2055 isn’t so far away in our current hellscape, but it’s still a far-off future in Neon Inferno. This side-scrolling shooter from Zenovia Interactive and Retroware has promising action and a killer name. The recent Steam Next Fest demo let me play through the game’s first mission. Even though it only lasted me about twenty minutes, that was more than enough time to get me on board.
The game’s futuristic, neon-lit New York comes to life with a retro 2D style that feels genuine to the glory days of the arcade. However, this is no nostalgia trip. Neon Inferno is a modern production with plenty of detailed spritework and flashy effects. Lights shatter to your bullets, enemies grimace when they’re fired upon, and cars explode into exquisite fireballs. It’s glorious.
There are plenty of games nowadays that capture the old-school arcade aesthetic perfectly. Usually, they fall flat when it comes to capturing the gameplay in the same way. Neon Inferno comes very close to hitting both out of the park but doesn’t quite get there.
You’re equipped with an infinite ammo pistol and tasked with juggling shots between the foreground and background. This works surprisingly well, although it feels slow to aim when firing into the background. That’s a problem since you can’t move while you’re aiming, and your foes don’t give you the space to line up your shots.
Simply put, the number of things asked of the player upfront can be overwhelming. You have to shoot forward, backward, and into the background. You have to dodge certain shots while reflecting others with your katana just to prove how cool you are. Within ten minutes, you’re doing all this while riding a motorcycle. Then, you have to switch lanes to dodge civilian vehicles and roadblocks. As they stand, the controls don’t seem up to the task of juggling all these actions. It can lead to taking cheap damage and earning unsatisfying game overs.
At the very least, Neon Inferno understands that players in 2025 come in all shapes, sizes, and skill levels. A game like this ten or fifteen years ago might have taken pride in being hardcore and demanding of its players. Nowadays, Neon Inferno offers a range of difficulties, including that nihilistic Arcade option. If that’s not your bag, you can go with a more generous playthrough complete with checkpoints and less aggressive opposition. It might be a surprise to some, but arcade games are fun even with unlimited continues.
Neon Inferno strives to be something akin to a cyberpunk Metal Slug and falls short. Still, getting close to the throne is a good place to be when you consider how close to perfect SNK’s original is. I can understand why the developers didn’t want to veer into twin stick territory, as that comes with a whole lot of unnecessary expectations. I just hope they can make things a bit tighter and faster in the final release. Still, even with some sluggish shooting, Neon Inferno slaps.
Neon Inferno was previewed as part of the June 2025 Steam Next Fest.