Neon blood test | Eurogamer.es

Life is a constant exercise in giving everything you have and doing it to the best of your ability so that you don’t have anything against you. Sometimes things are better, sometimes worse; Of course, this doesn’t guarantee results, but you will be closer and, more importantly, you will be proud of the process. And they can be very proud of Chaotic Brain Studios, the humble Spanish team that managed to capture the world’s attention with their debut film.

Because standing out in this crowded industry isn’t easy, and Neon Blood does it with something that seems easy but isn’t: personality. His proposal catches the eye from the first moment thanks to a special style that combines a classic cut with a color typical of the aesthetic adventures of cyberpunk. This very appropriate art style not only becomes a beautiful calling card, but also a dominant part of the narrative of a city that silently speaks of decline, instability and social inequality.

We are in 2053 and the plot focuses on Axel McCoin, a police detective who is having some trouble with Spark, a substance he is addicted to that causes memory loss, making it difficult for him to carry out the investigation that begins. with a series of mysterious murders that twist until they become a conspiracy of power and corruption with plot twists that keep us glued to the screen for the four or five hours it may take us to complete the experience. It’s also important to highlight that the most important plot points are broken down into exciting, hand-drawn cinematic scenes that provide an audio-visual treat.

Its atmosphere and charm is Neon Blood’s strongest point throughout this journey, in which visits will alternate between dark alleys and places full of bright lights, as if it were a streamer’s room. First of all, it is an exploratory adventure in which we will have to explore scenarios that also blend very well with their background thanks to the correct use of their depth, creating a greater sense of spaciousness, although this is more of an intelligent design. exercise, manages to create this illusion. Axel will have to talk to witnesses and police colleagues to try to unravel what happened in the cases that bring Bright City under control; Most of the development is guided and simply conversational, but at some points we will have to go further, overcoming a series of challenges in order to continue, such as finding a witness by following his tracks, obtaining money to bribe a bandit or using wits. a series of dialogues to get the guy to move away from the door. These are simple ideas that we’ve seen elsewhere, but they fit nicely into the context and provide enough variety in such a condensed development.

Without going into too much detail to avoid spoiling any major plot surprises, one of the most enjoyable aspects of Neon Blood is how well-written every character in the game is. First, of course, is Axel himself, whose role as the amnesiac detective is played very well from the first moment, generating the mystery of his past and relying on lines of dialogue with other characters who clearly know more about what has happened to us before. and they leave us with a mystery until the last stretch of the adventure. The other supporting characters who appear also display impressive personalities without spending too many minutes on screen; The team has managed very well to create an atmosphere in which the plot develops, which has an edgy tone and social criticism, with moments of humor that manage to make us smile, be it bad jokes or the occasional interruption in the fourth. the walls feature cameos of famous characters, and they even have the luxury of adding a scene that is a real tribute to other events in the Spanish industry.

Obviously, the modest nature of such a project must be taken into account, and there are also situations in which a limited budget is appreciated. Perhaps to avoid criticism that it’s a very talky adventure, Neon Blood adds a classic-style turn-based combat system that will be familiar to you if you’ve played any RPG. Its operation is quite simple and consists of selecting the type of attack or object that will be used to try to subtract points from the lives of our opponents. Additionally, all of these fights depend on the progression of the story, since the progression is linear.

Although Axel improves his skills as we progress, he does so automatically, without any menu to control this type of progress. This, coupled with the simplicity of the battles themselves, which at times make it feel like they’re somewhat scripted and that it doesn’t matter what type of offense we use, ends up creating a feeling of indifference, a feeling of being thrown a machete at us because we have To live up to video game standards, there is a series of quick-time events at the end of the most important battles. Understanding that this is a solution that was probably discussed by the team, it clearly remained unfinished and, for sure, with a larger budget, development in this aspect would have been different and deeper.

Neon Blood is a premiere that those in charge can be very proud of. It’s certainly not perfect and requires some empathy for the “shoulds” that the product has, but if you like detective adventures, then here you will find a good story in this style and characters with charisma and personality. It’ll give you a couple of good days, and that’s what video games are for.