Since indie game Neon White was released, reviewers have had nothing but praise for the innovative platformer. They praised the game’s well-constructed levels, its clever attack mechanics, and even the overarching narrative. With the title garnering high scores from multiple game critics, it’s no surprise that it could be a contender for Game of the Year.
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A Quick Explainer on the Game of the Year Award
Game of the Year (GOTY) is a title given to what is supposedly the best release of the year, at least according to The Game Awards’ specific rubrics. The process starts with The Game Awards committee gathering data from over a hundred outlets known for their critical evaluation of video games. The team then pinpoints six games that appear the most in the collated data. These become the nominees for GOTY.
The final list of nominees is then released to the public, and voting begins — with 90% going to a specially curated jury and 10% going to fan voting. Note that every game released during the calendar year is eligible to win GOTY. As such, titles that garner high ratings have a good chance of becoming one of the six nominees. It’s precisely why Neon White is shaping up to be a possible contender for this year’s GOTY.
Neon White for GOTY?
Neon White is not like other platformers. It boasts of a unique blend of genres, excellent level design, and an addictive gameplay loop. The speedrunning is also elevated by some great electronic music by Machine Girl. Neon White’s characters aren’t anything to scoff at either as they’re a surprisingly lovable bunch, making use of anime tropes and pop culture references for the game’s comedy bits. All of this blends very well, providing players with an enjoyable speedrunning, demon-killing experience wrapped up in an engaging narrative.
That said, Neon White’s gameplay isn’t for everyone as not all players enjoy fast-paced gameplay. Even its creator, Ben Esposito, is aware of this. As the trailer says, Neon White is a game “for freaks, by freaks.” Admittedly, this might hinder the game from earning a spot among the GOTY nominees.
However, all the positive reviews might sway the public yet. If Neon White appeals to freaks, then there must be plenty of them in the gaming industry. Gaming outlets and critics have gone on to praise Neon White, awarding it high scores and recommending it heartily to the rest of the gaming world. Reviewers have called it stylish, unique, and highly replayable. The indie game’s Steam page also paints a similar picture with its Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. At the moment, there are only 21 negative reviews out of around 1,160. Most of these negative reviews criticize the writing and voice acting, not the gameplay. That says a lot about how polished the levels and player movements are.
All this is to say that Neon White has a pretty decent chance of being nominated for GOTY, especially with its current track record. And it’s certainly possible for an indie game to make the list, much like former nominees such as Hades in 2020 and Inside in 2016. Regardless, Neon White is one of the most innovative titles of 2022, and if it doesn’t win GOTY, it’ll likely win other game awards.
Neon White is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.
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