NeonCode
- November 22, 2018
- fubenalvo
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"NeonCode is a free, single-player cyberpunk indie adventure game set in a stylized open world city. Inspired by Blade Runner, Miami Vice, and Telltale games, it features a good plot, impressive graphics, and stellar music. Recommended system requirements include an Intel i5 8400 CPU, 8GB RAM, and a 2GB VRAM GPU."
Reviews
- The game offers a vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic with impressive visuals and a captivating atmosphere, making it enjoyable to explore the neon-lit city.
- For its low price, the game provides a decent narrative experience that can be completed in about an hour, making it a good value for casual gamers.
- Despite its flaws, the game has a charming quality and shows potential, especially considering it was developed by a single person using free assets.
- The controls are clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during driving sections.
- The story is underdeveloped and lacks depth, with many characters feeling flat and the dialogue often being poorly written or repetitive.
- The game is riddled with bugs and optimization issues, causing crashes and performance problems that detract from the overall experience.
- story68 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is a cyberpunk noir murder mystery that, while charming in its aesthetic and atmosphere, suffers from a lack of depth and coherence. Many players found the narrative basic and poorly executed, with clunky dialogue and minimal character development, leading to an overall underwhelming experience despite some engaging moments. While the visuals and music enhance immersion, the story often feels padded and simplistic, leaving players wanting more substance and polish.
“Cyberpunk noir narrative-driven story.”
“Interesting story, great visuals, and immersive experience.”
“The story is a murder mystery with a film noir tone.”
“While the visuals and music created an immersive experience, the clunky controls and confusing storyline left something to be desired.”
“The biggest downside is, for a detective story there's very little actual story there, and only a handful of short conversations.”
“A really good art and level design and worldbuilding ideas brought down by a bland and poorly written story.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as decent, with a strong emphasis on the cyberpunk aesthetic that effectively creates an immersive atmosphere. While some players appreciate the visuals and ambiance, many note that the graphics are basic and occasionally buggy, with clunky animations and a reliance on free assets that detracts from the overall polish. Despite these shortcomings, the game's neon visuals and atmospheric design resonate well with fans of the genre, making it a worthwhile experience for those who prioritize aesthetics over technical perfection.
“The overall setting and art style is really cool and classic cyberpunk, which I really like.”
“The visuals and music are fantastic.”
“A neat little cyberpunk adventure game with great aesthetics and production design - especially considering the whole 'all free assets' design thing and one-man dev team.”
“Overall, I think it would have been better for it to have a more stylized and simpler art style.”
“...but the graphics are just too bad; even if the general style is awesome, the animations (if even existent) are horrible, and the few effects you see would have been bad even in the year 2000.”
“Its a bit buggy and clunky, but it's beatable and an interesting concept which makes up for the dated graphics and lackluster soundtrack.”
- atmosphere34 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring a large, open city filled with neon lights, fog, and a noir vibe that captivates players. While the visuals and sound design contribute significantly to the overall experience, some reviewers noted the absence of voice acting and occasional gameplay flaws. Despite these drawbacks, many players found themselves drawn to the game's ambiance, often exploring the environment simply to enjoy its atmospheric qualities.
“The city is surprisingly large, open, and atmospheric and is the strongest point of the game.”
“I love the cyberpunk genre, and the atmosphere is great as you wander the dark, misty streets.”
“The visual style and atmosphere are phenomenal, and perfectly nail the cyberpunk noir thematic language.”
“And there is zero voice acting at all, which is really bad for the atmosphere...”
“The fog and the lighting, like the rainfall, pull double duty both fleshing out the atmosphere and hiding a multitude of sins.”
“But the atmosphere saves everything.”
- music29 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its immersive quality and strong alignment with the cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring a synth-heavy soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. Many players found the soundtrack exceptional and fitting for the game's themes, although some noted its brevity and occasional mismatches with gameplay moments. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making exploration enjoyable and atmospheric.
“The soundtrack is awesome (and would be extremely welcome as DLC), and the sound effects also stick the landing on the cyberpunk mood.”
“The music, lighting, and overall feel is really cool.”
“The music was exceptional - no joke, fantastic.”
“Very short and it has to be said cheaply made cyberpunk noir detective story with vaporwave aesthetic and music.”
“- weird choice of music for a car chase scene.”
“Its a bit buggy and clunky but its beatable and an interesting concept which makes up for the dated graphics and lackluster soundtrack.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
The gameplay of neoncode has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the cute concept and atmospheric aesthetics, while others find the mechanics frustrating and underwhelming. Although there are a few beneficial features like the guiding mechanic, the overall experience is criticized for being linear, lacking polish, and missing promised elements like the VHS filter. While it may appeal to fans of exploration and neon aesthetics, many feel the gameplay does not live up to expectations.
“If you're a die-hard fan of neon aesthetics and don't mind a bit of a gameplay challenge, then give neoncode a shot.”
“For starters, I found the guiding mechanic to be really beneficial to the gameplay.”
“The gameplay is really simple, but if you like exploring atmospheric levels and looking for clues, this is what you'll get.”
“Cute concept, but the game mechanics were frustrating.”
“Beside this, the gameplay experience really sucks.”
“The gameplay and story is a bit boring and lacking.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including constant stuttering, frame drops, and awkward movement mechanics. Reviewers consistently highlight poor programming and a lack of adjustments for mouse acceleration, indicating a need for substantial improvements in optimization. Overall, the game's performance is widely regarded as inadequate.
“I don't know if it was because of the poor optimization, the constant stuttering and dropping frames, the head bob, the weird (and non-adjustable) mouse acceleration, the general awkwardness of movement, or some combination of all those factors.”
“Apart from that, it is bug-ridden, unoptimized, and overall suffers from bad programming.”
“Short and could use some game-engine optimization.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered to be unstable, with numerous bugs and unpolished elements affecting the experience. Despite these issues, many players find it enjoyable and worth the price, appreciating its interesting concept and overall playability.
“Apart from that, it is bug-ridden, unoptimized, and overall suffers from bad programming.”
“Overall buggy and unpolished.”
“It's a bit buggy and clunky, but it's beatable and an interesting concept which makes up for the dated graphics and lackluster soundtrack.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is hit-or-miss; while some players find it amusing, particularly in the context of a deliberately bad action short film featured in the game, others feel it lacks the consistency needed to be truly funny. Overall, it offers moments of hilarity but may not appeal to everyone.
“Be sure to catch the hilariously bad action short film at Ethan's bar; it's worth a good laugh or two.”
“It's hilarious in a way; however, as it says on the store page, it's an experiment by one developer.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect to be somewhat tedious, yet effective in achieving progress within the game.
“A bit tedious, but it works, I guess.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find the grinding to be a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
