Neon Blood Test – True Cyberpunk Detective

Based in Madrid, ChaoticBrain Studios is an independent video game development studio founded in 2022. With only 4 members, they partnered with the distributor Southern Games to offer us this very careful narrative adventure which was already aiming high after having participated in events like the Great showcase of independent games and the Guerrilla collective 2024.

And that's it Alex, Danny Yes Kingthe three creators of Neon Blood, managed to convey a fantastic neo-noir cyberpunk frame it reminds us of great films like Blade Runnerbut which, visually, is based on RPGs like Octopath Traveler. A curious combination that works very well.

Without further ado, I'm going to put on my LED trench coat, turn on a beep (I don't smoke, so I make a wad of paper and put it in my mouth.) and set up my cybernetic scanner to scan Neon Blood.

“The world needs bad men, because they are the ones who keep other bad men away.”

Neon Blood takes us to 2053 to put us in the role of Axel McCoin. This brooding and aggressive detective, addicted to a drug known as Sparkbegins investigating a mysterious series of murders in the city of Blind city. But what seems like a normal homicide case will eventually lead to a complex web of corruption and power whose axis seems to be Emerald Rubythe wealthy businesswoman who controls the city's largest implant company.

With his memory fragmented by the Spark, Axel must get to the bottom of the matter to discover the truth and, at the same time, discover what the link with his past is. All in a city dominated by megacorporations and cybernetic implants.

A disgraced investigator, a femme fatale, a deception, a murder… In fact, the title of ChaoticBrain Studio It contains all the tropes of noir crime cinema.. But that's not a bad thing, far from it. The game He knows exactly what you want and he gives it to youby taking care of its plot and offering a story that keeps you glued to the screen.

Better to ask first and shoot later

At a playable level, We could classify Neon Blood in the narrative adventure genre. However, they have also been added turn-based combat with RPG ethyl. This system is really simple. Mainly, it is based on an alternation between basic attack, defense, use of objects and special abilities. Axel will also acquire new skills as the plot progresses, but automatically. We will not find any menu to manage this progression.

Objectively, we are faced with a bland combat system that doesn't offer much to the game. It feels like this is an aspect of the title that was added at the last minute to conform to canon. The matchups end up boiling down to spamming Axel's strongest attack to crit and combo into defense in the end. In my opinion, they could have done without it and only kept the QTEs after the most important confrontations.

As I mentioned before, where Neon Blood really gains strength is in its narrative part. Even if it is quite linear, it has a very important weight in the game. It's really satisfying to stop and talk to all the characters in the gamewhether they are main or NPC. Each of them has their own lines of dialogue depending on their personality. This gives them so much charisma that, even though the title lacks voice acting, you can even get an idea of ​​how they would speak. Additionally, reading everything will help us resolve conversations to move the case forward.

Pixels and neon lights

On a visual level, Neon Blood features a 2.5D aesthetic, based on the use of 2D pixel-art sprites in 3D modeled environments. This translates to Deep and highly detailed storylines that combine perfectly with the 8-bit designed characters. The variety of NPCs even includes cameos from characters from other major Spanish video games. The icing on the cake, the key moments of the story will be represented by a few animation sequences which are a real delight.

The lighting is not short either. The macro-city of Viridis It is divided into two areas where the story takes place: Blind citywhere neon lights and illuminated signs light up the streets flooded by the incessant rain, and Dust Countythe lower neighborhoods, where the most beautiful things are the sunsets.

In general, The artistic section also plays a fundamental role in the story itself.has. Both neighborhoods perfectly represent the extreme decadence, instability and inequality that exists in this futuristic dystopia. While the rich take refuge in their luxurious penthouses, the poor survive as best they can by selling stolen implants or doing dirty business.

In the streets of Blind City, among ordinary citizens and some who look more like machines than humans due to the number of implants they have, Spark addicts wander. Addicts who, unlike Axel, have almost lost their humanity to drugs and now search the sewers for more of the substance, at the cost of also losing what little sanity they have left. Meanwhile, in Dust County, gangs rule the wastelands ravaged by radiation and solar storms. People are starving and the only recourse is the black market.

In terms of sound, a very well composed group stands out which draws on the best of cyberpunk science fiction to offer a series of 80s style songs with beats synthwave. Music that perfectly matches the atmosphere of the game and the steps of our protagonist through each of the adventure settings.

Eventually

If you like science fiction, futuristic settings and detective series or films, Neon Blood is perfect for you.. ChaoticBrain Studios has managed to develop a very good narrative adventure which perfectly mixes cyberpunk aesthetics and film noir. Even with all the clichés of the genre, its story is really well written and presents us with a wide variety of characters to talk to to find out more about their lives or their personalities.

It is a shame that the high level of development of the story comes up against a Combat too simple, almost boring. However, we must not forget that we are dealing with the work of only 3 developers and that, very often, there are not enough resources to create a complete product. With all this, I am sure that Neon Blood will captivate you with the original design and visual style that the city of Blind City exudes.

*We thank Meridiem Games for providing us with game code to carry out this analysis*