It’s laborious to consider that Nomada Studio’s Gris is nearly six years previous. When it first launched, the platformer gained intensive popularity of its visuals, minimalist narrative, and emotional soundtrack, just lately passing three million copies bought in September 2024. Regardless of its quick runtime, it was hailed as one other instance of video video games as artwork, each in its presentation and general environment. It’s a triumph, however how would the studio stay as much as, a lot much less surpass it?
Nomada could have discovered the reply with Neva, a narrative a couple of girl named Alba and the titular wolf, Neva, as they enterprise by the seasons and battle again in opposition to a mysterious pressure. It encompasses lots of Gris’s moods – grief, acceptance, and in the end transferring on – but additionally focuses on household and nature. The outcomes are gorgeous to behold, and even when it doesn’t enterprise too far exterior of the motion platforming field, Neva delivers an emotional story with gorgeous aesthetics.
“Nomada Studio describes the sport as a “love tune devoted to our kids, our dad and mom, and our planet,” but the circle of life – and the that means that you simply ascribe to it – can also be a robust recurring theme.”
The story begins with Alba strolling with Neva’s mom within the Summer season when a wierd corruption all of a sudden falls throughout the land. Birds fall out of the sky, bothered with rotting flowers, and a flood of darkness assails them. Alba is knocked unconscious and in the end survives – sadly, the mom isn’t so fortunate. As she grieves for her good friend, it’s revealed that Neva nonetheless lives, and thus, the 2 start their journey by the seasons.
Like with Gris, questions emerge, together with the character of the darkness. I gained’t posit too many theories in favor of avoiding spoilers, however suffice it to say that Nomada Studio’s narrative takes a barely totally different route than anticipated. It describes the sport as a “love tune devoted to our kids, our dad and mom, and our planet,” but the circle of life – and the that means that you simply ascribe to it – can also be a robust recurring theme.
Neva’s story runs by Summer season, Fall, Winter, and Spring, divided additional into components. Initially, the wolf pup follows Alba and requires safety because the darkness makes an attempt to take her at practically each flip. Nevertheless, she slowly grows into a robust companion, able to attacking enemies and even performing as a searching for projectile to carry them in place or destroy crumbling objects. It’s additionally fascinating to see the shift in her demeanor from a pup frightened and searching for shelter away from Alba to in the end standing tall alongside her, able to face battle.
Because the darkness spreads, the world modifications. Summer season is simple sufficient and serves to construct the bond between Alba and Neva, however Fall – mockingly centered extra on climbing and ascending – is the place issues get critical. The sport’s platforming slowly will increase in issue as you begin timing dashes and double jumps, hanging and climbing from white vines on cliff sides and coping with shattering rocks to enterprise forth.
“Fight is maybe the most important evolution in comparison with Gris. Wielding a sword, gamers can execute three-hit combos, dodge-rolling, air-dashing, and plunging assaults from on excessive.”
Whereas Gris felt decidedly extra adventure-focused, Neva dabbles barely with precision platforming to glorious outcomes. You’ll enterprise by portals, reacting rapidly from falling to dashing and resetting dashes into jumps. One part even performs with mirrors, requiring you to observe the reflections for areas to land and even fight enemies since they’re invisible in your aspect. Some puzzle-solving is concerned, particularly as you manipulate mysterious Totems to create new pathways. Whereas not overtly difficult, they seamlessly combine into the expertise.
One other part entails lighting up hallways to keep away from hazards (which Neva could sign by growling) and to determine the best way ahead. You additionally encounter non-compulsory platforming challenges for hidden flowers, providing intelligent diversions.
Summer season initially could seem extra deliberate and drawn out. Nevertheless, Neva’s pacing rapidly picks up from there, because the environmental design feels intuitive and pure, even because it warps and twists earlier than your eyes in gorgeous element. Neva’s skills evolve primarily based on the conditions that she and Alba discover themselves in, but it surely’s a testomony to Nomada’s craft that their introduction feels pure. Over time, Neva can even combine herself extra carefully with Alba’s melee assaults, indicative of their rising bond and dependence on one another.
Fight is maybe the most important evolution in comparison with Gris. Wielding a sword, gamers can execute three-hit combos, dodge-rolling, air-dashing, and plunging assaults from on excessive. It’s fundamental however works extremely properly, particularly on the outset, since Alba is a human missing any particular powers. As soon as once more, issues choose up as Neva’s skills manifest, which you’ll seamlessly wield into your set-up to show the tables.
“Talking of expectations, attractive visuals and aesthetics from Nomada are a given, however what you’ve seen in trailers is simply a style of what Neva has to supply.”
The enemy selection aids on this regard – even the best of grunts might be threatening after they all of a sudden have blocks to push round (weird because it sounds). After all, you even have the heavies and flying enemies – Neva can grapple and distract the previous, inflicting vital harm and knockback the latter. At occasions, there are corrupted animals to battle, every with their very own intriguing mechanics and patterns.
Journey Mode feels proper in its problem, although Story Mode is accessible for individuals who wish to focus extra on the narrative. Nevertheless, this isn’t a troublesome sport – some boss fights and encounters could require a few retries, however I might take care of others in a single shot. Not that this takes away from the sport, but it surely’s one thing to recollect for these searching for a extra action-heavy expertise.
Talking of expectations, attractive visuals and aesthetics from Nomada are a given, however what you’ve seen in trailers is simply a style of what Neva has to supply. Every season performs with coloration tones in inventive methods – the warmth and vibrancy of Summer season dotted with shadowy forests and the horrors that lurk round each nook; the extra subdued but darker shades of Fall, with the crumbling environments performing as an analogy for the dying leaves; and the starkness of Winter, with its haze and desiccated vegetation creating a sense of isolation whereas additionally drawing consideration to a central determine. Neva’s visuals merely sing with life, even in its most disparate tones, enveloping you in a world equal components hostile and welcoming.
The music, composed by Berlinist, who additionally labored on Gris, is equally enthralling. The piano and violin are as soon as once more dominant however percussion comes into play throughout a few of the extra action-packed moments, which lends properly to triumph and stress alike.
“Neva is probably not on everybody’s radar because of the busy quarter. Nevertheless, if you happen to loved Gris, it’s an important journey.”
What’s particularly fascinating is how restrained it may possibly really feel at occasions, with the ambient sounds of the world taking priority. All the things works in live performance with the digicam system, which zooms out accordingly relying on the scene. It might work in refined, terrifying methods, resembling Alba waking as much as unusual creaking sounds and quietly waking Neva whereas the digicam barely zooms out to point out the corrupted beings crawling above them.
It’s troublesome to seek out any actual knocks in opposition to Neva, apart from just a few hitboxes throughout sure boss battles. Some could really feel dissuaded by its quick playtime (which clocked in at about 4.2 hours for me on Journey mode). Nevertheless, Nomada’s story is completely conveyed in that window with no fluff or filler, a lot as I’d have preferred just a few extra non-combative sections with some extra bonding.
Neva is probably not on everybody’s radar because of the busy quarter. Nevertheless, if you happen to loved Gris, it’s an important journey. The gorgeous visuals and artwork fashion, the evolving bond between Alba and Neva, the tight fight and the unimaginable environmental design – it’s all meticulously crafted but seamlessly and naturally built-in. It’s a shocking meditation that’s assured but compassionate and price your time.
This sport was reviewed on PC.
