Neon White

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At almost 6 hours in and at the end of Mission 11 of 12, the game feels nice. The gameplay and soundtrack fit well together. The writing/dialogue is reminiscent of cartoons from the 2000s, from the cutscene conversations to an optional fan service moment at a beach that reminds me of Black Lagoon. If that's not desired, the fast-forward button is a good option. The game starts off slower as it introduces different cards and course obstacles, though there is depth in how you can use the cards you're given to bypass some sections of level. The one level that really gets tiresome is in the mid-to-late game, the second fight against Green at the temple. For a guy who wants to duel you, he really spends 90% of the fight evading, before finally springing a death machine high up after 3-4 minutes of nonstop chasing. There are moments in the late-game where this feels like Ultrakill, in that you have clever ways to use cards/equipment to instantly destroy sections of level and get to the finish quickly, and there are moments in Mission 9 and 10 where you're finally rushing around at full speed with precise speedrun inputs, shoot this, leap up to that, rocket jump here, bounce off this, dash to the finish. Mission 11 adds teleportation to the mix, which feels like Boomerang X. It is satisfying to get everything just right. At that point though, with the tight spaces, deadly enemies, and precise shots required, the game feels less like a fast-paced 3D platformer, and almost like a souls-like, with little room for error before you have to restart. I started on controller, but switched to keyboard and mouse about an hour in since more precise turns and aiming is needed. Edit: The first trailer video makes this seem like Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, with a single guy acting as executioner challenging heaven itself, but the moment you step into the game you find it has a much more lighthearted atmosphere which again, reminds me of Black Lagoon. The second trailer hints at this, optional content around giving gifts to people and bonding with them. That's probably necessary to getting the "good" ending. Edit 2: Finished the game to get the Book of Death ending. I love the way each character leaves their mark, Violet with the tripwires and Red with the rocket jumps. Though it overstays its welcome when you see tripwires late in the game, it's fun to see the final levels of each mission have some wild movie setpiece-like experiences, very fun. Don't think I'll be collecting the 65 gifts though for the Book of Life ending, I stopped after Mission 1's gifts.