Chris InglisNeon Blood is a cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game set in the dystopian city of Viridis, developed by ChaoticBrain Studios and published by Meridiem Games. Released on November 26, 2024, the game follows detective Axel McCoin as he navigates a world filled with corruption, cybernetic enhancements, and a gripping noir narrative that had me intrigued from start to finish.
The story of Neon Blood is intriguing, with a plot that keeps players engaged from start to finish. In the year 2053, detective McCoin is on a mission to uncover the truth behind a series of murders, and the narrative is filled with twists and turns that keep players on their toes. The characters are well-developed, and the dialogue is sharp, adding depth to the game’s world.
The visual style of Neon Blood is what caught my eye from the trailer which combines pixel art characters with 3D environments, creating a unique and captivating aesthetic. The city of Viridis is beautifully designed, with neon lights and dark, gritty alleyways that immerses you in its cyberpunk world. Additionally, the 3D animated cutscenes add extra detail and depth to the characters, making them more lifelike and engaging.
Neon Blood is primarily a point-and-click adventure game that has you navigating various locations, talking to characters, and solving puzzles to progress the story. The game also features quick-time events and turn-based combat, which adds variety to the gameplay. The combat system can feel clunky at first and there are items available to use but I could not see a way to use them as they had no charges. I generally stuck to doing headshots and then using the defibrillator skill to heal myself and never found any particular boss challenging.
The game suffers from some minor text localisation errors, but they are easily ignored. Additionally, the traversal mechanics can feel clunky at first with the camera angle sometimes obscured by objects in the foreground. It took me a little while to explore the first area and remember names of places that I was supposed to head to next. My biggest bug bear was the sound the dialogue makes as it is displayed. With no voice acting to obscure it, it was really grating initially but eventually I got used to it.
Neon Blood is a quick point-and-click adventure in a cyberpunk world with a detective sleuth story at its core. I completed it in under 4 hours, but I feel it is worth the purchase price for the story and visual style. The turn-based combat is simple but effective in moving the story along and I loved the splattering of 3D animated cutscenes which gave more depth to the McCoin and other characters you meet along the way.
This review utilised a key provided by Meridiem Games and Neon Blood is available now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
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