I went into Neon Tail expecting to like it. By the time I put the controller down 3 hours later, I was starting to get a headache.
I’m not sure that it’s necessarily the game’s fault either. I’ve never been any good at games like this, and I’m resolutely outside Neon Tail’s target audience. Mine was the purview of adventure games and RPGs. I didn’t have a Dreamcast or a PS1, and therefore never played Jet Set Radio or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which are both Neon Tail’s closest influences.
Nevertheless, I was interested in giving Neon Tail a try because after I discovered it on my feed I saw the free flowing movement, open-world and fancy tricks and said “wow, that character looks really fun to control!”
Was it? Well…not in the time I spent with it.
It wasn’t all bad though. There are things I liked about Neon Tail, and I think there’s a really good game buried underneath there somewhere.
Gameplay and Mechanics – What did I like?
As headache-inducing as Neon Tail was for me, I have to admit that the soundtrack is bumping.
The electronic glitch-hop and vaporwave are nicely in sync with the game’s upbeat, pumped-up energy and the anime cyberpunk aesthetic. It’s the kind of music I would play in the shower or during my morning exercise routine to get me excited for the day.
Speaking of the cyberpunk aesthetic, can I just say how refreshing it is to experience a cyberpunk city that actually seems like it would be a fun place to live?
Think of Akira. A run-down hell hole marked by lawless biker gangs, corrupted and impotent politicians, and blue psionic god-children. Neo-Tokyo was pretty awesome, but you wouldn’t see me moving there anytime soon.
Compare that Bluepulse City, the open world of Neon Tail. There’s boba shops, raves on the street, and when you start the game it’s a bright, sunny day. I’d much rather live there.
Neon Tail is Satisfying in the Worst Possible Way
Or frustrating in the best possible way. I’m not sure which one exactly.
I’ve already put my cards on the table in saying that games like this aren’t usually my cup of tea.
I feel like any criticism I make of Neon Tail is more an indictment of myself than that of the dev team. Games like this require fast reflexes and precise movements to execute all of the tricks and jumps, and that’s a big problem because I’m one of the most clumsy and uncoordinated people I know.
All I’m saying is that I couldn’t get the hang of it.
One of Neon Tail’s unique selling points is that you turn by breaking and can move seamlessly from forwards-to-backwards skating. When you skate backward, the right/left controls are inverted. You break by turning at a 90-degree angle from the direction you’re moving forward in, and spinning around.
This is an interesting idea in theory, and one that sure looks neat in the promotional GIFs and the trailer, but I just couldn’t quite get the hang of it.
The turn-to-break mechanic doesn’t work for me, and that sucks because you need to do it well and often to really be good at this game. I kept wanting the ability to start and stop skating on a dime, and that’s just not something Neon Tail lets you do.
Neon Tail was fun for me in short spurts. I’d be skating around, learning the different tricks and strutting my stuff, skating around the open world city, when suddenly I’d turn the wrong way or land on the wrong angle. Then I’d break my combo chain, or careen into a wall, or else have the camera zoom in on my jiggle-physics rendered tight, firm ass. And breaking momentum like this is incredibly flow-breaking.
9 times out of ten when I found myself enjoying my experience, something would happen to break my momentum and shake me out of my sense of flow.
It. Was SO. MADDENING! It felt like arm-wrestling an eel.
I have some other niggles. The minimap needs more icons.
One of the first missions of the game has you collecting light beacons spread across one section of the first neighborhood. However, the game doesn’t deign to tell you where the beacons are, and they aren’t indicated by your minimap. I spent a half an hour traipsing around looking for them on the other side of the level.
This could well be my own incompetence at fault, but all I know is that if I’m struggling to finish the first mission of the freaking game, then I have a problem.
Also, this game needs a trick list. Several early missions required me to chain trick combos together when I barely knew how to do one.
It was also confusing to know exactly where I was supposed to go and what to do. Again, kind of a big problem for an open-world game.
Do I recommend it?
Every time I found myself getting into a flow experience and having fun, Neon Tail found new ways to frustrate me and take me out of the experience.
But here’s the thing reader: I’m going to tell you to check out Neon Tail anyway.
Why? Because there’s a very likely chance that you’ll enjoy Neon Tail more than I did.
Like I said, I don’t have the kind of reflexes, grace or coordination to be good at games like Neon Tail, so it’s entirely possible that I’m talking out of my ass. There’s a non-zero possibility that you’ll be executing all the jumps, kicks and flips without a hitch, then hoot and guffaw at how badly I suck by comparison.
Neon Tail’s bright and positive atmosphere and its promise of a really fun game underneath the frustrating controls make me willing to give it another chance, months from now after the devs have had more time to work on it.
It’s still in Early Access, so you have to be willing to forgive some loose controls and bugs. In the meantime, I’ll keep following them on Twitter and check it out again when the game is closer to a full release.
Neon Tail is available on Steam Early Access for $9.99. Neon Tail also has a demo available. You can follow Rocket Juice Games on Twitter or Discord or support the release by donating to their Patreon.
