Neon Inferno, the highly anticipated cyberpunk shooter from the creators of Steel Assault, has arrived with some of the most breathtaking 2D visuals seen in modern gaming. Released on 20th November 2025 and priced at £15.99, this title from developer Zenovia represents a technical masterpiece in pixel art. However, a frustrating gameplay experience ultimately prevents it from reaching its full potential.
A Visual and Auditory Masterpiece
The game's presentation is, without doubt, its crowning achievement. The 2D artwork in Neon Inferno is an astonishing technical and artistic feat, arguably ranking among the best pixel art ever produced. The level of detail is incredible, with tons of moving parts and meticulously crafted animation quirks that bring its cyberpunk world to life.
This visual splendour is complemented by a grungy electronica soundtrack that perfectly matches the game's tone. The audio-visual package is so compelling that it immediately draws players into its dystopian universe.
Zenovia, the development team, is a globally distributed collective with members from the UK, France, South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay, and Japan, all united by a passion for old-school gaming aesthetics. This shared enthusiasm is palpable in every meticulously designed frame.
Gameplay Innovations That Fall Short
Players assume the roles of two assassins, Angelo and Mariana, who accept contracts from a bar to take on street punks, rival gangs, and corrupt police. While the core gameplay involves classic left-to-right running and shooting, Neon Inferno attempts to innovate with two key mechanics.
The first is the ability to aim into the screen to shoot enemies in the background. While an interesting concept in theory, this feature proves irritating in practice. Players must awkwardly fiddle with shoulder buttons while their character becomes rooted to the spot, disrupting the game's pacing with imprecise aiming.
The second innovation is a sword that activates bullet time when deflecting special green projectiles. This mechanic is genuinely neat, allowing players to redirect bullets, but its effectiveness is limited by a cooldown system.
Later levels become overwhelming, with an unmanageable number of enemies swarming both the foreground and background, creating a dizzying experience that's difficult to parse, let alone play effectively.
Aggravating Difficulty and Structural Issues
Neon Inferno adopts an extremely difficult retro style, but in a particularly punishing manner. On Normal difficulty, players must restart entire levels upon failure, a design choice the review strongly advises against.
The game offers local co-op, though this can prove more distracting than helpful depending on your partner. For solo players, there is no online option, forcing them to tackle the challenge alone.
Structurally, the initial mission selection gives way to linear progression later on, making the early freedom seem somewhat pointless—especially since there's no narrative difference between the two playable characters.
Additional frustrations include special ammo that can't be carried between missions, despite scarce in-game currency that makes purchases feel wasteful.
Verdict: Style Over Substance
Despite its visual triumphs, Neon Inferno simply isn't much fun to play. The stunning artwork and fantastic soundtrack are undermined by awkward controls, overwhelming enemy encounters, and a spiteful difficulty curve that drains enjoyment from the experience.
As the review concludes, no matter how impressive the graphics, sub-par gameplay renders it all for nothing. Neon Inferno stands as a remarkable achievement from a dedicated team, but it's ultimately far more enjoyable to watch than to actually play.
Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Neon Inferno receives a final score of 5/10 from GameCentral.
