Gris is a beautiful adventure-platforming game, and it's an easy reference when discussing how video games can be art. With it, Nomada Studio made the game it wanted to make, and the game was all the better for it. The same goes for its upcoming title, Neva. It's the game Nomada wants to make, and with full backing from Devolver Digital, the studio has taken the time to make Neva yet another beautiful, evocative, and deep game.
At a recent event in Barcelona, Spain, The Best War Games played through a 30-minute demo of Neva. The last Neva preview covered the first forty or so minutes of the game, whereas this one took us to the second chapter. Neva, the titular white wolf, has grown and is more curious than she was as a pup, whereas Alba continues to guide her along this journey. Inspired by the developers having children, Neva is very much about the growth of a child and the relationship between child and parent. Whereas Gris was about the five stages of grief and bringing color into an otherwise grey world, Neva is about the purity and innocence of children growing up in a dying, decaying world.
Neva is a Sight to Behold
Anyone familiar with Gris' art style will feel at home in Neva, as the two are closely connected here. Each level is hand drawn at Nomada, allowing the art to have the same presence in each game. However, Neva feels less muted and more evocative than Gris, if only because of their concepts, but that doesn't mean fans should expect a happy-go-lucky experience. The world of Neva is dying, with enemies made of a Marvel Symbiote-like black fluid, and that fluid is spreading across the levels, destroying them and sometimes specifically trying to cause harm to Neva and Alba. As Alba, players feel the need to protect Neva, but Neva is also growing and capable of this herself.
In the first preview, Neva had to be taught, helped, and coaxed to move through the dangerous environment. That was no longer the case. Not only was she bigger, but she was more curious. She would often bark and run ahead, making us think she wanted us to follow her. However, she'd just disappear, and we'd find her later chewing on one of the enemies; then, there would be times when she did want us to follow her. She was curious, investigative, and caring, often keeping us on our toes with every action just like a parent-child relationship. She's not at her full strength or size yet, but she still helps out in combat.
Neva's combat is rather simplistic, with a simple button press seeing Alba swing her sword while aiming in a direction can result in downward attacks, back attacks, and the like. Nomada told us that Neva needed combat in order to show more of the relationship between Alba and Neva: that Alba is willing to go to any lengths to defend Neva. At her size, we were able to take out basic enemies side by side, almost as if we were playing a co-op game, and she would be able to help us with the more boss enemy-like encounters.
This overall growth of Neva is beautifully connected to the seasons, with each one sort of corresponding with its core concept of growth. This specific chapter was summer, where children are supposed to be happy and carefree. With Neva's actions, it's easy to see how the two relate, creating this beautiful connection between the story of Neva and the world around her.
Neva's Combat and Puzzles Are More Challenging Than You Think
Neva is neither a Soulsvania game nor particularly hard, but that doesn't mean it's without challenges. Indeed, Neva leverages its strengths to ensure that players are constantly playing against the dying world around them. For example, the level was structured around us finding two orbs to summon a giant totem-like structure, and each orb required us to solve platforming puzzles. One of those puzzles seemed rather simple at first: just from platform to platform to make it to the orb. Mid-jump, however, and Neva pulls the carpet out from under us as an earthquake strikes - separating those platforms even more. As we advanced throughout this section, the earthquakes would continuously strike as we moved our way through. Of course, this would occur more randomly elsewhere in the level, keeping us on our toes for every single jump.
The other platforming puzzle saw us having to restructure a small set of ruins, rushing from one side of them to the next to reach the highest point and requiring us to try it a couple of times to memorize the exact pattern. More pressure was put on a later platforming puzzle that put the two together: as the darkness climbed upward and tried to claim us, we had to race through an upward, earthquake-ridden series of jumps.
Woven into these experiences is the peaceful, artistic experience of Neva, but there's also the combat. Neva would take out a few of them, then we would, and then we'd do it at the same time. Knocking enemies off platforms alongside Neva is a genuinely fun experience, and her AI is top-notch in terms of just gameplay. Where she'd rely on us for defense is against giant amalgamations of these enemies, where we'd rely on dodge rolls to constantly barrage with attacks. A later encounter saw us facing two of those, and Neva would do her best to keep one off of us as we fought the other. She's still inexperienced, so it sometimes required us to manage two of these enemies when one is definitely enough.
There is a story mode for those who don't care for the specific challenge inherent to Neva's design. However, it's worth noting that its "normal" mode gives Alba three hearts. She can recharge these by damaging enemies.
There were also flying enemies that required us to jump in the air, air-dash toward, and hit while ensuring we landed on the ground beneath or sometimes behind us. In addition to flying at us to deal damage, they could create these shockwaves on the ground that we had to jump above and dodge. This challenge ramped up through the demo when we faced two of them and then even more when we faced a continuous horde of them.
At the end of the day, Neva feels like it takes everything Gris did, adds in a secondary companion and combat, and pushes that same envelope even further. It captures the behavior of a child and the parent-child relationship perfectly, adds in the worry over their safety in a dark and changing world, and delivers on the same evocative experience as Gris. Indeed, if someone enjoyed Gris, then it's a safe bet they'll enjoy Neva all the same, if not more.
Neva releases October 15 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S. The Best War Games was provided travel and lodging for the purposes of this preview.
Neva
- Released
- October 15, 2024
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nomada Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- Unity
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
WHERE TO PLAY
Neva is an emotionally-charged action adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS.
Neva chronicles the story of Alba, a young woman bound to a curious wolf cub following a traumatic encounter with dark forces. Together they embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around them.
Over time, their relationship will evolve as they learn to work together, helping one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations. The wolf will grow from a rebellious cub to an imposing adult seeking to forge her own identity, testing Alba’s love and their commitment to one another.
As the cursed world threatens to overwhelm them, Alba and her courageous companion will do whatever it takes to survive and make a new home, together.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle
