Neva

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Gris + Neva Bundle, along with Gris.)

I don’t think we can talk about Neva without first talking about Gris, the previous game from developer Nomada Studio released all the way back in 2018. Gris was a gorgeous game that presented players with an abstract world filled with symbolism representing a woman working her way through some unspecified grief. When I talk about Gris, I tend to describe it more as an audiovisual experience, because while there is platforming gameplay in Gris, it’s not especially noteworthy, and not really the point of the game. The point, in my opinion, is the beautiful experience.

I feel like this was somewhat divisive for those who played the game. While some players like me really enjoyed the game, others were disappointed at the way Gris made its gameplay a secondary consideration. Nomada Studio seems to have taken those criticisms to heart – Neva, which has a lot in common with Gris, is an Action-Platformer, and features dodge-centric melee combat as one of the core gameplay elements, making this more of an “actual game”. The Action-Platformer gameplay here is good, too, and while I don’t think this is anything that’s going to revolutionize the genre, it does raise the challenge level and give players something noteworthy to do other than gawk at the beauty of the game.

What’s more, the addition of a double-jump and air dash, and level design that pushes players to use these mechanics, makes the platforming stronger here too. The game is very forgiving too, so players who die to an enemy or fall in a chasm can retry again and again without penalty until they get it right.

Having said all that… yeah, this is still mainly about taking in the game’s wonderful beauty, even if this time around it’s far less abstract – players take the role of a woman named Alba (or so the eShop description tells us, I don’t think we ever see or hear her name in-game) who is the caretaker of a magical antlered white wolf cub after its mother is slain by creatures borne of a dark corrupting black substance. The game follows the pair through the seasons as the cub grows and as the duo fights off more corrupt creatures as these creatures cause the world around them to fall into decay.

Personally, I prefer the more abstract story of Gris, but I can’t deny the appeal of this more fantastical story of a woman and her adopted wolf (with plenty of adorable pupper moments), even if the only word of that story is the wolf’s name, Neva, which Alba repeatedly calls out through the course of that story. It’s kinda’ a pity Alba doesn’t speak more, as her voice acting is excellent, and the one word she does say takes on numerous different tones depending on the context of the situation.

However, what made Gris so amazing continues to be amazing here – Neva is absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom. This game’s 2D visuals are filled with immense detail, are painterly in the way they look, bursting with stark colors, impeccable use of lighting, and with characters that animate extremely fluidly and even have some wonderful little character moments like Neva’s wolf-like mannerisms. A lot of this game’s visual elements seem clearly inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli (especially Princess Mononoke, with some Spirited Away), while still creating something distinctly new. What’s more, the game’s natural environments take on wonderfully different character in each of the seasons the game progresses through, but even more than that, the way the game depicts the world around you falling prey to the corruption has its own sort of beauty too.

Of course, it’s not just the visuals, either. Composer Berlinist has returned to bring yet another powerful soundtrack using a mix of piano, acoustic guitar, some synthesized elements, some orchestral elements, and even some choral parts, that perfectly fits the awe and beauty the visuals inspire as well as the tension of the more action-focused scenes, with some good examples including Glowing Days, Something Hidden, King of Corrupted, and Lovers Ballad.

Overall, it’s hard to say which I enjoy more between Gris and Neva. I think that Gris’ focus on the presentation elements over gameplay is more “pure”, if that makes sense, but I also think that presentation has been evolved here and takes on an even greater beauty. And while I don’t think the Action-Platformer gameplay and platforming treads any new or especially-noteworthy ground, I still find it enjoyable and a welcome way to mix up the gameplay. And I suppose… if adding these elements means that the people who complained about the lack of these sorts of things in Gris can enjoy Neva, then that can only be a positive change.

tl;dr – Neva is a stunning Action-Platformer about a woman and her adopted white wolf cub fighting off an evil corruption. The gameplay here is good, and more substantial than this developer’s previous work, Gris. But the focus here is still on the absolutely beautiful presentation. In any case, this is a stunning game that is absolutely not to be missed.

Grade: A

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Graphical Style – Everything in Neva is a visual feast for the eyes, from a painterly world filled with beautiful color and extremely striking lighting to its amazing, fluid animation. Following in the footsteps of Gris may have been a hard act to follow, but Neva was absolutely up to the task.

Runner-Up: Game of the Year, Best Platformer, Best Music, Best Voice Acting

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