Neon Inferno review

Neon Inferno feels like the natural evolution of what Zenovia Interactive learned from Steel Assault. Flaunting responsive controls, a variety of 2D action, and gorgeous pixel art everything has been intensified for this trek through a vibrant cyberpunk warzone. Largely, Steel Assault feel like a co-op rush. But Neon Inferno doubles down on the spectacle and mechanical variety, constantly threatening to overwhelm your senses. As such, Inferno is nearly essential for arcade-era aficionados.

If you appreciate dense set-pieces, Zenovia is going to give your retinas a through workout. Sure, stages might not be sustained, but they’re overwhelmingly intense gauntlets, where the foreground juggles platforming while threats dart around the backdrop. It’s the same kind of pattern and peril reading that made Steel Assault shine. But now, there are even more moving parts. And while there’s a sense of flow baked into each level, systems like dual‑plane shooting and elaborate boss phases let the team flex.

As someone who 1CCed the NES version of Contra as a kid, it definitely took some time to adjust to the amount of on-screen activity. Fortunately, you can dial back the difficulty from the default Hard settings. The downside is that you’ll need to start a new save file for Medium or even Novice modes.

Going Off the Rails on a Double Plane

Determinedly, Neon Inferno is a hybrid. There’s traditional 2D running‑and‑gunning as you’re jumping, sliding, and melee‑countering in the foreground. Meanwhile, you’ll be mostly immobile (you can still jump) as you’re taking aim at distant enemies in the background. Deflecting bullets back at foes, swapping focus between planes, and deciding when to stand still for gallery shooting versus when to keep moving creates a captivating tension, once you grow accustomed. So instead of memorizing the instances of single-plane aggression, you’ll have to double up, which ratchets up the intensity.

For some players that intensity may border on excess. Inferno rarely gives you a moment to breathe, filling every frame with multitasking and enemy pressure. Even veterans of hardcore action titles might find themselves struggling to parse everything at once, especially in boss battles and later stages where hazards can fill both planes simultaneously. The game’s unrelenting pace is exhilarating but can also be exhausting, rewarding those who are patient enough to sink hours into taming its rhythms.

Better Buy that Homing Attack

With its appreciation for pulpy sprites, busy backdrops, and bold strips of color, Neon Inferno is a visual powerhouse. The actions so hectic, you might not immediately appreciate the detail. But it’s there, from the spectators scurrying away from a John Wick-style firefight to the contrasting contours of police, yakuza, and civilian bikes in the obligatory vehicular segments.

Fortunately, there’s a bullet-time mechanic that lets you appreciate the strong sprite-work, reflecting enemy shots in controlled directions. As you’re bullet-bending your way through the game’s six stages, you might even have time to admire the CRT filters and evocative lighting. Meanwhile, the soundtrack blends noire saxophone and propelling arpeggios, that matches the game’s deliberate (but mercifully not hectic) pacing. When it comes to performance, Inferno cooks, effortlessly putting out sixty frames-per-second on older laptops and portables like Steam Deck.

Two Guns Are Better (But More Chaotic) Than One

Best of all, you can bring another player in for a co-op scramble, recalling the era when Bill and Lance stormed the Galuga archipelago. Like Contra, Angelo or Mariana are functionally equivalent, sharing the same handling and a comparable loadout. Appreciatively, the difficulty scales proportionally, as two guns amplify the on-screen intensity. When playing with a partner, reading the screen became a bit tougher.

Neon Inferno is a showcase of Zenovia’s escalating ambition. Much like its predecessor, this is relentlessly stylish and mechanically sophisticated revisit of 90’s-era action. Sure, the title can occasionally verge on sensory overload. But Inferno longs to dazzle, delight, and catch you in the middle of its intense crossfires.

Neon Inferno was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.