It’s coming down to that time again when I had to front-load all of the games that could be on my Game of The Year watchlist. It sucks missing a bunch of games, but I try to pick up a few before my considerations happen. Neva is one of those games, and I have a few thoughts on it.

This week is Neva

Neva is a narrative action platformer from Nomada Studio and published by Devolver Digital. Neva is available for all those modern consoles and the PC. The game retails for $20.

PROS:

• Fantastic Story.
  • Nomada’s games are always so emotionally charged, and it continues here.
    • The player controls Alba, a woman who, through unfortunate circumstances, is bonded with a deer-fox wolf creature named Neva.
    • The four chapters chronicle their relationship. Neva starts out as a curious pup who needs constant attention and evolves into a full-grown adult capable of making its own decisions and, during combat encounters, becomes a natural extension of Alba.
      • The game is so
    • If you want to have a nice little teary eye, then this is the game for you.

• Great Gameplay.
  • Alba can run, jump, and fight.
    • The platforming is tight and relatively easy to grasp. Alba will be able to dash and eventually climb.
    • Combat takes a backseat as it is pretty streamlined. Alba can dodge and beat up baddies with her sword, and later on, Neva can be used to incapacitate enemies when there are too many to handle.
      • Alba has three hit points but can be regenerated by hitting enemies back (6 hits = 1 recovered HP)
      • the enemies never really felt as though they were incredibly difficult, to the point that each “boss” took me only a couple of tries before prevailing.
• Stunning Visuals.
  • Nomada is simply the best at creating games that leave your mouth open in awe.
  • Best watercolor visuals I’ve ever seen in a video game.
  • The colors are absolutely beautiful and, mixed with such large backdrops, create such a large, gorgeous world that I wish I could live in.

• Again, just like Gris, it has a perfect Sound Design.
  • Berlinist does an absolutely fantastic job of creating an emotional soundtrack.
    • Chase scenes are fast-paced, and heartbreaking moments are filled with so much emotion that it is hard to not get goosebumps.

CONS:

• I didn’t really like the ending.
  • Kinda felt forced, or there wasn’t really a need for what happened.

NEVA is a game for all to enjoy. My wife sat next to me the whole time I played it, and she was just as invested as I was. Neva is a beautiful adventure that tugs at your heartstrings and offers up tight platforming and satisfying combat. It took about four hours to roll credits, and I am satisfied with the length.

9/10