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A Hard Boiled Thriller With Gangster Kitties - Tales of the Neon Sea Review

17K View2022-10-02

Yep, I couldn’t resist. I had to go back to Tales of the Neon Sea. If you remember, a few months back, I wrote an absolutely riveting list of detective games you must try, and this beaut definitely made it. So, why not go back and give it the love it deserves? Well, your wait is over.

Tales of the Neon Sea is a cyberpunk puzzler developed by Palm Pioneer. The game tells the story of grizzled detective Rex Mist, an alcoholic badass equipped with super-awesome cyber augmentations in the year 2140. The first thing you’ll probably notice about Tales of the Neon Sea are the retro-styled pixelated graphics. Now, it could be stated that many games are overdependent on pixelation these days in place of creating something with current, up-to-date graphics, but I found the artwork in Tales of the Neon Sea to be really atmospheric. It reminds me of film noir and the pulp magazines of the 1940s, not to mention Blade Runner, the original cyberpunk detective OG. If you’re a fan of retro-style games, you’ll definitely dig the 2D side-scrolling mechanics of Tales of the Neon Sea, but when it comes to the story, this game is no slouch either.

The game wasted no time throwing me into the action when I was immediately chased by a shadowy figure I can only describe as death wearing a plague mask. This put me on edge, and suddenly I thought, umm... is this a horror game? Despite this initial terror, those that hate horror games should have no fear. Tales of the Neon Sea is more puzzler than an absolute fright fest. And what a puzzler it is! To the game’s credit, real variety is offered in the puzzles offered. Finding objects, investigating crime scenes, and pulling random leavers are all on the table in this adventure.

The narrative in Tales of the Neon Sea is essentially a linear one. Playing as Rex, you’re a former detective running around and solving mysteries that range from as lighthearted as curing a hangover to more hardcore crimes like murder. You’ll find items to use in specific areas and jot down clues in the handy notebook, which can then be used to recall mysteries and hints at later stages of the game. This is where Tales of the Neon Sea is pretty unique. As the game progresses, you get flashbacks of previous mysteries, and Rex has a harder time discerning what’s real and what’s not. This cool addition managed to bring a bit more depth to the plot.

I was happy with the overall arch in Tales of the Neon Sea’s narrative, but it did manage to hit a few cliches typical of the cyberpunk genre. I’ll avoid spoilers, but robots gaining independence and the whole Westworld/Blade Runner vibe was a theme I picked on.

Rex isn’t the only protagonist of the game, however. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the deuteragonist, a cat named William who you’ll take control of during various sections of the game. You can even solve little cat puzzles!

I can’t help but draw a comparison to the Batman: Arkham series in some of the mechanics of how the game is played. I got a kick out of investigating crime scenes and examining objects for evidence. One of the things I really appreciated about Tales of the Neon Sea was how sound was utilized to gain my attention. Moving closer to objects of note, such as a window, to hear the sounds of the city adds another dimension to the game’s experience.

Although I highly recommend checking Tales of the Neon Sea out, one thing that frustrated me was the puzzles. Yes, I know that I mentioned earlier that to the game’s credit, the amount of variety in the puzzles was awesome, and this remains true. Nevertheless, often times I found myself frustrated by the timing of puzzles. When I simply wanted to stick to the main plot, it almost felt like the puzzles were more busy work than necessary. Although this affected the pacing of Tales of the Neon Sea, I still had fun playing it.

Tales of the Neon Sea is a fun game with some great puzzles to solve. The entire atmosphere, from the sound to the graphics, really brought out the cyberpunk element and drew me in from the beginning. However, if you’re a bigger fan of narrative than the puzzle aspects, you might be frustrated with the sheer volume of puzzles offered. Tales of the Neon Sea is well worth downloading if you can handle that.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Detective Games. Did I mention I did an entire piece on some of my favorite detective games? Well, if you’re as big a fan of the genre as I am, you should take my advice and download Tales of the Neon Sea.

• Puzzlers. If you’re a fan of puzzle games, you’ll like the variety Tales of the Neon Sea has to offer.

💬 Did you enjoy playing Tales of the Neon Sea? And what are some cool detective games worth playing? Let me know!

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