Another foray into adventuring beyond what’s possible while remaining a down-to-earth story! Find out more in our Neva Review!

What happens when you pair up two talented friends and an artist in Barcelona? A new game studio! Nomada Studios is a relatively new developer made famous by their initial game Gris. An artistic adventure inspired by Journey and the Ori series, which was released to critical acclaim.

Now, they are back with another tale that will tear your heart out in Neva which features a human alongside her white wolf companion. While this looks similar to Gris, there are a lot of additional components that make this game a more engaging experience. Will this game continue Nomadas’ exemplary reputation or is this a carbon copy with extra steps? Find out in our Neva Review!

Neva Review – Story

The world of Neva takes place in an unknown wilderness as you take control of a human woman named Alba. She is accompanied by a large wolf-like creature with antlers and her young cub, the titular Neva. This peaceful forest doesn’t stay quiet for long as a dark wave begins to encompass the area containing all sorts of monstrosities. They fight off the creatures within but it quickly passes and luckily Alba and Neva are relatively unscathed, however the same can’t be said for her mother.

Time for battle…

After a tearjerker of a beginning you set off on your journey with little Neva in tow. The story is told in four parts, one for each season of the year. Beginning in summer, through autumn, and then winter, which is the culmination of a brewing battle that has been foreshadowed on your travels. Giving any more story details away would undermine the impact that this tale tells but suffice it to say, it is one worth telling.

Who doesn’t love a good Autumn stroll. 

Alba and Nevas’ story isn’t just about good vs bad, it’s much more than that. Whilst it’s about loss and corruption, their journey is also about growth, acceptance and new life. The ending will definitely illicit an emotional response and prompt some interesting discourse about the interpretation. That isn’t to say there is no room for a potential sequel of course…

The beautiful world we must protect.

Neva Review – Gameplay

A simpler approach to plotting controls can be either well utilised or suffer from lack of diversity. In this case, due to the short nature of the game, the limited ways to direct Alba work extremely well as you are able to focus on the platforming and combat segments. Initially you have a simple run, dash, double jump and attack command, with a few helpful abilities added later as you progress further in the game.

Each platforming puzzle was neither too hard or too easy with almost no repitition to speak of.

The combat is straightforward but the challenge comes in terms of enemies in different sizes and numbers. Nothing was too difficult but a few sections garnered several growls of dissatisfaction from myself although it didn’t last long. Your saviour comes in the form of not getting hit, whilst easier said than done, you regain 1 out of 3 health bars (suitably presented as little flowers) for 6 uninterrupted attacks. Between battles there will also be health shrines to make sure Alba is at her best when entering the next fight.

Red means anger…

Neva Review – Visuals

Any fan of Gris would be more than happy to know that there is a similar template with how the game is presented. However, Nomada Studios have ratcheted up that base idea to introduce a wide variety of landscapes that look both gorgeous and even a little bit ominous.

The art style of every season.

The way Nomada has intertwined the narrative with the seasons is incredible in its own right, not to mention the stunning visuals of every season. Each has its own visual style representative of that season, bright and sunny for summer, white, dark and cold for winter. Every single portion of the game looks incredible and whilst you do return to some similar areas, they look completely different due to it being set within another season of the year.

Neva Review – Audio

Composer Rubén Rincón returns with some exceptional sound design. He has leant his talent to Nomadas‘ previous title Gris, as well as community favourites Fall Guys and Rainbow Six Siege. The uplifting and discouraging moments of Neva are expertly crafted through Rincóns’ tunes that express more than words ever could. There is no voice work here, not that it’s needed, aside from Albas’ call to Neva when prompted.

Each time you die, Alba cries in anguish which feels very visceral and real. Heightened by the Duelsense as the squeamish inducing sounds emit right in front of you making this an even more intimate game, not to mention that you’ll try even harder to not let her die again.

The aforementioned healing shrine.

Neva Review – What Else?

The story of Neva is extremely captivating yet doesn’t offer much more than this. There are collectible flowers to be found throughout your journey in every chapter. The chapter select page is very helpful as it shows if you have discovered every flower in each section, which you can easily jump to if need be. Finding them all will net you a special epilogue if you know where to look, but this is best seen after completing the story.

Incredible contrast in the scenery at every step.

Neva Review – Conclusion

Nomada Studios follow up title has gone above and beyond it’s predecessor. With deeper gameplay, vibrant colours and a heart wrenching story to boot. Although this 5 hour journey may be shorter than some would like, it doesn’t detract from its fantastic gameplay. Neva is an engaging and emotional experience that is well worth investing your time in, even if it is only for a day or two.

The two best friends.

So, why should you play Neva?

• Deep narrative
• Amazing art and sound design
• Challenging combat and platforming puzzles

But why shouldn’t you play Neva?

• On the shorter side
• Not much side content
• You don’t have a heart

A review code was kindly provided by Devolver Digital for the purpose of our Neva Review.  You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!