I’m not a woman with a sword and I don’t live in a soft watercolor world quickly overwhelmed by dark, barren shadows. But I feel like I do. Most days are a struggle as I head towards the abyss that threatens to overwhelm me; I have a lot more in common with right now NevaAlba’s distinctive human character is better than I expected.
NevaNomada Studio’s follow-up to its highly acclaimed platformer Grisbegins with Alba awakening the fantastic wolf pup that shares the same name as the game. She yawns and stretches, then trudges along, distracted by falling leaves. Alba and a much larger wolf – presumably Neva’s mother – watch. Together, the group of three enjoys the spring air and the lush greenery until a familiar shadow falls over the surroundings. Birds fall from the sky, dead and blackened by flowers instead of decay. The larger wolf narrows his eyes and ducks as Alba draws her sword from its sheath. The darkness overwhelms, rendering Alba unconscious and flattening the larger wolf. Alba and Neva later realize the reality of what is happening: Alba’s companion, Neva’s mother, is dead.
Image: Nomada Studio/Devolver Digital
Although they are full of grief, life does not stop for Alba and Neva. The darkness still itches at her back, threatening to swallow her NevaIt’s a lush world, but they must move forward together. Life didn’t stop for me either when my 8-year-old puppy – my best friend – died at the end of May. A creeping darkness, cancer, haunted us for four months before it progressed far too far. My life is not the same without him and never will be. My days were darkened by grief, I had to move on because someone else was depending on me. Long before his death, when he was still well, my partner and I decided to adopt a puppy. We should pick her up at the beginning of June. It turned out it was the day after our boy died. Like Neva, our puppy is a spitting image of its predecessor. She is so small, so curious and always distracted. She needs guidance. Neva does it too.
For most Nevayou play as Alba. At first Neva usually follows Alba; Alba can call the puppy at the push of a button and push him over a scary gap or through dangerous territory. What largely starts out as a traditional platformer with simple combat becomes increasingly complex Neva continues. But in the beginning Neva is a puppy through and through and acts like one; Neva will run away and get into trouble unless she is miserably distracted by a glowing butterfly. I see the similarities with my own puppy: we spent so long outside potty training, and just as she’s about to squat down and pee, a bee appears. Now it’s game time. As the game progresses and as in life itself, Neva evolves Nevanaturally. She grows in size, but also in will. The connection between the two comes from their shared struggle to learn about each other. How this affects Neva lies in how the platform and challenges adapt to make room for Neva’s new abilities. Alba never changes. Neva does.
Finally, Neva will help fight larger monsters and assist in more complicated platforming sections. Although Neva It’s a step forward in terms of its difficulty, it’s never a hard game. (And if some of the combat is holding you back, you can switch to story mode, which prevents you from taking damage.) Some may find it Neva too easy, perhaps, if you’re expecting something with Souls-like difficulty. This is not this game. At just over four hours long, there are limited battles overall. But the fight sequences serve more to demonstrate the evolution of Alba and Neva’s relationship rather than simply providing an element of pure challenge. It’s the right length for an ethereal game like this Nevasomething that is as much about what makes you you feel how it actually works when you play it. There is no dialogue Neva – except Alba calls her name – hence the gameplay Is how the narrative is expertly expressed. It’s very similar Gris in this way; You can also see Nomada Studio’s legacy in the muted colors, geometric architecture, and overwhelming sadness.
Image: Nomado Studio/Devolver Digital
Between combat and platforming, Nomada Studio uses almost nothing for long stretches in a surprisingly emotional way. There are many times everywhere Neva where I just push my controller’s joystick left or right – with or without Neva – to easily move forward. I actually found a challenge in these all-too-quiet moments: Am I taking the right path? Does that really matter? I just move forward.
In these moments I think of my own dogs, of Alba and Neva and of the wolf that came before them. I’ve been thinking a lot about how my relationship with the new puppy will change and grow – about how it will be different or the same as it is with my best friend. There is no replacement for what I lost, for what Alba and Neva lost. But even forged in grief, something beautiful will grow. We just carry on. Alba and Neva too.
Neva will be released on October 15th on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game was played on Steam Deck using a pre-download code provided by Devolver Digital. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These have no influence on the editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. More information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.
