Gris It is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Its beautiful graphics, music and the feelings it conveys stayed with me forever. However, it is not an opinion that everyone shares. There are those who criticized – very validly – that it is too simple and the lack of more varied mechanics. It seems that its creators took those criticisms to heart, because in their new game Neva They included combat mechanics and slightly more elaborate ‘puzzles’, but maintaining the emotional core of their previous work.
Those who – like me – loved Gris They will feel like they are back at home despite the new mechanics. This is a game that seeks above all to make us feel the regret, rage and other strong emotions of its protagonist, who begins her adventure with a terrible tragedy that strongly establishes the melancholic tone of this story.
The world that Alba and her companion Neva inhabit is getting worse and worse. Strange black creatures with white faces have invaded it and their mere presence is destroying the fauna and flora. For every enemy we eliminate, there seem to be three more.
traitor summer
The story unfolds over the four seasons of one year. As we advance through the colorful settings, Neva grows and gains new abilities. Initially it hides during confrontations, but eventually we can direct it against enemies or even ride it to advance faster. After my first few hours of playing I was going to complain about a combat system that seemed extremely simple, but as time went by it became more interesting and the enemies more complex. I even had to face bosses that eliminated me many times before I learned how to respond well to their attack routines.
I wouldn’t say that Neva It is a new gem of ‘puzzle and platform’ games or 2D action. It has its moments of brilliance, but the level design and enemy attack patterns are quite traditionalist. In any case, he does things quite well in that field and sometimes surprises us with curious ideas, although not necessarily original.
Nomada Studio had already shown off with the visual aspect of Gris and here they achieved something equally beautiful. Each new setting is dominated by a specific color—usually in a pastel tone—that conveys everything from calm and warmth to sadness and horror. Berlinist’s soundtrack also does a fantastic job with minimalist tunes for moments of thoughtful exploration and epic ‘crescendos’ in boss fights.
What Fall Takes
Visually it reminded me a lot of its creators’ previous game, but it is less abstract. I could also recognize a strong influence from Hayao Miyazaki’s cinema in this world, especially in the character design. The creatures look like something out of Princess Mononoke and the enemies They are very similar to Sin Cara Spirited Away. Initially, the design of the protagonist Alba had not caught my attention, but the way her hair and the movement of her cape stand out in the settings ended up making me fall in love.
The natural settings dominate the landscape and it is heartbreaking to see how they are destroyed as the story progresses, but that desolation also lends itself to offering striking and very evocative images. There are also very dark moments, such as a living castle made up of enemies and worthy of a nightmare.
The relationship between Alba and Neva is very nice (especially considering the sad beginning of the game) and the more the game progresses, the more attached I felt to them. From the beginning we can assume that they are going to break our hearts because of the melancholic tone that everything has. In fact, the invasion of creatures is so overwhelming that we come to believe that there is no salvation and that we find ourselves facing a kind of final resistance to survive and save what we can.
Easy-to-tear players will have a hard time finishing the game without their eyes watering. Although there is no dialogue and throughout the game we only hear one word repeated over and over again – well, two – the environmental narrative is fascinating and we have no difficulty understanding what is happening.
winter is coming
All that beauty is sometimes overshadowed by a very annoying defect and that is that the very visual design of the scenarios interferes with navigation. There are times when it is not clear which objects are platforms we can jump to and which are background decorations. There were also times when the camera zoomed out so far that it was difficult to understand what was happening, but those moments were few.
There are players who may also be disappointed by its length. Neva It’s a short game that can be finished in around five hoursalthough if we want to get 100% we may have to repeat some levels in search of the collectibles that we missed when we went through those places the first time. It seems to me that it is a perfect length for a title like this.
It is certain that in the future I will want to repeat the adventure of Nevaeven knowing what happens and the ways it will break my heart. It is a beautiful game that, like GrisI will never forget.
This review is made with a digital copy of Neva for Steam provided by Devolver Digital. This game is available for PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch
