There is absolutely nothing negative to say about it Neva. As a story, Neva is a living tale set in dreamlike scenes of natural beauty starring two creatures bound by tragedy and desperate to protect each other – and save the world in the process. like a game Neva offers refined swordplay and intuitive platforming action with a skill set that purposefully evolves with each new stage. As a work of art, each frame Neva it’s breathtaking.
This is what a perfect game looks like. That’s what it feels like to play something perfect.
Alba is the protagonist of the film Neva and he is a bastard. When we meet him, he is a seasoned warrior and nomad with a cloud of silver hair, dancer’s limbs, and a billowy red cape that hides his slender sword. His wolf companion, Neva, is a mere cub at first, easily distracted and still learning to navigate the forests and fields of her world. In the beginning, Neva needs Alba. At the end of the game, after seasons of growth and fierce battles, Alba also needs Neva.
None of these descriptors are put into words, but the characters’ actions and a few beautifully animated vignettes clarify their backstories, and the whole story unfolds similarly. The only performance in the game was Alba’s “Neva?” is to shout. or “Neva!” or, “Nevaaa”, with each press of the interaction button. Her tone and level of panic changes dynamically with Neva’s position in the environment—Alban’s voice tenses with concern when she and the wolf are separated, and becomes soothing or playful when they’re close together. Standing next to Neva and pressing to interact allows Alba to love her (and yes, there are achievements for that). In a million little ways, the game’s mechanics build a deep emotional connection between Alba and Neva, until they feel like a single entity and merge with the darkness.
The world of Alba and Neva is amazing. It consists of lush forests, sunny valleys, soaring mountains, and twisting cave systems—all consumed by a oozing, inky-black rot spread by hordes of bulbous wolves with white faces. The rot acts like cordyceps, filling the bodies of massive animals and turning them into zombie-like killing machines. In other areas, they take the form of thorny branches and skeleton vines that deal damage when you touch them. Monsters—round bodies, screaming faces, and spidery limbs—appear consistently with various ranged, melee, aerial, and rush attacks. Alba and Neva’s mission is to destroy the rot and monsters and reclaim their land. For the completists among us, there are also bright white flowers hidden between levels, and finding them all unlocks something special.
The game is divided into four seasons, and as Neva grows, so do her abilities. Meanwhile, Alba is always strong, and she gets stronger as she learns how to fight alongside Neva. For starters, Alba has the ability to jump, double jump, and dodge, and she has a basic sword attack and a low kick that can hit enemies and go through weak floors from above. In the back of the game, Neva can essentially teleport to any area by jumping on invisible platforms, watching from high ridges as Alba climbs walls of white flowers to reach her.
This is a stark contrast to the early stages, where Alba had to push the baby Neva to jump through small gaps, and it links the main theme of the game to parental love. Finally, Alba manages to throw Neva into battle like a homing projectile, and it will mercilessly attack the enemy it hits. This ability is a little silly at times—when you’re trying to reach a hidden flower and throw Neva into the wall repeatedly until the angle is right—but it feels like a natural, necessary extension of Alba’s arsenal. . Besides, Neva doesn’t seem to mind.
Mechanically, Neva is an incredibly light and responsive platform. The entries playing on the PlayStation 5 never lag; Alba can easily jump, double jump, and dodge, and this trio of abilities resets with the lightest of touches to the terrain. Enemy hitboxes are tight, encouraging players to engage in close combat and dodge threats between swings of Alba’s sword. As Alba hits the ground without harming herself, health is restored and healing herbs are liberally sprinkled throughout the scenes. Mid-air levels where Alba leaps between cliff edges and bounces off floating enemy pods develop a brilliant sense of precision as players brave Alba’s maneuvers to their absolute limits. Neva offers subtle but clear direction only through environmental hints, and I never felt lost in its platforming sauce. Levels vary by chapter: complex navigational puzzles and delightfully challenging mirror levels add to the side-scrolling action, constantly testing Alba and Neva’s ability to work together.
Alba and Neva are linked in every scene, but their bond is palpable during the fights, especially after the monster shot becomes a reliable part of Alba’s dodging rhythm. This only makes Alba more uncomfortable in some stages when she has to fight alone. Neva’s presence adds richness to Alba’s abilities, and especially in the last few hours of the game, my controller felt downright empty when she wasn’t fighting me.
I don’t want to talk too much about the final stages Neva. The play builds to an inevitable, emotionally intense conclusion, with pockets of deep longing and sublime reconciliation scattered throughout the soaring action. yes, Neva will make you cry. I definitely did with big, ugly tears.
Neva infused with magical realism, mixing the familiar with the impossible in a format that looks like a living children’s book. Otherworldly terror creeps around the edges of every scene, foreboding and subtle, and the game’s animations are anime-smooth. Neva it looks incredible and plays so beautifully – a rare and powerful combination. Just like Alba and Neva.
Neva It comes out on October 15th on PCmacOS, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch, developed by Nomada Studio and published by Devolver Digital.
