Quick Links
- Controls First, Game Second
- Hold The Left Stick Forward
- Insight
- Occasionally, You May Need To Slow Down
- Insight Provides, Well, Insight
- Present Collecting Is Your Chance To Relax
- Reset Frequently
- Scouting Missions Can Be Valuable
When it comes to the FPS, card-dealing, time trial-based, visual novel genre, Neon White is peerless (literally). However, it isn't just great in the context of its peers (which don't exist), it is also a damn fine game in its own right. Moreover, it is a damn fine game that can be more than a little tough if you don't approach it with the right mindset.
Thankfully, we have all the tips and tricks you will need to slash, shoot, and smash your way through the 90-plus levels you will encounter in record time. If you want to start off on the right foot, give these tips a gander.
Controls First, Game Second
Neon White requires that you perform some pretty precise platforming. You are going to be tearing through the stages at a breakneck pace. You are absolutely going to need to have full control over your character. More so than you would in most games, even other twitchy first-person affairs. This is a game where milliseconds count, so you are going to want to make sure the controls are perfect from the jump.
Thankfully, there are a number of presets available that change the way the camera accelerates. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the X-axis and Y-axis. Aim assistance is also something you can tinker with. We suggest you take a few minutes to really dial these settings in so that you can perform to your highest standard.
Neon White does have robust gyro support. So, if you are one of those gyro enthusiasts, make sure to tinker with those settings as well.
Hold The Left Stick Forward
If you are frequently stopping, maybe to line up your shots, or prepping for a big jump, you aren't going to get one of the fancier medals. Neon White really needs you to keep moving, even as you are shooting. Some of the platinum medals will even require you to be shooting enemies in the distance as you are jumping forward.
This isn't to say that you will never stop, but most of your time will be spent jetting from spot to spot. If you keep your stopping to a minimum, you will likely end up doing well for yourself and obtaining a great score.
Insight
Insight is extremely important. Neon White won't let you just slum your way through every stage; you need to maintain a certain rank to unlock more levels. And how do you improve your rank? With insight, of course! You are going to have to push for those higher-level medals at some point if you want to progress. While it may feel painful struggling to inch out tiny gains, one thing to keep in mind is that the game will still reward you with a small amount of insight, even if you fall a little short when shooting for a higher score.
Though that being said, there is a point where you cannot gain any more insight, even if you haven't achieved the highest medal. So you can't just endlessly grind out insight on the shortest map. More than anything, you should take insight seriously from the jump. The first episode acts as the game's tutorial, but the insight here is worth just as much as the insight in every other episode of the game, so make sure to chase those platinum medals right from the start.
Occasionally, You May Need To Slow Down
We know. We know. You gotta go fast! You're after that platinum medal, after all! You can't slow down for anyone! But here's the thing, if you are constantly throwing yourself off ledges, and having to reset endlessly, then you aren't doing yourself any favors. Sometimes you need to plant your feet for a second and adjust your positioning. This is never more true than when you get to some of the sniper rifle platforming sections.
That platinum medal can seem impossible at first glance, but once you have the right route, it will absolutely be achievable with seconds to spare. The timing isn't that tight when it comes down to it. If you feel like our advice is giving you whiplash, we understand, but while you do want to hold the left forward most of the time, sometimes you will need to take a breath.
Insight Provides, Well, Insight
This is how you gain access to the ghost as well as the oh-so-valuable level hints. The more insight levels you unlock, the more extra benefits you will be provided. The first level of insight will unlock the ability to find the presents on the stage. The second level will give you the ability to see the ghost of your best run. The third insight level will unlock markers that give you key hints as to where you should go.
Needless to say, these tools are extremely helpful (especially the ghost and the hints) for shaving down your runtime. So, if you are struggling with a stage, you may want to consider banking the consolation insight in order to unlock one of these tools. They may give you just what you need to break through.
Present Collecting Is Your Chance To Relax
The last thing you should be concerned with when collecting presents is time. In fact, you aren't timed when collecting gifts: once you collect the present, the stage will be completed without your time being taken into consideration. When chasing the presents the game stops being a timed affair and starts being an inventive puzzle platformer.
You will often have to utilize every last card in order to progress in this mode. One thing you can do to make your life a lot easier is to take more enemies out with your sword. This way you aren't throwing away cards on dishing out damage. An extra card will often mean an extra double jump, which can be the difference between a tight platforming section and a breezy one.
Reset Frequently
When you are refining your runs you will find that you are gradually shaving off milliseconds. So, if you start the stage by screwing up your first jump, costing you a second or two, just press the select button and reset. If you are dead set on getting the platinum medal at the end of the stage, then the bonus insight doesn't matter anyway (as the platinum medal instantly fills your insight bar to the max on any given stage).
If you have already unlocked your ghost for a stage then they will often provide an excellent indication of when to reset. Because if you need to be a second faster than your fastest run, and your ghost is ahead of you (and beyond the trickier parts of the stage where you may catch up), you aren't going to get that time you are chasing.
Of course, if you still need to familiarize yourself with the stage, or you are grinding out the pity insight for the ghost or hints, resetting may not be the answer. But most of the time you are probably going to want to be pretty quick to restart things.
Scouting Missions Can Be Valuable
While resetting frequently is generally the best way to get a better time, if you mess up a run you may want to take your time scoping out the level a little. Turn a failed run into a successful scouting mission. Without the pressure of the ticking clock, you will have all the time in the world to scope out the stage and maybe locate a few slick shortcuts. And the shortcuts can make a huge, huge difference to your runs.
You don't need to wait for the hints insight to unlock to find all the shortcuts. A lot of the best shortcuts will instantly make sense once you give the stage a solid once over. A good way to find them is to look where the camera isn't guiding your eye. They love to hide alternative routes right where your camera isn't facing.
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