NEONomicon

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:D

NEONomicon is yet another of literally thousands of 2D retro pixel platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere. This is a very poorly made platformer slapped together by filling out templates in the Unity Corgi Engine/platformer construction kit, so there's not a lot of real game development that took place here. As a platformer, it's got that schtick/gimmick where you can only see a small area around you and some illuminated spots on the map, so it's punishingly difficult and just results in a lot of trial and error to get to the exit for each level... something gamers never really bothered with, because it's not fun. More on the player counts for this game later, let's first just address why this is a terrible game in terms of the technical implementation.

From a technical perspective, the game doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard.

There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customise the graphics settings. There's no way for gamers to ensure this is running at the native resolution of their displays... there's no guarantee this game will look right on any PC as a result of this hamfisted design decision. There's no way for gamers to try improve the low quality graphics.

The game features somewhat lazy, simplistic 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low effort Flash/browser games and mobile apps. Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.

The controls can't be customised, which will be an annoyance for many, but it can also render the game unplayable for differently-abled gamers.

While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting edge graphics. There's 10's of thousands of PC games on Steam, and PC gamers deserve only the best. This might not appeal to many gamers due to the lack of PC-centric design. It's unclear why this game was never accepted on the video game console appliances it seems to have been designed for.

These technical defects push this game below acceptable standards for any modern PC game.

You don't have to take my word about how bad the game is, we can measure the interest in a game by how much people bothered to play it. NEONomicon has achievements, and they show us a very clear picture that the game absolutely failed to capture any interest from gamers. The most commonly and easily attained achievement is for starting the game, and only around 6 percent of players bothered to get that far before uninstalling the game. That's a tiny, tiny proportion of gamers who even bothered launching this game, even though they own it! Ouch. The wonder of game bundles, I guess. But wait, there's more!

Reviewing SteamDB to check how popular this game was with players reveals a surprise... there's a very healthy spike in player counts for the game, but this directly contradicts the achievment count that shows only 6% of gamers who own this ever played the game! How is this possible? The data conflicts! The answer: Card idling. The player count spike for the game only appeared around the same time that trading cards were applied to the game... so this is just card idlers getting their cards and moving on. Idling the game using a card idler won't trigger the achievement for launching the game. That explains the disparity, and it's also damning for the quality of the game itself.

A closer look at the numbers shows the game just has a couple of players every week running up the game and idling it for cards, then deleting it. The game doesn't demonstrate any true popular appeal with gamers, most likely due to the reasons raised in this review.

NEONomicon is relatively cheap at $2 USD, but it's not worth it. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, this is impossible to recommend.

card

WARNING

Game doesn't support 4:3 aspect ratio

6/10

While the game start off ok, the absence of light that is a major factor setting it apart from most platformers proves to be an annoyance that ruins a major part of the experience. Can't say that I enjoyed it and I unfortunately can only say its ok for its ultra-low price, but precious diamonds aplenty have I played for that same amount of money...

:)

Good idea, bad execution. The game looks nice, has a good presentation and it's ultra-cheap, but the gameplay is disappointing (and quite glitchy).

It feels like SuperMeatBoy, but without any of the features that make it fun. The game intentionally leaves you in the dark (pun intended), all the way. You are in a "maze" with 25 rooms, spread on a 5x5 grid and one of the rooms is the exit. The game never tells you any of that.

My main complaint is that the game claims to be a minimalistic puzzle game, but it confuses minimalism with an absolute lack of information and the most puzzling element is figuring out what you need to do. I only finished it by sheer spite and it still pushed my stubbornness to previously unknown limits.

In NEOnomicon the devs tried to do something different. Usually, I don't like to punish developers who avoid the comfort zone of established formulas, but sadly this time, the result simply didn't pay off.

if you;re boring... and just want to chill/relax 1 hour.. maybe its a good choise..
+cards
+achievs

Although it looks really good, NEONomicon gets boring quite rapidly. After traversing though a couple of rooms I still had no idea what to do and to what purpose. Apparently I just have to find the exit of the maze...?!? The game quite honestly adversizes itself as minimalistic, so yeah I shouldn't complain about that.
Because there is not even a save system, you have to complete the maze in a single sitting, which apparently can take several hours. Sorry, but no thanks, cuz ain't nobody got time for that, right?

Admittedly not a fan of "blind jumps, the video game"

Nor am I a fan of the wonky jump physics, the fact that dying can make rooms harder instead of easier, and the lack of wonder the game instills.

NEONomicon was intriguing upon first glance, but the gameplay fails to deliver.

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Neat game!

NEONomicon is simple yet impressive. This game is not the type of game for people who rage easily.
As the player, you are able to do three things: move, jump, and create flares. Whether you're playing on a keyboard or controller, the game teaches you these three mechanics when you first enter and it's up to you to use them to get through each map.
There are six colored maps that you'll encounter, each with their own "theme" (enemy heavy, canon heavy, jump heavy, etc.). Every new map you enter is not lit, even if you're entering a map that you've already encountered. You light the maps up by using flares, dying by spikes, or dying by saw blades.
You collect little squares in specific locations on the map in order to generate more energy to use a flare. Each square gives you 50 energy, but the more flares you use, the more energy you'll need to generate a new flare. When you die on a spike, your whole body stays there and lights that specific spot. When you die by a saw blade, your body disperses into little bits that still light the map, but create a glitch effect when you touch them. Dead bodies and debris are useful, but it might stack up and actually hinder you while you're trying to make it through the map.
There are several aggrivating aspects to the game that aren't related to the gameplay. The numbers in the upper left corner aren't explained, but they're important to know in order to manage your resources, know which room your in, and know when and where the exit is which is pretty important to know if you want beat the game. Sometimes the glitching from your debris causes unwarranted death. The most infuriating thing that I've encountered while playing this game is how sometimes you get trapped in or fall through the floors which I'm hoping is just because of glitches and isn't something that is a part of the game.
With those cons aside, the game itself is really fun. The concept of the game is something that you don't see very often. It's not done as a gimmick, but as a way to enhance this minimalistic puzzle platformer. The game has a certain amount of replayability with the starting location changing and the maps being in different orders each time you reload the game. If you can get past the initial rage of dying a couple hundred times, the learning curve isn't too bad. Also once you start getting used to the maps, you can impress your friends by getting through it without using flares or needing to die. For anyone who likes challenging puzzle platformers, I recommend this game.

simple gameplay i like it

Difficult but interesting game. You're running for a glowing square and trying to get out of the maze.
Music is horrible, but you can turn it off. I bought at a discount. I recommend to everyone.

This is the type of game you will either enjoy for the challenge or hate for how unforgiving it is.

You can find 35 minutes of gameplay with commentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QfCFxBTZjU

NEONomicon is a puzzle platformer where the word "minimalistic" is a fair descriptor.

Before begining ask yourself:

Am I fine with dying over and over, then over some more?
Do I enjoy games with no exposition, so I need to figure it out all myself?
Is the need to remember the layout of a level just to get through it something I can handle?

If the answer is NO to those questions, this game is NOT for you.

There isn't much to say about this game, as it is a simple premise. You start in the dungeon in a random location (the 1st room is always the same) and the goal is to find where the exit is. The dungeon is a 5x5 grid of levels, with each level having 4 entry/exit points. You need to work your way through the dungeon, checking each exit point until you find the correct one. Each time the game is loaded, the layout of the the dungeon changes with the rooms shuffled and it appears that there are more room variations when you see in a single dungeon, so the game offers a large amount of replayability.

There is no save system though, so allow at least an hour to attempt a playthrough. There are 2 types of enemy in the game (I have seen), a small version you can kill by jumping on them and a large version you cant. There are also 2 types of traps, spikes that kill you and leave your body behind and a cog that cuts you up into 4 pieces. On top of that each stage is in the dark and the only constant light is from the player, as well as a slight glow from any dead bodies on a stage. You can drop light orbs, but this ability must be recharged via collectables.

I have enjoyed the challenge, and in 4 hours have got to the exit once. While I feel the player would benefit from a save system, I can understand that it would hamper the playstyle the developer is going for. The gameplay will limit people interested in the game, and the lack of a save might reduce that pool of players further - so I would suggest to the developer to add one in (if its there, I haven't found it).

All that said, I have enjoyed the game and feel its good value for under $2.