Published , by Larryn Bell
Published , by Larryn Bell
Those who have the privilege of being parents, whether it be to humans or animals, have a unique understanding of the complex relationship that can form between a child and their caregiver. Nomada Studio, the team behind the heartfelt hit GRIS, explores the nuances of parenthood in Neva, the studio’s latest platforming adventure.
Players take on the role of a young, sword-wielding woman named Alba, who is accompanied by a branch-antlered, white wolf cub named Neva. A tragic encounter early in the game causes Alba to take over as Neva’s guardian, and the two must navigate the world together to defend one another against bizarre creatures and a dark, ominous blight that slowly terminates everything in its path.
Among the game’s most prominent features are its stunning visuals. The game is broken down into chapters that are based on the four seasons. The vivid hues of spring and summer contrast with the bleak, monochrome layers of autumn and winter. Every chapter is packed with visual splendor, with dynamic lighting and a gripping art style that makes even the moodier, less vibrant regions an aesthetic treat. The visuals are underscored by epic background music that sets the tone for each segment.
Neva tells an emotionally charged story about the cyclic nature of life, the responsibilities of nurturing relationships, and the inevitability of change over time, while highlighting the unique challenges that come with parenthood. Initially, Neva starts as a young pup, whose curiosity for life results in a shortened attention span. As Alba, players must keep Neva safe while navigating through the warmer seasons. Neva has limited capabilities early on, meaning it is mostly up to Alba to fend off any impending threats. As Neva grows larger and more capable through the changing seasons, her innate magic capabilities begin to manifest. By fall, Neva will assist Alba in combat by setting up attacks and healing Alba after each fight. Neva will also become noticeably more rebellious and will not always come when beckoned.
Those wondering whether you can pet Neva will be happy to know that not only can you pet the wolf, but interacting with Neva is encouraged and is key to progression. Early on, Neva will easily become distracted, and Alba must call her name to catch her attention and get her back on track. Petting is also a great way to soothe and comfort Neva after certain encounters leave you both a bit shaken.
Once Neva reaches near-adulthood, both Alba and Neva’s fighting capabilities begin to synergize, as Neva becomes much more useful during combat. You will eventually gain the ability to target and direct Neva to attack enemies in the distance, which allows Alba to deal with ground level threats. Neva also learns to phase into and illuminate Alba’s body, essentially turning her into a walking lantern. This made for an interesting use of light and shadows within the darker segments of the game. By winter, Neva grows large enough for Alba to be able to mount and ride her across large distances, streamlining long-distance travel. Although Neva’s capabilities were limited at first, her utility during combat increases steadily over time.
The gameplay in Neva mainly consists of a combination of platforming, fast-paced melee combat, and some light puzzle solving. The more challenging platforming segments will task you with dashing across gaps and clinging to walls to climb to impossible heights. Neva makes great use of verticality, providing worldly depth that a side-scroller like this benefits from.
Alba’s move set mainly consists of swift slashing attacks and the occasional downward thrust when attacking from above. She can also double-jump and dash forward to dodge past enemies and attack from behind. Once Neva is large enough to support Alba during battle, she will heal you after fights and can eventually be commanded to target specific enemies, setting up opportunities for Alba to strike.
The enemies in Neva are gangly, black-clad humanoids with white faces, akin to something out of a Studio Ghibli film. Their presence appears in tandem with a dark entity that deforms and kills animals while slowly consuming the life around it. Some enemies can fly and will attack from the sky, while others may lob objects at you from afar. Most enemies can be dispatched in a few quick swings, but combat gets tricky when you have to juggle multiple enemies coming from different angles. Luckily, the intuitive, simple controls make it easier to get into a rhythm with Alba during combat, especially alongside Neva’s support capabilities.
While Neva’s healing is invaluable, it is not the only means of maintaining your health in the game. As you progress through each chapter, particularly before a boss battle, you will encounter healing totems that restore you to full health when you pass by them. Your health is represented by three flowers at the bottom of the display, and you can regain lost health petals by landing hits on enemies in rapid succession. I found this to be an elegant way to manage one’s health, as it gives the player more control over healing without having to depend as much on the delayed heal from Neva or the sparsity of healing totems.
While most of the puzzle solving in the game involves figuring out how to navigate across a series of platforms, there are some instances where you are tasked with reorganizing objects to create a path forward. As such, there is no real need for a hint system to help you out of a tough situation. Many of the required puzzles are easy enough to figure out, with the real challenge coming from your own platforming dexterity. While I am usually all for making environmental puzzles more challenging in games, in this case I don’t feel that making the puzzle-solving more difficult would have added to the game in a significant way. The puzzles are just enough to break up the monotony of combat with a chance for ingenuity.
Neva features two difficulty settings: Adventure Mode, which offers an average amount of challenge and is the standard way to experience the game, and Story Mode, which removes the health bar entirely, allowing you to play without the fear of dying. Players can swap between difficulty modes on the fly at any time from within the pause menu. While I feel that Adventure Mode is the optimal way to experience Neva, Story Mode is a great option for players who may be struggling with combat or some of the more difficult platforming sections. It is also suggested to play using a controller or gamepad, but I felt that Neva’s keyboard controls were plenty responsive and should work just fine for most PC players.
By spring, Neva’s narrative arc comes full circle, after delving into themes of growth, loss, and renewal. Just as Alba and Neva’s bond begins to fully blossom, the story comes to a close, which admittedly left me wanting more. There isn’t much replayability with Neva, besides pursuing the flower collectibles hidden throughout the game, but the conclusive ending makes replaying a bit unnecessary. I would have liked to have had a longer experience with Neva as an adult wolf with fully realized magic abilities, but the game’s brevity is consistent with the themes it touches on and makes for a digestible game that does not overstay its welcome.
Neva, as a symbol of life itself, mirrors the inevitability of change, making the journey feel like a personal allegory for parenthood and the passage of time. In many ways, Neva ends just as it begins, with a poignant reflection on the cycle of life. Although the experience is brief–credits roll after about 5-6 hours–the impact of Neva lingers long after, making it a great choice for those looking to get emotionally gut-punched by a visually stunning and mechanically concise platforming adventure game.
This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. Neva will launch on Oct. 15 for $19.99 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.