NEVA the new game Nomada Studio is here, 6 years since Nomada Studio released Gris. Gris was one of the best games I played way back in 2018 and as such, when I heard that Nomada Studio were releasing a new game soon, I jumped at the opportunity to give their new game a try.
My excitement and faith in Nomada Studio was well placed too. Neva is a must-play game and it’s truly fantastic seeing how Nomada Studio have once again crafted such a beautiful video game from start to finish.
Neva
The game self-describes itself as a moving tale of a young woman and her lifelong bond with a wolf as they embark on a journey through a rapidly dying world. This however doesn’t even big to scratch the surface as to why Neva is such a great game. This is once again, visual storytelling perfected. Much like how Gris set the bar so high back in the day, Neva does the same for platformer puzzle games in 2024.
Players will start the game and be treated to a visually beautiful animated scene that really sets the tone of the game. A bird soaring up in the clouds suddenly drops down to the ground and a swordswoman and her wolf companion show up. Suddenly more birds start dropping like rain and an encroaching darkness appears. Your wolf companion fights off some of this darkness and without spoiling too much, the game puts you in the shoes of Alba, the swordswoman seen in the cutscene.
Soon enough you’ll be out adventuring into the unknown with Neva, a wolf pup that shares a bond with you. Players will of course be able to pet Neva and this mechanic serves the dual purpose of commanding or calling Neva too.
The gameplay revolves around puzzle platforming much like in Nomada Studios‘ previous game Gris. Though while Gris focused on some more intricate puzzle solving, Neva mixes some extremely straightforward combat with jumping, dodging and platforming. Progressing throughout each of the game’s chapters involves traversing dangerous obstacles, opening up new paths and defeating foes while exploring an absolutely gorgeous art-styled world.
Neva the wolf pup accompanies you on your journey and plays an integral role here. Neva makes use of visual storytelling at its finest. The game features minimal voice acting but when Alba the swordswoman calls out to Neva, the tone of her voice does a lot of emotional heavy lifting. Neva is a game that is going to make you cry at some point because of its combination of visuals, music and environmental storytelling.
Darkness encroaching
In fact, right from the get-go, you can just tell that you’re in for a rollercoaster of a tale. Encountering your first enemy, which is very reminiscent of “No-Face” from Spirited Away instills a sense of terror in you. Defeating these dark foes involves sword slashing away at them until they succumb.
This may then clear away some darkness roots which have taken hold of the environment and you can then progress forward. Puzzle platforming in the game is excellent and while yes it is formulaic in its execution, it’s done in a spectacular manner that grips you. You’ll want to push on further, you’ll want to explore, you’ll want to chase after Neva the second he loses your field of vision because who knows what terrible No-faced darkness monster is lurking up ahead.
Boss battles in the game are also quite something. Without spoiling too much again, these dark creatures can be truly terrifying. Players will be able to recover some of their health by executing repeated sword slashes on foes. However, the game is not exactly an easy game on the standard difficulty setting. You will end up dying. Quite a lot. More casual gamers should opt for the easier difficulty setting if they want to just enjoy the story with less of a focus on combat and dodging.
Graphically, the game is one of 2024’s most visually appealing games. Quite literally every single scene in this game is a work of art. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be taking screenshot after screenshot after screenshot while travelling through the game world. It is absolutely amazing in every sense of the word. Nomada Studio have intertwined its visuals with an excellent soundtrack from Berlinist which really takes the game to even greater heights. The sound design here is excellent.
Final Verdict
Overall, the game is a game that dips itself, nay dives head first, into the pool of titles that have “Art” as their core focus. Much like Gris did in the past, Neva does it again. It really tugs on your heartstrings as Alba and Neva bond in a world that’s slowly being engulfed by creepy darkness monsters getting their tentacles into everything. The game is a tad short coming in at around 4 to 5 hours long but this is a title that’s best played in either one complete sitting or in chaptered bursts to truly appreciate how great it is.
The game that’s going to be with you for a long time and easily cemented itself as a platforming great that is a must-play. Oddly enough, it reminded me a lot of Planet of Lana, which was released last year, and which itself drew inspiration from platforming greats of the past. Grab this title if you enjoyed Gris or just love 2D side-scrolling platformers in general. It comes highly recommended by me.
Code was provided by the Publisher
Read more awesome reviews >>here<<.
