Old school arcade action on a new Neo Geo cart.
Project Neon, from developer Fullset, is a 90’s era Neo-Geo shmup through and through. The story, never really the focus of games like this, does just enough to get us where we need to be. Climate change has destroyed the planet and the only person who can save us is on Mars. A ship is dispatched to fight through the enemy forces and get him back. And… go. This information is given to players through some nice pixel artwork before starting the game. Once the game gets going though it’s all action.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms:Mac (reviewed), PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch
One of the highlights though is in how that action plays out. Since Project Neon is available for just about everything, not just modern consoles and PCs but the Neo Geo, Saturn, Dreamcast, and N64! Also, there are tons of options. Players can choose to play in Yoko or Tate modes, use keyboards or controllers, touch screens, whatever feels right to you. You can also choose the number of lives you have per continue, whether you pick stages or play straight through, in addition to having different graphics display options like a CRT filter. During each stage enemies drop powerups, main/wide/beam, that appear at the same time giving players the freedom to choose how they want to upgrade their ship. The only thing you cannot change is the difficulty.
Make no mistake, Project Neon is tough as hell. Wearing its 90’s era shmup influence proudly, you will die, try, and die again. A lot. Which is par for the course in these types of games. Thankfully there are unlimited continues so after running through your set of lives you can simply continue exactly from where you left off and make your way through the game. This naturally affects your overall score but allows you to not only see the full game but to learn it as well. Project Neon is short. My playthroughs took about 25-30 minutes on average. Each time I made my way through I got a little quicker and my score got a little higher. I really appreciate Fullset’s decision to use unlimited continues as a way for players to learn. Instead of getting frustrated at the end of a run, I was able to use the experience to get better. In an era of long-form, story driven content, an old school score attack type game is a welcome breath of fresh air.
None of that would matter if the game itself didn’t feel good to play. Thankfully Project Neon sounds, looks, and controls great. Player input is tight and responsive. There are sections of the game where there is a ton happening on screen, bullets, enemies, environmental hazards, etc., and progression depends on precise movement through that field of obstacles. There is nothing like dodging and weaving through a crowded playfield and the controls here allow you to do exactly that. Graphically the game looks very nice with detailed pixel art, varied enemy design, and distinct levels that all stand out from each other. Bosses are a particular highlight with some very cool designs both visually and mechanically. The soundtrack by freezedream, a fast-paced collection of drum ‘n bass tracks, really nails the vibe of each stage and fits the genre perfectly.
While Project Neon does exactly what it sets out to do, it won’t be for everyone. Shmups are a niche genre. Easy to pick up, incredibly difficult to master, these games can cause players to give up quickly. That said, what’s here is very good. Fullset have even included some very cool technology on the cart-based versions that will allow further updates to the game down the line. Genre fans should definitely add this to their lists.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.