NeonCode

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 153 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
NeonCode Game Cover
Starting at $0.51Buy now
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."

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 153 reviews
story21 positive mentions
gameplay5 negative mentions
  • Great cyberpunk atmosphere with impressive visuals and sound design for a one-person project.
  • Offers a simple and enjoyable experience, perfect for a quick dive into a neon-lit cityscape.
  • Affordable price point makes it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the genre, providing a unique indie experience.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play at times.
  • Controls are clunky and unresponsive, particularly during driving sections, detracting from the overall experience.
  • The story is shallow and lacks depth, with repetitive quests and minimal character development.
  • story81 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players finding it shallow and cliché, often feeling underdeveloped despite its intriguing cyberpunk noir premise. While some appreciate the immersive atmosphere and engaging mystery elements, others criticize the clunky controls and numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative has potential but suffers from execution issues, leaving players wanting more depth and polish.

    • “Cyberpunk noir narrative-driven story.”
    • “The story is a murder mystery with a film noir tone.”
    • “The game focuses around the story; there has been a murder in a neon city and you are a detective.”
    • “The biggest downside is, for a detective story, there's very little actual story there, and only a handful of short conversations.”
    • “The story is incoherent, boring, banal, and the characters are bleak.”
    • “A really good art and level design and worldbuilding ideas brought down by a bland and poorly written story.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their strong cyberpunk aesthetic, creating an immersive atmosphere with effective use of neon visuals and sound. However, many reviewers note that the graphics are basic and sometimes dated, with clunky animations and technical issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the visuals are considered a highlight, especially for a one-person project utilizing free assets, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

    • “Great cyberpunk atmosphere — both the visuals and sounds are quite good for a one-person project.”
    • “The overall setting and art style is really cool and classic cyberpunk, which I really like.”
    • “The visuals and music are fantastic.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere40 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring impressive visuals and sound design that effectively capture the genre's essence. Players appreciate the expansive, atmospheric cityscape filled with neon lights and fog, which enhances exploration and storytelling. However, some critiques mention the lack of voice acting and occasional gameplay shortcomings, yet many agree that the overall atmosphere significantly elevates the experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The graphics, while pretty basic, still allow for a wonderful atmosphere of nighttime, fog, and neon, the staples of the cyberpunk genre.”
    • “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.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its immersive quality, fitting well with the cyberpunk aesthetic and enhancing the atmosphere. While the soundtrack features a limited number of tracks that can become repetitive, many players appreciate the synth-heavy, chill vibes that complement the visuals. Overall, the music is considered a highlight, with some even suggesting it deserves its own radio station or DLC release.

    • “The music, lighting, and overall feel is really cool.”
    • “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 was exceptional - no joke, fantastic.”
    • “There's only a few music tracks in the entire game and since you're mostly going to be out on city streets, you will hear the same track constantly loop, which will become tedious pretty quickly. Most of the tracks are easy on the ears, so that's good, but overall there's not much variety.”
    • “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.”
  • gameplay24 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the atmosphere and aesthetics but criticizing the mechanics for being unpolished and lacking variety. While some enjoy the simple, adventure-style gameplay and the guiding mechanic, others find it frustrating and linear, with a need for bug fixes and improvements. Overall, the experience is seen as enjoyable for fans of the genre, despite its shortcomings.

    • “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.”
    • “The game has great atmosphere and the classic adventure game style gameplay also turned out well.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including poor performance in a relatively small environment, frequent stuttering, frame drops, and unresponsive controls. Reviewers consistently highlight the need for better programming and optimization, particularly regarding mouse acceleration and graphical performance. Overall, the technical shortcomings detract from the gaming experience.

    • “The game could definitely use some optimization!”
    • “Not very well optimized; it could've been better.”
    • “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.”
    • “The only negatives are technical issues: the game seems pretty unoptimized to me (probably due to the many lights and reflections it uses), and I feel it has some awful mouse acceleration, which I couldn't turn off.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting various bugs, including softlocks and issues with achievements. While many acknowledge the game as enjoyable despite its glitches, the overall consensus is that it suffers from significant unpolished elements and poor optimization.

    • “I got softlocked by a buggy quest, and even reloading the 'last save' didn't fix it.”
    • “Apart from that, it is bug-ridden, unoptimized, and overall suffers from bad programming.”
    • “Overall buggy and unpolished.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is hit-or-miss; while some moments, like the quest involving collecting laundry for a security card, are genuinely amusing, overall, the comedic elements may not be strong enough to sustain interest. Players appreciate the inclusion of a hilariously bad action short film, but the humor often falls flat.

    • “Be sure to catch the hilariously bad action short film at Ethan's bar; it's worth a good laugh or two.”
    • “It honestly felt pretty funny when one of the quests is you trying to collect laundry to get a security card.”
    • “It's hilarious in a way; however, as it says on the store page, it's an experiment by one developer.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious due to the limited variety of music tracks, which loop frequently during gameplay. While the tracks are generally pleasant, the lack of diversity can lead to a monotonous experience over time.

    • “There's only a few music tracks in the entire game, and since you're mostly going to be out on city streets, you will hear the same track constantly loop, which will become tedious pretty quickly. Most of the tracks are easy on the ears, so that's good, but overall there's not much variety.”
    • “A bit tedious, but... it works, I guess.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy NeonCode

Videos

Similar Games

Game News