Neva Review

You probably know Nomada Studio for their brilliant game GRIS and are familiar with the atmosphere of their works and games. This time, Nomada showcases a new level of storytelling and emotional experience with the game NEVA.

The game’s narrative revolves around the relationship between Alba, the female protagonist, and the mythical wolf-like creature Neva (a blend of wolf, fox, and deer). The central theme is the struggle between darkness and light, where light symbolizes nature.

The game begins with a stormy start that immediately stirs your emotions, making it clear that you are about to embark on a profoundly moving journey. As Alba, you set out on a thrilling adventure alongside Neva, encountering numerous challenges and transformative events.

Like its predecessor GRIS, NEVA is a side-scrolling game focused on art, music, and narrative. However, it distinguishes itself with core gameplay elements of platforming, action, and combat.

At the start of the game, you can choose between two difficulty levels: Story Mode and Adventure Mode. Story Mode offers a less challenging experience without the threat of death, while Adventure Mode intensifies combat and platforming difficulty significantly.

In the combat section, the animations and behaviors of Alba, Neva, and the enemies are beautifully designed, providing a suitable level of challenge for the player. The combat mechanics are simple but combine in various ways to create a truly enjoyable experience. The boss fights are Nomada’s new surprise, with behavioral algorithms and fighting methods that might completely surprise you.

The game’s action and combat mechanics are also used in solving environmental puzzles. These puzzles often involve correct pathfinding, platforming, and action, leading to the continuation of your journey. Well-designed puzzles with clear goals and good placement in the environment make solving them even more enjoyable.

The main gameplay objective is to find and accompany Neva, making the main game mechanic calling Neva and interacting with her, all done with a single button. Depending on Neva’s situation, this action can be calm and quiet, dignified, playful, encouraging, enthusiastic, or even stressed and anxious.

Regarding level design, the creators have surpassed even GRIS, achieving a perfect blend of art and level design. Lighting and color directly impact level design and player progression, with important practical clues embedded in the art. As you progress in the game, more elements are added to the environment, enhancing platforming and overall level design, making the game world increasingly dynamic. Verticality and depth are executed beautifully, offering breathtaking shots of the game environment at every moment.

To enhance your enjoyment and occasionally find your way, environmental factors in the game attract Neva’s curiosity, leading you to follow her and reach predetermined objectives.

As the story progresses, Neva grows older. Her bond with Alba deepens and becomes more effective, unlocking new combat and platforming abilities. The developers introduce new enemies in each chapter, showcasing a distinct variety in appearance and behavior, and making adjustments to level design, combat, and enemy placement and behavior to maintain the game’s rhythm and challenge. The chase sequences, in particular, test your skills in pathfinding, platforming, action, reflexes, and quick thinking all at once.

Neva’s animations and behaviors are incredibly charming and believable, quickly drawing you in and making you feel a deep connection with her. The music is unbelievably beautiful and fitting, carrying the tempo and rhythm of events and even the story’s narrative.

Sound effects and audio design are at their peak, perfectly conveying the vibe of the environment and the essence of unfolding events. Overall, the direction of sequences and events, what you see and don’t see in the game, combined with the minimalistic yet flawless level design, are so masterfully done that you completely immerse in the game’s world.

In conclusion, Neva offers a remarkably enjoyable journey with unique challenges, immersing you in its fantasy world and story, evoking a range of emotions from start to finish without feeling repetitive or out of sync. Throughout this journey, surrounded by stunning audio and visual beauty, you will call out Neva’s name in various tones so often that the game’s name will be imprinted in your memory forever.

Score: 92 / 100