Having grown up watching the likes of Blade Runner and reading books like Neuromancer and more, the concepts and designs of techno-noir (or cyberpunk, if you’d prefer) have long been something I’ve enjoyed. While they do pop up every now and again, I’m always a bit surprised that more games haven’t embraced at least the distinctive and creative aesthetic it allows for, though there obviously have been some notable ones over the years. Neon Blood, at a glance, does seem to embrace this sort of dirty and yet glowing neon world, but unfortunately its play mechanics aren’t generally as effective.

The shame is that the core story starts out feeling promising. You’re playing as a pretty run down cop who unfortunately got hooked on the potent street drug Spark, which has both harmed his standing with his comrades and almost ruined the implants he has that are essential to him being effective as an officer. The one advantage of this lifestyle is that when it seems that a string of killings may be tied to a former associate of his, he’s able to hit the streets and get info since most of the people there already know him well. You’ll explore the city and interact with people in a style reminiscent of classic side-scrolling adventures, moving between various hot spots as you work through a series of tasks which often feel like busy work.

While, for the most part, the story is at least interesting and fitting for the game’s setting, it’s in a number of other areas where the experience struggles. You’ll spend quite a lot of time getting into conversations with people, only to then need to go back and forth between locations to complete some sort of associated task. While this is a common game mechanic, in this case there’s a little added pain because your character simply moves around in a very heavy fashion and has a tendency to get stuck on the scenery or other small things that can be irritating. When things get more hostile and you need to engage in some combat, the turn-based battles also really fail to make much of an impression. Quite simply, while you’ll have different options available to you over the course of the game, more often than not you’ll simply stick to what works best, and that tends to make skirmishes repetitive and dull. This means that in order to get enjoyment out of the game you really need to be invested in the twists and turns of the story itself, since your ongoing activities simply aren’t very engaging.

Put this all together and Neon Blood is a game oozing with potential, but one that can’t deliver enough originality and consistency to make it all truly shine. If you like the style and story, and are willing to overlook some shortcomings, it may still prove to be of interest. If, however, you’re looking for something that takes those aesthetics and immerses you successfully in a gritty and neon-lit world that’s firing on all cylinders you’re likely to be less impressed. It has elements that do work well enough, but as a whole the gameplay just comes up short.