With Conrad Roset’s sensitive artistic vision, Nomada Studio has already established itself as a studio capable of movement with Gris (2018). In addition, as I wrote at the time, the team also demonstrated its ability to bring a technically flawless and very interesting game to a playable level despite its short duration and peaceful, contemplative approach.
Neva now represents a doubling of that effort and a push by the developers into a more active and complicated area: combat. There are still long walks, various platforming sections and some puzzles, while the protagonists’ battles against smaller enemies and big bosses add a touch of action. This and the fact that the woman and the wolf are two interconnected but independent beings aims to change the style of the game and, incidentally, the message it conveys.
Considering that I generally enjoyed my time with Neva and that it is one of the most beautiful things to grace my screens this year, the result doesn’t convey as much to me as the Catalan studio’s debut film.
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The structural premise is very strange. One summer, Alba begins the seasonal cycle of a year with an orphaned pup, a wolf cub as adorable as it is fragile, whom she must clothe, protect and encourage. Autumn, which is the heart of the game and the largest section, shows the youth of this slightly more uncontrollable wolf, who finds his strength and needs rest rather than encouragement. Without entering spoilerBoth go through several phases of a mother-child relationship with the fall of leaves and the onset of cold weather, all leading to spring, flowering and the concept of the life cycle.
The mechanics evolve as the creature grows and through the seasons, but essentially consist of the different ways of jumping, attacking enemies, and exploiting the powers Neva gains. Alba relies on her sword and little else in the beginning, she has to pay more attention to the puppy, and then she sees him attacking other enemies or even her throwing the wolf in different directions.
It’s a very strange and fascinating idea, I won’t deny it, but perhaps it’s still a bit underdeveloped. Combat remains fairly similar throughout the adventure, although Alba’s simple punches are joined by Neva’s bites and attacks. It is because the common enemies are quite similar, although their patterns change and their risk increases. By the fourth or fifth fight, I felt like the fight wasn’t as fun or as exciting and satisfying, and that feeling stayed with me almost the entire time.
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Since the battles are also the heart of the challenge (aside from the waterfalls, they are the way to die), I find the addition of Neva as an additional challenge a bit lacking, and in the end I find myself wishing for more puzzles and more platforming. There is very little of the former, but there is a lot of the latter, including some very ingenious sections, such as the one where you have to use Neva to break up blocks that immediately reappear.
However, almost all of the “almost impossible jumps” are solved using the jump-slide-jump combination, and I would have liked more elaborate detours and secrets. Or more ways to use Neva and her ultimate power. Furthermore, several times I chose the main path as a side path in a more confusing area, leaving behind a mystery that was beyond comprehension. Luckily, each chapter can be reloaded from multiple checkpoints.
Neva also provides some truly impressive and emotional moments. This happens primarily in sudden enlargements or zooms, while Berlinist’s music masterfully accompanies the scene. Needless to say, artistically it’s absolutely stunning, this time much more complicated with so many elements of nature and a departure from the schematic abstraction of Gris. You’ll once again fill your Nintendo Switch’s screenshot gallery, you’ll be amazed by the Studio Ghibli-inspired creatures, and you’ll pack a punch with a few unforgettable scenes. And above all, his way of depicting the four seasons makes Neva a rarely seen artistic expression, equal to Vivaldi in his respective media.
I just didn’t find it all that meaningful or inspiring, even in its narrative, no matter how well it ties together familial relationships with its fantastical nature. The elimination of some notable passages like “Hell’s Mouth” and its most creative challenges, and aside from its undeniable beauty, has rendered “Neva” less stimulating to me, as if the straightforward simplicity of “Gris” had been a better vehicle for such an artistic concern.
