"The most video-game video game we could possibly make": Neon White developer discusses the backstory behind the wacky indie title

sportskeeda.com:

I was excited to pick up Neon White when I saw its trailer, even though I have never been good at the kind of game that requires completing objectives as fast as possible. There is something deeply alluring about the way the title goes about the basic mechanics through card-based weapons, wacky characters, and refreshing levels.

The indie game quickly became one of the best I have played this year and one that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Thus, I was delighted to get the opportunity to engage with Ben Esposito of Angel Matrix, regarding the making of Neon White, its mechanics, and the burning question of whether a multiplayer option was ever considered.

Ben: Neon White is a single-player speedrunning FPS, where you can sacrifice your guns for godlike parkour moves. It's a bit of a first-person shooter, platformer, time trial game, and puzzle game. All that and an anime-inspired visual novel about dead assassins in Heaven.

Ben: Neon White's presentation is highly influenced by Y2K-era video games and anime. It's meant to be the most 'video-game' video game we could possibly make. However, it's not really based on a particular game or genre. Some influences include Jumping Flash (the grandfather of first-person platformers), Super Monkey Ball, Team Fortress Jump Maps, Danganronpa, and Lovely Planet.

Ben: It all started with a prototype I created in 2018, a card-based FPS. I wasn't happy with how it was working out, but at the last second, I tried out the concept of discarding a card in order to get a special ability (the very first one was the Elevate card, which gives you a second jump).

I sent the prototype to a friend, and an hour later, they sent back a list of their best times. We were hooked on competing