[Review] Neon Junctions - The Switch Effect

Neon Junctions

Nintendo Switch

Reviewed by: Senpavo

Developed by: 9 Eyes Game Studio

Published by: Ratalaika Games

Category: First-Person, Puzzle

Release Date: June 07, 2019

Vaporwave has become a new trend in the current years, and it’s starting to get in videogames too. And Neon Junctions is one of those.

Neon Junctions is a first-person puzzle game, filled with vibes from the eighties and vaporwave music. As the name suggests, it’s all about…neon junctions! The player must place cyan neon boxes on the circuits in order to conduct electricity where it’s needed and proceed to the next level. Those cubes can be found anywhere throughout the level, as long as they are on a grey, cyan or red squares. If a square is red, it means that there is electricity flowing through it, if it is cyan there is no electricity yet, and if it is grey it can be used as a surface to put the cyan blocks on to create a circuit.

There are 35 levels in total, and every now and then, a new mechanic is introduced, such as platforms that can be activated or neon spheres that can be transported from a pod to another and be used as an energy source. But the objective is always the same: reach the pad and go to the next level.

The game has some noticeable flaws. First of all, it’s very short. It lasts about one hour and a half and the levels can be completed in a few minutes. Not only that, but they are very easy, except for the last ones. Due to that, the game does not have any replay value.
But if you are looking for a game that you can beat in one go, this might just be it. Just remember to change the controls in the settings and put the sensitivity to almost the maximum, or your cursor will move as fast as a turtle.

Despite those flaws, the visuals are pretty (but repetitive) and colorful, the neon aesthethics fit the puzzle-solving gameplay, and the music is nice and fits the game completely. The puzzle design, despite being easy, is accessible and solid, and I am sure that the players will have fun in resolving the puzzles. All it takes is a few seconds to look at the puzzles to see what you have to do, even if at times you may need to look a little bit deeper in the level to see what exactly you need to do.
The “harder” levels really aren’t that hard: it might take a few minutes more and a bit of trial and error, but in the end, it will really not be a big feat.

My biggest complaint is that there isn’t a level editor and the possibility to share levels online. This game could have been one of the best puzzle games out there if it had the possibility to share your own levels online, and it is really unfortunate that it does not. Also, having some sort of collectibles scattered around the map, achievements or even a story would have done wonders for the game and its lack of replayability.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a cheap puzzle game or a game that you can beat in one sitting, this is the game for you. Just don’t expect too much from it!

3/5