Neva is the newest game from Nomada Studio, distributed by Devolver Digital, released on October 15, 2024. Despite not being a direct sequel to GRIS, a game by the same developers, with strong elements such as gameplay and graphics, the game practically comes as a logical extension to be followed, improved, and enhanced, with more mechanics to be explored and an equally melancholic story.

GRIS, for those who have not explored it yet, is a game that captivated many players, with simple gameplay, extremely beautiful soundtrack and graphics, and a story that touched hearts. That being said, before venturing here, it is definitely worth taking a look at what has already happened in Neva's 'predecessor'.

Keeping the style, Neva will also feature platforms and simple puzzles to be explored, with specific challenges to obtain 'collectibles' from the game for those who wish, however, in this work we will get to know the combat and new mechanics implemented with Neva, the wolf that we will see grow during the story, which will greatly help in the mission of our main character, a young woman named Alba.

In this context, the melancholic narrative is another factor that will persist, after all, it couldn't be different, since Nomada realized the great success in telling something that really touches players at their core. Thus, we experience a bond that becomes increasingly strong and powerful between the characters, while we travel in a world that is approaching its end.
 

Motherhood

One of the main factors of the game is clearly the motherly relationship that our character develops with Neva, watching it grow, raising it in a world that wants to kill you and is heading straight for its end. That being said, we will experience the narrative in chapters, going through seasons of the year and in the beginning, we will have to deal with a rebellious and still very young wolf.

Explain, it will be common for Neva to run away from Alba and we will have to chase him facing puzzles and imminent dangers, however, as the episodes of the story progress, we will see how the relationship between the two becomes fortified, unique, and interdependent, the latter because all the mechanics given to our character are based on an interaction with Neva, with the exception of only the attack and the dodge.
 

This is not actually a problem, this is easily explained by the fact that the developers do not want to complicate your life, so a relatively short gameplay was delivered, lasting about 5 to 6 hours. Thus, their mission here is clearly different, so the commands are simple, basic, just like the puzzles and the combat, in fact, when playing the story mode, you rarely face death.

Properly speaking, these attacks and abilities will not only serve for combat, but also to open paths and reach the 'collectibles' I mentioned earlier. However, this is not a surprise, after all, we are still talking about a platform game, in which progress is basically based on the player's skill and mastery of the commands.
 

Where is the beauty?

Talking about it seems very subjective, however, beauty for me lies in the sum of the artistic style, encompassing both visual and sound (which I will talk about later), and the light gameplay. I mean, even if you are the type of player who likes to speed run all kinds of games or simply does not like to switch to other styles other than yours, here the game will require you to be calm, to enjoy it and really see where the beauty of the game lies here we cannot be in a hurry.

In this perspective, I was also never the biggest fan of a more serene and calm gameplay, but when I met GRIS and Neva maybe you understand what I'm talking about. Observing, living, and feeling the landscapes, the lightness of Alba's actions, and still building a melancholic story is something that was worth experiencing. Particularly, trying to reach all the challenges here was common and I would do it again, without regretting for a second, without any tachycardia or stress, just a serenity that only this style can deliver.

Of course, don't think it will be all roses, this part is indeed the majority of the moments we experience throughout the narrative, but the battles will require strategy and patience, based on trial and error, to overcome these turbulences amidst calmness. At times, separated into chapters, we will face bosses at the end of them with unique characteristics and different strategies to be defeated.
 

If you have not noticed anything I said, it is simply impossible not to notice the visual beauty that this game was delivered, everything is striking, the scenarios, amid the constant end of the world, manage to be beautiful, as well as the movement of our character, the animations of the mechanics delivered besides the stunning scenes when completing a boss or activating some action.

Without exaggeration, everything seems to be a painting, we are inside art, we cross scenarios while creating bonds between characters that become increasingly dependent on each other, with a relationship that becomes more and more beautiful and harmonious as we accompany Neva's growth.
 

Finally, but clearly very important, the soundtrack and sound effects do not fall behind, here we will experience a large part of the immersion that happens with the player, we will feel the calm, the lightness amidst chaos, and we will live the game in our skin. For the developers, I think the idea could not be different, they put their ideas and poured their passions into the work and managed to convey them in this audiovisual feedback.

We thank the Devolver PR team for providing Neva and enabling the creation of this content.

Neva will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, macOS on October 15, 2024.