Neva’s main hook, and what sets it apart from Nomada Studio’s debut Gris, is the game’s namesake, a white, horned wolf who remains your constant companion. Nevaeh is in many ways more of a protagonist than Alba, the human swordsman you control. After the opening cutscene where the big wolf (presumably Neva’s parent) dies, a young Neva’s will come after you in need of protection.
There’s a clever detail in Neva’s actions in this regard. In the early stages, she hides from most combat encounters, sometimes being too frightened to jump across wide gaps. However, as the season progresses (splitting the game into several acts), Nevaeh grows in size, confidence, and abilities, becoming the more powerful half of the duo and sometimes even serving as a guide.
This game is definitely more dynamic than its predecessor. This is partly because the movement is more fluid and a bit faster, but mainly because combat has been added to the mix. Generally, these battles flow smoothly and gracefully at a medium pace. They’re not very difficult or complex – they mostly consist of three-hit combos of sword swings and ground-pounds – but they can sometimes suffer from hard-to-read attacks and unclear hitboxes. However, these are petty nonsense, and in a sense they completely miss the point of combat. Battles are primarily visual spectacles, existing to set up the game’s striking illustrations with bold and highly dramatic movements.
Neva’s visuals are consistently stunning, perhaps the most eye-catching of the year. Gris games are as beautiful and exciting as any. This is because the game tended to lean too much towards the abstract. The breathtaking landscapes of the Neva Island can sometimes seem impossible and otherworldly, with giant free-falling flowers and trees towering above the clouds, but overtly natural elements keep things grounded. It will help you put it on.
However, there are two notable exceptions. The dark, brooding dream sequence, titled “Fall Part 3,” is as dramatic and shocking as intended, with opening, twitching mouths and stacked body columns. Then there’s “Winter Part 1,” a cloudy, pastel-dyed, literally reflexive game whose mind-bending mechanical twists aren’t worth spoiling, but because it’s so engaging to play that the visuals It’s safe to say that any amount of abstraction is worth it. .
The enemies you sometimes fight (or just observe) are a highlight of the game’s visual design. They are distinctly human-like, with long, prehensile limbs and masked faces that stare blankly over pitch-black bodies. Their movements and actions suggest the worst elements of human nature: greed, obsession, and self-destruction, which take on different forms as the game progresses. They rot animals large and small, forming indistinct lumps like letters, and even if they were alive to begin with, they become liquid when they die. Many sequences involve just observing them, hoping you don’t get their attention and get ambushed.
The themes here are painted with a broad brush, but just because they refuse to get into specifics doesn’t mean they don’t still ring true. The game is about bittersweet parenthood as we watch Neva herself grow and outstrip Alba as the seasons pass, and a bittersweet obsession with the destruction of the natural world, which ends up becoming more hostile and violent. Masu. And between these two, even when it feels like everything is falling apart, because sometimes it literally is, the only thing you can do is keep moving.
As of 2022, Devolver Digital is no longer providing title press codes to Slant Magazine. This game was reviewed using a code purchased by the publication.
Score:
Developer: Nomada Studio Publisher: Devolver Digital Platform: PC Release Date: October 15, 2024 ESRB: E10+ ESRB Description: Fantasy Violence Buy: Game If you can, please consider supporting Slant Magazine.
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