Neon Inferno

For as much as I like the overall aesthetics of the cyberpunk genre, I think it has both peaked and reached a point of utter saturation after the release of CD Projekt Red’s own Cyberpunk 2077. What else would anyone even be able to do with such a premise? Not only that, but that would eventually result in a LOT (and I do mean, a gigantic LOT) of games following the same premise. Nowadays, how to even make a cyberpunk-themed game stand out? You gotta make something downright impressive to s...

If you’ve been gaming for as long as I have, there’s now a period of your gaming life that falls into the ‘classical’ era. The 8-bit and 16-bit consoles forged gaming as we know it today, with 2D sprites and burgeoning 3D techniques transporting us to worlds we’d previously only imagined. Zenovia Interactive want you to remember those days, with their latest title, Neon Inferno, set to revitalise the 2D run ‘n’ gun genre, while leaning on modern technology to make this one of the best-looking side scrollers of recent years.

With its fantastic visuals and thrilling gameplay that tasks you with dealing with enemies in both the background and foreground, Neon Inferno is a run-and-gun shooter that's not to be missed.

Neon Inferno is a brilliant run-and-gun shooter that not only captures the essence of its influences but builds upon them to create a remarkable, retro-inspired adventure. Its deep mechanics lead to fierce shootouts where bullets fly from every direction, testing your reflexes as you dodge and retaliate. Paired with its stunning visuals, it’s an incredible experience that fans of the genre simply can’t miss.

Neon Inferno is a blast. It has a lot of enemies you can shoot at, and with good visual design, you can understand how to react to everything on screen.

Some games embrace their inspirations in an obvious display of affection, which is exactly what developer Zenovia Interactive has done with Neon Inferno.

Neon Inferno looks and sounds great, and while it plays well enough, its biggest flaw is leaving you for dead just for trying to take down a foe in the background. It would have been great to see some additional game modes, but as it stands the two-hour campaign and the hardcore difficulty, even played on the game's easiest setting, make it just too hard to recommend.

Some of the best 2D artwork ever seen in a video game, married to a spitefully difficult game whose main gameplay gimmick only manages to make it more frustrating to play.