What I find charming about the future, or at least visions of the future, is that it always looks better in a retro style of art. Besides the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and Ghostrunner, some of the best examples of retro futurism are mostly 2D style games. What with the likes of Katana Zero and Huntdown, one of my personal favourites, there’s now Neon Inferno to add to the list.
A game that instantly screams throwback, inspired by the likes of Contra and, surprisingly, Sunset Riders, Neon Inferno is a high octane blast from the future past. Assassins, high speed chases and lots of vibrant explosions, it’s all here.
But does Neon Inferno bring enough heat to make its way into the futuristic annals, or is it lukewarm at best? Let’s go back to the future and find out.
Killing Runs In La Familia
Our… well, let’s not get carried away and call them heroes. The protagonists in this title, set in the year 2055, are Angelo Morano and his partner (in more than the business sense), Mariana Vitti. These two are outlaws on the edge, but also assassins for The Family.
These two, both selectable from the get go, are sent on missions for The Family, normally aimed at the killing of anyway erstwhile competition. They’ll face the Yakuza, the police, and just about everyone and everything else in their life as outlaws on the edge. That’s the game’s words, not mine.
As you can see from those paragraphs alone, Neon Inferno isn’t going to win any screenwriting prizes for narrative depth. But again, this is throwing back to a time when we didn’t need viral outbreaks and Norse god narratives to win us over.
Which, fortunately, is something I’m here for. In a world of seriousness, let’s go back to a time of run-and-gun fun.
Blasting From The Past
If I hadn’t made it clear enough in the beginning, allow me to reiterate: Neon Inferno is a shoot ’em up in the most traditional sense of the word. Players start on the left hand side of the screen, and must shoot their way through to the end of the level, which is to the right.
Whichever character the player chooses has a default, rapid fire weapon that can shoot in the standard directions. There’s a double jump and dodge, the latter not necessarily an older game function but one more recent from bullet-hell types. Certain objects will let you hang and shoot from them, like railings and chandeliers, but there’s one more neat gimmick Neon Inferno has up its sleeve:
The ability to shoot into the background…
Okay, that doesn’t sound as cool in written word, granted. But here’s my example: do you remember the Terminator 2 light gun/Mega Drive game? The one that had players shooting approaching Terminators walking towards the screen. Or Sunset Riders, as mentioned earlier, shooting up at balconies and across train carriages. The collective term was “gallery shooter”.
Well, imagine that, but spliced into something like Gunstar Heroes or Rapid Reload. On the fly, players can shoot and free aim into the background with R1 (on PS5), adding some literal depth to the gameplay. Throw in a bullet deflection mechanic and you’ve got some very stylish combat options. Well, stylish enough if you don’t trip over the necessary button inputs.
Looking Hot
Stylistically, I’m finding it hard to pinpoint the exact style that Neon Inferno is going for. Not that it’s up for a good/bad debate, far from it. I love everything about the presentation on display, as it ticks all my retro-loving boxes.
I mean I just can’t pinpoint what era of gaming it falls under. It’s got that 16bit Probotector vibe, instant SNES appeal. But it also has that Metal Slug style of… smoothness to it, if that makes sense. There isn’t quite the level of polish you’d expect from something with Devolver money in its budget, but it’s not far off.
My point is, it looks very pretty, very bright and runs without any issues. It’s also bolstered by an avant garde jazz soundtrack. Nah, I’m just messing with you: it’s pure electro and synthwave, in both its mellow and action beats variety, and again, right up my earhole. This is as Angel Cop, Cyber City Oedo 808 and all those old Manga label tributing styles as you can imagine.
Should You Choose To Accept It
One other aspect I quite enjoyed about Neon Inferno was the multiple job approach to some levels. Whereas most games of this ilk proceed in a linear fashion, there’s a neat little approach here. Don’t get it twisted though, there’s no Brutal Legend-esque complete change of core gameplay here.
After a mission, and the optional trip the upgrade shop has been decided, players will sometimes be offered some variety in the next trip. It can be something as simple as executing a target, or providing backup to a colleague, or something in between.
It doesn’t change the core gameplay at all, as I said, but it’s a neat little spin on progression. Instead it made me want to replay levels and see how they played out. The majority of my game time was spent as Mariana, but it made me want to see if Angelo’s angle played out any differently.
Again, don’t be expecting Nier: Automata layers and depth to replayability. But that such a thing was considered for what is essentially a retro run and gun kind of game.
Neon’s Genesis
The downside, or upshot if you’re not a fan of reading, is that there isn’t really much else to say about Neon Inferno in terms of gameplay. In regards to the overall package, there’s certainly some challenge and longevity to be found here. Hell, the default difficulty is hard, if that gives you any indication as to the hardcore era they’re going for.
There is an arcade mode, which does away with the narrative elements and just puts players through a level-by-level gauntlet. There’s also a replay mode, for the aforementioned path elements to play out. But in overall terms, it’s as straightforward as it sounds.
There’s some nifty graphics options to play with, such as CRT filters and whatnot. It’s nice that that kind of thing has been considered, again showing that the respect is there. It doesn’t stop Angelo looking like a DeviantArt knockoff of Devil May Cry’s Dante though. Can’t win ’em all.
On The Contra-ry
To conclude, Neon Inferno will scratch any itch if you’re a fan of any of the previously mentioned titles thus far. Funnily enough, I am, so this is right up my pixelated alley. From the visuals to the soundtrack, the beginning simplicity to the downright harder later levels, I’m all for it.
It may seem thin on the ground at the first, but there’s enough to do here for a game of its ilk. Not only that, there’s enough variety and challenge in its achievements/trophy list too. Barmy challenges reminiscent of Megaman’s one live run, that kind of insanity.
On the whole, I am having a blast with Neon Inferno. The amount I’ve written mirrors the game: there’s not a lot that needs to be said that its presentation and core gameplay speaks for. Yes, the story is a bit trite and obvious in places. The tropes are laid on thicker than refrigerated Marmite, which also looks like what Angelo styles his hair with.
But at the end of the day, there’s a reason this style of game is popular. Sod all your seriousness and season passes, just relive the glory days when we thought thirty years from now we’d have flying cars.
Neon Inferno is available now on PlayStation 4 & 5 (reviewed on latter), Xbox One and Series S|X, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
Developer: Zenovia Interactive
Publisher: Retroware