If the action-adventure game Neva was first introduced a year ago with a Trailer which involved the immediate emotional death of a large wolf-like creature, I knew this game would be a tearjerker. That’s not surprising given developer Nomada Studios’ track record. Its first game, 2018’s emotional platformer Grayrequired a box of tissues to always be on hand, so I thought I was prepared for the emotional strain Neva during my hands-on demo at the Tribeca Film Festivalofficial game selection. It turned out that this was not the case at all.
When I started the demo, I was once again confronted with the game’s reveal trailer. Once the familiar story begins to play out, the screen goes black for a second, and when it comes back on, I’m presented with a beautiful tableau of a lush green forest. At the center of this picturesque view are the game’s protagonist and a wolf cub. As the protagonist, a young woman named Alba, I wake up the cub, which the game reveals to me as the titular Neva. And that’s when I immediately started to worry. I’m not ready for what Nomada has planned for this story. Somehow it makes me anxious that I’m going to see a wolf die at the beginning and end of this emotional experience, because the cub is the game’s namesake.
After I regain my composure, I first take a second to enjoy the game’s stunning color palette. The forest is alive and full of dimensions – it is lush, full of different shades of green that reflect the complex and diverse beauty of nature. Patches of red, blue, orange, yellow and purple mark flowers growing along the paths. As in Gray, Neva is a 2D platform game – I walked from left to right and somehow kept getting views that were even more beautiful than the last time. Lush forest becomes a cascading lake full of moss-covered rock outcrops, which then opens up to a stunning plateau of yellow flowers under a bright blue sky and a mountain in the distance. Along the way, Alba and Neva encounter countless wild animals. I pause for a moment to enjoy the majestic beauty of a lone deer and a herd of wild boars. Comparisons to the films of Studio Ghibli, especially Princess Mononokeare appropriate here.
The platforming feels fluid, which is not too surprising considering how well Gray felt. The double jump (perhaps the benchmark for how to judge a platform game) has a wonderful height and tactile feel. When I’m thrust into the game’s first chapter, titled “Summer,” I’m given little guidance and just wander from screen to screen as Alba and Neva run after me. Neva’s actions exude a youthful energy that really conveys the character’s childishness. Neva will yap or get distracted by flowers or butterflies and leap into the air to catch them. I had to take it slow and call out to Neva to encourage the wild pup to hurry up. Unfortunately, Neva doesn’t have a double jump, and when I carelessly jump across a large gap and see Neva leap after me and fall to the ground beneath my ledge, I gasp and feel more than a little guilty for having been so indifferent. The game then teaches me to pet Neva (because of course you can pet the wolf) to comfort her. I go back, turn to the ledge again, call to Neva and then offer them lots of petting after they have successfully crossed it.
Despite the simple two-button interface, I was seriously The Last Guardian Vibes from Neva. Team Ico’s 2016 game revolved around the relationship between a boy and a large creature named Trico, but the game mechanics allowed the player to form a real bond with the creature and develop a mutual respect between them due to the cooperation required to progress through the game. Of course, The Last Guardian
Although it is also a platform game, Neva adds a combat function that Gray The world in which Alba and Neva move is not safe, as nature is threatened by a mysterious dark power that appears in the form of dark black and grey colors, seeps into the world or attacks the player in the form of spikes and shadow creatures. Here, too, there are shades of the disease in Princess Mononoke here in Gray, You brought color back into the world. In Nevait seems as if the color is being sucked out. Very threatening.
And the combat itself feels good, if not extremely complex. You slash at your enemies with your sword and platform to avoid attacks. It’s a simple loop, but one that feels effective. It also reinforces the feeling that there’s more at stake in this world than the emotional, meditative journey of Gray. It’s an intriguing take on Nomada’s house style that works well in the short demo I had of it.
I came from my time with Neva I’m dreading the release, which is scheduled for sometime this year. But that’s only because I know I want to play the complete story of Neva and Alba, even though I don’t think I’m emotionally prepared for what’s coming. Time to stock up on tissues.
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