Neva (XS) - Review
by Lee Mehr , posted on 17 November 2024 / 1,744 Views
There's something to be said about a work where each important theme is captured without dialogue. That expertise from Nomada Studios' first title, GRIS, has carried over into Neva (pronounced Ne-ay-vuh), but with a different subject matter in mind. As shadowy, malevolent forces descend upon Alba, we see her paired with two wolves – one young and one mature – ready to face the incoming onslaught. After losing the eldest from battle, the newly-orphaned lupine pup serves as a reminder of the cycles of life and death – without ever stressing a word.
The brief, well-animated intro also serves to showcase the daunting task ahead for this pair. After their miraculous escape from death, Alba simply sheathes her sword and begins the standard left-to-right march across a 2D landscape. While the standardized action-platformer template is reflexively easy for her, Neva's diminutive size compels you into the protective mother role. Her first long leap between platforms is actually met with failure, compelling you to physically tend to her. Their first post-intro fight has you slicing through grossly-slender arms that've pinned Neva against the ground. This collective embodiment of death is swallowing everything in its path and not playing favorites.
As the world evolves with the seasons (beginning in Summer) so too do Neva's capabilities and responsibilities. That furry tyke previously hesitant of long jumps grows to have superpowers, enabling Alba to use her like a heat-seeking rocket, temporarily pinning or outright destroying that oily-black adversary. After that, she becomes a suitable mount on which to cross large expanses and restores health with her glorious post-fight howl. This growth in size is also complimented by a semi-spiritual growth as well: there are little effects like her phasing in and out of realities while leaping tremendous heights in a single bound or seeing her wispy form wrap around Alba's sword with every slash. Nomada's visual artists excel at these small visual touches and one-off scenarios that make Neva a genuine guardian and friend. There's a slight – yet important – difference between getting to pet the dog and yearning to as often as possible; it becomes a habitual reprieve after facing down a new gang of foes.
Alba also has a few tricks up her sleeve. Her svelte silhouette – along with poofy hair and billowing cape – fit this type of action-platformer well. Hopping from place to place is rather simple: double-jumps and one directional dash, which can occasionally be chained with certain environmental extras. Combat is essentially a simplified 2D slasher with the hand-crafted world of a Studio Ghibli film. Whether minion or boss, grounded or flying, enemies are less reactive to your actions and more interested in their prescribed strikes. That sounds critical, but it's not necessarily a bad template in this context. There's a familiarity in netting invincibility frames when dodging most enemies' recycled moveset, but the level design subtly evolves in some ways to avoid repetition.
The bigger issue here stems back to readability. While Nomada's level-crafting is a constant feast for the eyes, sometimes valid platforms get lost in the details. It's similar with combat: seeing the way repulsive, oleaginous demons possess bigger creatures is a grotesque visual marvel (the way they'll collectively burst out of it, the oily spittle seen after striking, and so on), but since touching them counts as a hit against you, gauging the correct distance for combos or correctly dodging through them is always unclear. And that gets a bit more irritating when multiple enemies are on-screen and the camera pulls further and further away for those epic moments.
In general, gameplay may be one of Neva's 'weaker' elements, but that'd also be unfair to strongly emphasize. There's a give-n-take at play: yes, the fundamentals are pared down to a maximum three-hit combo, downward strike, standard evasive moves, and so on; however, hurrying through the Spark Notes of an action game baseline enables a sharper focus on nuanced scenarios and polish. Tweaks like Alba's three hearts being represented by flowers whose petals are refilled after six successful strikes feels just right as a risk/reward system for what's intended to be a modestly-difficult adventure (unless opting for the stress-free Story Mode). That attention to ensuring combat balance between non-trivial and non-irritating is also reflected in the modest puzzles. There's a measured evolution in both hemispheres, with some of the best moments reserved for when they fuse together. It's succinct from beginning to end.
Sure, there's a clear case of style occasionally interrupting substance, but what sumptuous style it is. The term "every frame a painting" is cliché at this point, but Neva truly is the perfect encapsulation of it, from the awe-inspiring sense of scale communicated by the foreground and background to the careful color choices that change with this world's seasons. Hell, even Neva's wooden antlers make me want a pet white wolf of my own! That level of elegant beauty contrasted with the Mephistophelian forces of decay corrupting everything in their wake results in some of the best visuals of this year. The well-worn trend of an Artistic Indie Game™ banking so much on the audio/visual experience can get overbearing, but it's hard to contend with its ensorcelling effect when experiencing Director/Lead Artist Conrad Roset's designs and Berlinist's sweeping soundtrack.
While not hurried nor impatient, Nomada recognizes audio/visual splendor can't stick around for too long. That's why utilizing the seasons to what's essentially a three-act structure (plus epilogue) is such a smart move: each one carries a different cadence visually, mechanically, and narratively. Alba's adoptive motherhood role in a bright summer eventually gives way to Neva taking the guardianship mantle in the tough winter. Communicating this blossoming bond, and suffusing it with expected environmentalist themes, without (almost) saying a single word is quite effective - if not as grand or sweeping as the music implies. OK, granted, a singular word is technically spoken, but a dedicated button for calling Neva in various tones or Alba's anime-styled "..." grunts don't outright disregard the intention of my opening paragraph.
It's basically a prerequisite for at least one Artistic Indie Game™ to thoroughly impress me each year. Anyone familiar with this phylum knows this song and dance already: bank an incredible amount of resources into an impressive visual design and emotional soundtrack. And, sure, it's quite easy to see that Nomada's sophomore effort would stick closely to that script, but it's also tough for those expectations to work as a direct criticism when Neva works so damn well. Its succinctness within its pacing, world-building, storytelling, and more all congeal to make something that Neva-r ceased to impress me.
Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee's obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.
VGChartz Verdict
8
Great
This review is based on a digital copy of Neva for the XS, provided by the publisher.
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I remember feeling really impressed when I saw a trailer for Neva and had it on my radar to eventually purchase. This sounds like exactly the kind of game I could go for right now. I find myself in need of an experience I can get swept away in for a while and as I look through more footage...just wow! There is SO much grandeur and feeling to what I'm seeing that I think I'll have to make this game my next purchase. Thanks for your review!
You bet Jaicee! One comparison I was tempted to put in the review was that of an old Of Monsters and Men music video. The story is rather simple, but each successful step feels grand and triumphant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt7ox1M_XG4
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