Neva Review (PC) – Seasonal Expression

As the temperature slowly drops and the leaves change in the Western Hemisphere, fall marks a great season for cozy games (and spooky games). And it’s the perfect season for Neva, a game that’s more cozy than spooky. Although it does have some eerie moments. And that said, any season could be a good season for Neva. Each section of the game takes place during a season, as the game begins in summer and ends the following spring. Focusing on the bond between a woman and her wolf, Neva weaves a tale of kinship, change, and rebirth.

Game Name: Neva
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC (reviewed)
Developer: Nomada Studio
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: October 15th, 2024
Price: $19.99

Made by Nomada Studio, the team behind the hit game Gris, Neva does share some similarities with its predecessor. It’s a beautiful side-scrolling title that only lasts a few hours but has a lot of heart. Where it diverges is that while Gris doesn’t have any combat, focusing only on platforming, Neva has both.

Neva and Alba, Two Sides of a Coin

Alba, the young warrior at the heart of the tale, raises Neva, a wolf cub. The dying environment they live in becomes the catalyst for their multi-season journey, as they trek across the land for (literal) greener pastures. And as they do, they encounter more and more enemies that signify the corrupted land. And with that, the combat comes into play, as Alba and eventually Neva fend off the No-Face like creatures responsible for the decay.

At first, players start battling these abominations as Alba, swinging her sword to attack with jumping and rolling to evade retaliation. Combat is faced-paced and tense. Alba has three flowers that serve as health bars. Each time she takes a hit, one flower disappears from the bottom of the screen. With how speedy she moves, it’s generally easy to evade attacks so long as you recognize the tells of the attacking monsters.

I do say “generally” because in some instances, hitboxes can prove hard to gauge. In densely forested areas, I’d occasionally walk into a branch that did in fact lie in my way and not in the foreground or background. Gargantuan boss battles can also make it hard to roll without bumping into some part of a beast, incurring damage.

Flower Power

But thankfully, Neva makes regaining health a cinch. Health-restoring light sources prove fairly abundant. And most excitingly, Alba can attack enemies to regain health—so long as a full flower gets regained petal-by-petal before taking damage. This mechanic rewards playing the offensive especially when the chips are down—or the petals are low. And if it comes down to it, dying simply means having to restart a battle.

And if you die, it will likely happen during boss battles, of which there are a few. But thankfully, most of them are a joy to experience (and re-experience). Again, there’s a satisfaction in learning what makes a boss tick and how to evade and exploit those attacks. Occasionally, boss battles will begin with an absolutely thrilling chase sequence. These have you platforming, rolling, and jumping to evade a largescale monster. Set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack, these segments see Neva at the game’s most epic.

As the game progresses, players encounter new mechanics but also unlock new abilities. Wall-climbing enters the equation, as does hitting enemies on a flowering plant to open up a path, for example. While the core gameplay of platforming and combat stays the same, each new variation spices up the routine.

Neva Gonna Give You Up

But the most eventful gameplay evolution comes from the growth of Neva the wolf. In summer, Neva is a pup who players have to call to get them to follow. By the start of fall, Neva occasionally attacks enemies on her own and offers health. And by winter, Neva gains the most thrilling ability: attacking across long distances at the direction of the player.

This ability of Neva’s has a number of uses. By pressing the right trigger and picking a direction, the player can fling Neva to hit a target, like a wolf-sized boomerang. At first, this can take out enemies out of reach or hit switches to help with platforming. But the most exciting use of this ability comes into play during combat, as the player can essentially fight on two fronts.

In fact, one boss battle became one of my favorites of the whole game once I realized how Neva came into play. Attacked by two bosses at once, I quickly bounced between one and the other, holding my own but only barely. Then I realized; of course! I could use Neva. Suddenly I commanded the battlefield, deftly having Neva hold off one boss as I wailed on the other. The synergy of these two characters battling at once, both controlled by myself, felt like the Platonic ideal of the game, its mechanics, and its themes.

The gameplay continues to expand from there, though much more incrementally. But when the accumulation of new moves slows, the platforming mixes things up to keep things fresh. The winter section of the game offers some Neva’s most ingenious platforming.  An especially inventive segment involves players having to guide Alba using reflections in the ice. Another segment with wind-gusts proves a bit temperamental. But not every innovation can prove a hit.

Come for the Visuals, Stay for the Victories

It would be a crime to not talk more about the aesthetics of this gorgeous game. The visuals and soundtrack are what hooked me to check out this title in the first place. And for those who’ve seen the trailers or played Gris, that’s likely the case as well. Yet it’s a testament to how engaging the combat and platforming are that the visuals and soundtrack almost seem like an afterthought. And they’re not.

Neva is visually stunning, with each area offering contrast between light and dark colors. And between each area, the colors change along with the season. Vibrant greens give way to bright oranges which change to cool blues that explode into pinks. It’s a treat for the eyes. Occasionally, Alba and Neva would be framed so well that it felt like I was looking at a painting, especially during the sections without platforming where they run across a landscape.

And all of this is set to the sometimes tranquil, sometimes heart-pounding, but always fitting music of Berlinist. The Barcelona band’s music isn’t overpowering for most of the game. It fulfills the assignment of underscoring the surreal journey. But during the tense sections it steps into the foreground with deserved bombast.

Seasons of the Wolf

By the end of my roughly five-hour playthrough, I could see how important the motif of the seasons is to the game. Each season helps tell the mostly wordless story of Neva and Alba. And the changing seasons also dictate gameplay as well. Summer gives players a warm welcome as they ease into the combat with some light platforming. Fall introduces more vibrant colors to Neva while also featuring more of the spooky enemies. Winter proves the most challenging section, and the true climax of the game. And then spring closes things off with a touching epilogue offering the hope of new life.

Review Disclosure Statement: Neva was provided to us by Devolver Digital for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.