Every once in a while, there’s a game that is able to not only catch your attention visually, but is also able to deliver a rewarding and satisfying experience on a deeply emotional level. Spiritfarer, is one example that I still think about quite often for its (mostly) optimistic view of passing on to the next plane of existence. Then there are other games like Nomada Studio’s GRIS, which has you facing that same concept head-on, but in a much more raw and emotional way. GRIS left an impact on me that helped me through my own feelings of loss when my father passed, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. So when I first saw the announcement for Neva, the newest project from Nomada Studio, I knew I was in for another poignant journey.

Just a girl and her wolf/deer companion.

 While GRIS is essentially a playable metaphor for the stages of grief, Neva is centered around the cyclical nature of life and death. We follow Alba, a woman whose close companion perishes in front of her by a ferocious dark force. Alba is able to save her companion’s young pup, which she names Neva, and raises her as her own. Together they brave the wilderness as it becomes more desolate and torn apart by the same dark force that ripped apart their world as they once knew it.

Even though Neva is made by the same developers as GRIS, the gameplay is different this time around. Both are 2D platformers, but while GRIS focused mainly on casual environmental puzzles to enhance the overall journey, Neva offers more in terms of actual gameplay. While still a 2D platformer, Neva adds combat into the mix for a more action adventure experience.

Activating each area’s totems alters the landscape.

Now, the combat is nothing revolutionary. In fact, it’s extremely minimalistic. Alba can perform a basic attack, a ground pound, and a dodge move. That’s it for combat tactics, as there’s no leveling up or experience points. However, as time passes, Neva will continue to grow and learn new abilities, adding her power to yours. Eventually, you’ll be able to direct her toward enemies to attack, hold an enemy in place, and ride on her back over long distances. Even though you control Alba, this isn’t just her odyssey; it’s about the two growing and learning to support each other.

Platforming is still at the forefront of the gameplay in Neva, but unlike GRIS, it actually poses a bit of challenge at certain points. Most of the platforming is fairly easy and casual, with Alba only being able to double jump, dash, and ground pound to break weak spots. But it’s not just up to Alba, as Neva can be utilized to engage with various environmental elements to get past certain obstacles. The precision needed to progress gets tougher as you get into the second half of the game, and it offers up new, unique mechanics in later levels, such as using reflections to navigate onto invisible platforms.

This section is by far one of the most creative, and my personal favorite area of the game.

There’s also a noticeable difficulty spike whenever there’s a boss encounter. Avoiding boss attacks will push you to the very limits of your abilities, and the chase sequences require near-perfect precision. Thankfully, Neva is generous with save spots, except when it comes to the chase sections, which can feel tedious if you fail and have to start from the beginning of the segment. That said, you can change the difficulty at any time if you’re getting too frustrated with a particular boss encounter.

However, changing the difficulty will only help you with damage reduction. It won’t help you with Neva‘s biggest challenge: finding all the flowers. The light-infused flowers can be found in each section across all four chapters. Some are easy to find and only require a bit of searching off the main path, while most others are much more difficult and well-hidden. Then there are those that are right in plain sight, but will take some outside-the-box thinking to acquire. Admittedly, I wasn’t able to collect them all in my first playthrough, but hey, that’s what second runs are for.

Finding all of the light flowers provides a difficult, yet rewarding challenge.

Fans of GRIS will instantly be enamored with Neva‘s art design. Using the same watercolor art style that made GRIS so striking, Neva is a beautiful sight to behold. The only small issues I had with the visuals were the light bloom that at times obscured too much of the screen and took away from the grandeur of the scenery, and the intense darkness of certain sections that made it difficult to see enemies and platforms. At times the camera pans out making Alba and Neva look miniscule onscreen, but that I can appreciate as a stylistic choice to represent just how small they are in the grand scheme of the world they’re trying to survive within. 

The sound design is excellent in every way. Berlinist, the same band that scored GRIS, returns with an orchestral soundtrack that provides more breaks with ambient sounds taking center stage. Each track perfectly captures the tone of each chapter, as well as the epic feel of each boss battle. Alba’s only spoken dialogue is when she calls Neva, but her tone changes depending on the situation, lending more authenticity to her character. Neva’s realistic canine sounds of distress are difficult to hear at times, so be aware of this before playing.

Alba and Neva team up to take down No Face’s larger, meaner cousin.

Neva is a fantastic and emotional journey the whole way through. The bond between Alba and Neva feels real and earned, so the stakes feel even higher when danger befalls them. It’s a game that makes us think about the hardships of life and survival, but at its core drives home one main theme: hope. Neva will have you running through a whole gambit of emotions in its four hour run time, so have some tissues handy, but it’s an experience well-worth your time.

Neva is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on PC and Steam Deck.

A copy of Neva was provided by the publisher.