NeonXSZ
- February 21, 2016
- Intravenous Software
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"NeonXSZ is a single-player, open-world, science fiction mouse-look twitch shooter with striking visuals and a challenging, unforgiving environment. It features intense combat that rewards precision and speed with keyboard and mouse controls, while lack of a tutorial or hand-holding mechanisms, makes the game an intense learning experience. Get ready for lots of grinding to navigate and survive in this bewildering and hostile world."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- NeonXSZ offers a fun and engaging sandbox experience reminiscent of classic 90s 6DOF shooters, with a compelling core gameplay loop that keeps players entertained.
- The game features a rich customization system for ships and weapons, allowing for diverse playstyles and strategies, which enhances replayability.
- Visually appealing with a Tron-inspired aesthetic, the game runs smoothly and provides a satisfying sense of progression as players upgrade their ships and tackle increasingly challenging enemies.
- The game lacks a proper tutorial, which can make it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and objectives, leading to confusion and frustration.
- Controller support is limited, with many players experiencing issues when trying to use joysticks or other controllers, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The environments can feel repetitive and empty, with a lack of variety in missions and level design, making the gameplay feel grindy and less engaging over time.
- gameplay71 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of neonxsz is a blend of old-school FPS mechanics and RPG elements, offering a compelling core loop that remains engaging even years after its initial release. While some players appreciate the tight controls and physics-based mechanics, others find the combat unengaging and the level design lacking depth. Overall, the game is praised for its smooth, fast-paced action and extensive customization options, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre, despite some criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and abstract design.
“The core gameplay holds up even a decade after its release and nearly 30 after Descent arrived on the scene.”
“From a gameplay perspective: the combat feels tight, responsive, and impactful.”
“It is absolutely packed with gameplay and player choice, is highly polished and very configurable, both in terms of game settings and aesthetics.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay and design is a bit too abstract to engage.”
“In the short time I spent with it, the combat was unengaging, the main gameplay loop is based on repetitive objectives, the level design did not truly take advantage of all three axes, and the upgrade/progression system seems uninteresting and tediously granular.”
“The core gameplay, the combat, just isn't satisfying, lacks tightness or feedback, and movement is a mess that can’t make up its mind.”
- story34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and lacks depth, with no backstory, dialogue, or NPCs, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics and combat. Players engage in repetitive missions that often feel template-driven, with the primary objective being to defeat enemies and collect loot rather than to follow a narrative. While some players appreciate the fast-paced action and customization options, the absence of a compelling story may leave others wanting more substance.
“I normally don't get into games that don't have much storyline and are more or less team deathmatch vs. the computer; however, this game's pace mixed with a rather competitive AI makes it a very enjoyable experience.”
“The various missions you take on will lead you across the entire map, leading you to sometimes choose between a quick ship or a hearty ship.”
“The story is also very uncomplicated, to the degree where I'm not too aware of what it is.”
“There is no backstory, dialogue, or NPCs to speak of.”
“The story has less depth than most free mobile MMOs, with the only dialogue being your ship's audio warnings and some variant of 'nice' when you get a kill streak.”
“There's no plot beyond you trying to escape, which feels like the opposite message a game would want to convey.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics are highly praised for their clean, bright, and customizable visuals, reminiscent of Tron, which enhance the game's depth and overall aesthetic appeal. Players report smooth performance even on lower-end hardware, with impressive graphical effects that contribute to a polished, AAA-like experience. The combination of strong distance blur and high-contrast visuals creates an engaging atmosphere that complements the gameplay.
“The graphics are clean and nice, and there's a very cool strong distance blur effect that makes everything feel like it has real depth to it.”
“The graphical quality of the environment and the effects is astounding and makes this EA game totally feel like a AAA title.”
“Graphics are nicely done, has a tron-esque feel to it all, and at least running on NVIDIA GTX 660 (Linux), getting steady 60fps with smooth rendering, so should run on low-end boxes well enough.”
“When I turned up my MSAA to max, checked all the checkbox graphics options, increased the light slider from 4 to 5, and decreased the render distance from 4000 to 3500, my GTX 670 seemed to not even need to run at its stock clock speed, but that's because my 3770K CPU was technically maxed out.”
“Improve sound and visuals.”
“The graphical quality of the environment and the effects is astounding and makes this EA game totally feel like a AAA title (let alone that I have never encountered a single bug since I bought it).”
- grinding20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players find it addictive and enjoyable, others criticize it for being repetitive and tedious. The progression system is described as granular and somewhat unengaging, with a mix of opinions on the necessity of grinding—some feel it's not required, while others appreciate the rewards it brings. Overall, players who enjoy space simulators and loot collection may find the grinding aspect more appealing.
“In the short time I spent with it, the combat was unengaging. The main gameplay loop is based on repetitive objectives, the level design did not truly take advantage of all three axes, and the upgrade/progression system seems uninteresting and tediously granular.”
“Progression is grindy, and it's about as 'on rails' as you can get in a sandbox.”
“On the other hand, the majority of that time is spent wandering a giant, very simple map doing odd jobs and level grinding.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its energetic and electronic style, perfectly complementing the vibrant neon visuals and gameplay. Reviewers highlight the addictive nature of the soundtrack, which enhances the overall immersive experience, especially for fans of shooters and RPG elements. Overall, the combination of rocking music and engaging gameplay creates a captivating atmosphere that players find hard to resist.
“If you like descent style gameplay, with neon colors and a soundtrack to match, then don't pass on this gem.”
“The RPG and customization elements are crazy addictive, and the alien atmosphere and soundtrack are perfect.”
“Rocking music and rocking gameplay right!?”
“If you like descent style gameplay, with neon colors and soundtrack to match, then don't pass on this gem.”
“If you like shooters, a lot of loot and customization, electronic music and futuristic artwork, go, buy it.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the interactive cockpit is highly praised for its thoughtful design, effectively conveying a wealth of information without feeling cluttered, which sets a standard that other flight simulators could aspire to.
“With every hour I played, I came to appreciate more and more the incredible care and skill with which the interactive cockpit has been designed, conveying a huge amount of information without it ever feeling cluttered. I wish flight simulator cockpits were optimized like this!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive alien environment and captivating soundtrack, which enhance the addictive RPG and customization elements.
“The RPG and customization elements are crazy addictive, and the alien atmosphere and soundtrack are perfect.”
