interested gamers with a little sneak peek of what Neon White can offer.
Unlike most first-person games, which utilizes traditional weapons like swords and guns, Neon White has a unique way of fighting or attacking enemies. Specifically, the titular Neon White gets to attack with the help of what are known as “Soul Cards.” These cards are imbued with powerful properties, giving the player character abilities that can be likened to firearms.
Each card represents a particular weapon, and the trailer features the submachine gun card, handgun card, shotgun card, and even a crossbow card. Not only that, players have the option to “sacrifice” these cards to be given the chance to do “Killer Moves.”
Neon White isn’t the only assassin “plucked from Hell” either—he has some competition in Heaven’s demon-slaying business. The trailer showcases the other assassins too, such as Neon Violet, who looks like they have a crush on the titular character.
From what we could glean from the trailer, it looks like Neon White’s gameplay won’t be intense and fast-paced combat all the time. There will be story sequences as well, which will provide a quick breather from all the fighting.
It seems that publisher Annapurna Interactive had a great presentation during the recent Nintendo Direct, as it even announced during the livestream that the award-winning, time-looping adventure Outer Wilds will be heading to the Nintendo Switch as well. As for Neon White, it looks to be yet another unique game under Annapurna Interactive’s repertoire, and it’s set to launch some time this year.
