Plox Neon is a game developed by Desert Owl Games that takes inspiration from Qix, an 80s arcade game in which the goal was to claim areas of the screen to earn more points.
Here things work in a similar way: you control (with any of the directional inputs) a small character whose goal is to cut off parts of the board. The bigger the area cut, the higher the score. But there are also enemies to worry about, and touching them or letting them touch the trail the character leaves while cutting the board means certain death, although cornering and “capturing” enemies results in a score bonus, creating a risk-and-reward factor.
The concept is simple and works well, although at the start it may seem a little too easy; with the addition of new types of enemies in later stages things get more interesting, forcing more strategic thinking. The problem is that over the game’s 60 levels there is no change at all in the game’s dynamics, which creates a lot of repetition. Some stages have more elaborate layouts and take advantage of enemy behavior, but the game never explores this in greater depth.
There are a few small bugs on the technical side, especially in collision detection. The enemies’ reach seems arbitrary at times, resulting in some frustration over unexpected deaths, and sometimes the character’s trail isn’t registered, which really hurts in some of the trickier levels. There are also noticeable framerate drops when the game makes heavy use of the particle effect, and on one occasion the level didn’t end even with 100% completed.
As for the visuals, the game does a decent job. The visual effects are simple, but the neon aesthetic is pleasant and gives the game a charm. The characters’ look is very reminiscent of microorganisms, although the game doesn’t put this in context. Now, the great highlight of Plox Neon is its retro techno-style soundtrack. The songs are great and match the visuals perfectly, with beats that contribute a lot to giving the game dynamism.
The game is available in Portuguese, but the localization leaves a lot to be desired, with several odd terms or completely out of context ones, despite containing very little text. It isn’t serious given the simplicity of the menus, but it certainly disappoints.
Plox Neon is easy and fun to play, but quite simplistic. It is clear that with a bit more effort and polish from the developer the result would have been a standout game, just like its soundtrack. It works as a pastime, just don’t expect too much.
Fun: 6.0
Audiovisual: 6.0
Mechanics: 5.0
PlayStation 4 version
Max Xavier
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