Neva: A painted masterpiece
It's a video game where emotions are colours and your heart the canvas
From the makers of 2018’s Gris comes Neva, need I say more? To make a second game when your first sits, six years on, with a 10/10 rating on Steam and 4.5/5 on GOG is a daunting task, but Nómada Studio seems to be in a league of its own. With Neva, they show us just how magical games can be, how interactive journeys can embrace the metaphorical, their love for Monument Valley, and how breathtaking colours and their many hues can transform a world. Throughout my journey with Neva, I couldn’t help but exclaim to myself – and to anyone who was listening – how unfairly perfect this game is. No updates, no day-one patch, no fixes, no bugs – just pure magic from start to finish.”
An hour with Neva, and nothing stood a chance – neither Europa nor Indus. This was all I was going to write about this week, come what may. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the pictures.
Off the bat, Neva offers its players the opportunity to play the game either as an action game or in the form of an interactive story, I chose the former and I wasn’t disappointed. With a series of wonderful puzzles, innovative, and ever-evolving hack ‘n’ slash combat, seamless combos with Neva (the wolf), and a demand for agility and quick thinking that rivals the best rogue-like games of this year (Tales of Kenzara, and Prince of Persia the Lost Crown).
Neva is, without a doubt, one of the finest video games I have ever played. However, the combat, puzzles, and the game’s demand to find creative ways to cross bridges and reach paths that seem just an inch out of reach is one half of the story. The other half is the relationship between Neva and the protagonist, Alba – and for that, I am at a loss for words.
In terms of narrative, the game opens with a breathtaking cinematic sequence where Alba enjoys a peaceful meadow, hugging and petting a young Neva and its mother. However, darkness soon strikes, and Alba and Neva’s mother join forces to combat it. During the battle, they fall, and Neva’s mother succumbs to the darkness, leaving Alba to care for the young wolf pup.
As the seasons pass and the game progresses, you witness the breathtaking beauty the developers have crafted, with both the colours and the Monument Valley-like architecture blending seamlessly into the setting. Despite such an amazing experience, Neva’s true strength isn’t in its vibrant colours, meticulous attention to detail, or even the touching bond between Alba and Neva, but rather in the powerful metaphors within its narrative. This is a timeless tale where the darkness could represent pollution, capitalism, global destruction – you name it and it all fits.
Neva resonates with players because of how it forces us to reflect on the darkness that plagues our world. Whether Neva is a forest spirit or the embodiment of light itself, I’ll leave it for you to interpret.
Sometimes, I don’t write reviews but love letters to games, and on those rare occasions, I truly hope you share my experience. So, please make sure to try Neva during the season of light.
Sneak Peek:
Title: Neva
Developer: Nómada Studio for Devolver Digital
Game Type: Single Player Action Explorer
Platforms Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, PC, Xbox series X/S
Price: Rs 1,499 on the PS store, 1,099 on Xbox store, and INR 880 on Stream
Verdict (All scores out of 10)
Innovative Gameplay: 9.5
Game Handling & Quality: 10
Value for Time: 10
Value for Money: 10
Overall: 9.87
What Stands out:
-Everything – from the world to the story, the characters, music, combat, and puzzles – all of it is simply perfect
-The bond between Neva and Alba tugs at your heartstrings throughout the game. There’s so much detail and nuance in their relationship, from the various tones and ways Alba calls out to Neva, to the various tender moments where she hugs and pets the wolf
Fails to impress:
-Absolutely nothing. This is the highest rating Game On has ever given to a game
-Nothing to even nitpick about, trust me I tried
