Our review of Neva, developed by Nomada Studio. Available now for PS5 (reviewed), PS4, Xbox X/S, Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch.
WHAT IS IT?
The loveliest video game of 2024.
IS IT GOOD?
It’s gorgeous.
WHO SHOULD PLAY IT?
Disney artists.
A BRUSH WITH DESTINY
For its first couple hours, Neva contents itself with merely being the most beautiful video game you’ve ever seen. But then, something happens, and, though the core gameplay remains the same, its world begins to unfold in altogether unexpected ways.
It’s a bold, if not entirely successful, bid to be something more than just “that game that looks like the Sleeping Beauty background”, and developer Nomada absolutely deserves credit for it. We’re going to refrain from spoiling the nifty ways Neva evolves, but just know that this game is both more (and occasionally less) than it appears…
DOG DAYS
Neva picks up where games like Ōkami and Journey – and Nomada’s own 2018 title Gris – left off, with some of the most strikingly illustrated graphics of any video game ever made.
Neva is essentially a Ghibli-style fairy tale about a young woman named Alba (the player-character) and her pet/companion, Neva.
When Neva begins, the title character is merely a cub. Over the course of its four or so hours – corresponding to the four seasons – Neva grows into a formidable fantasy animal, a sort-of cross between a wolf, dog, and deer. In that time, Neva also becomes perhaps the most precious thing of all: your best friend.
If Neva was just four hours of Alba and Neva wandering through gorgeously rendered 2.5D landscapes, that would be enough. If anything, its main weakness comes from its “gamier” aspects, like overlong combat sequences or finicky precision platforming. These are, if we’re being honest here, distractions from the main event: watching Alba and Neva move across a world that looks like it was painted by Eyvind Earle.
That said, Neva certainly is and does more than just show off developer Nomada’s artistic chops. Its simple, fable-like story begins with a death (as these stories often do), then unfolds as a series of challenges through which Alba/Neva must overcome an ever-growing darkness. It’s a tale told a thousand times over, but it’s told well here, simply, with minimal to no dialogue and an evocative art style which communicates more than most games accomplish in hundreds of hours of dialogue.
THE JOURNEY NOT THE DESTINATION
Gameplay in Neva is simple, if not quite simple enough. Alba (you) can run and jump and dash and activate light towers and, on occasion, swing a shadow-destroying sword to fend off the dark, oozy, creeping things threatening the world.
The wolf-dog Neva is largely there to back you up, providing combat support and, as your pet grows/ages, assisting with relatively simple environmental puzzles.
At any time, you can stop whatever you’re doing and, with the tap of a button, pet the dog. Or hug. Or scritch around the neck. All are appreciated.
Neva is unabashed about its influences. There’s a healthy dose of Limbo and Inside, the two critically acclaimed “silent wanderer” titles from Danish studio Playdead. There’s also quite a bit of Journey (my #1 all-time favourite game), right down to Neva‘s central mountain, which has clearly been lifted from that 2012 masterpiece. In its painterly aesthetic, Neva also reminds me of Ōkami, which, perhaps not so coincidentally, also stars a magical wolf.
Speaking of coincidence, Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is possibly another influence, with its similar tale of a young woman’s bond with her wolf and 2.5D graphics. Then again, it could just be that stories of magical wolves and dogs are irresistible.
A BEAUTY THAT SLEEPS
Most of all, Neva plays like a classic Disney film come to life. Evyind Earle may not be as familiar a name as Ub Iwerks or Walt himself, but his contributions to the Disney canon are legion. As the lead background painter on Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty, he solidified a house style which favoured sparse, geometric shapes and bold, striking colours. (Here’s a nice article about Earle with lots of examples of his art.) Clearly, Nomada’s creative director Conrad Roset is a fan.
It’s too bad there aren’t more games that take inspiration from classic animation. Cuphead is an obvious example, as are the Samorost and Machinarium titles from Amanita Designs, and the remarkable (and criminally overlooked) Ni No Kuni from Studio Ghibli.
Neva is a fine addition to a very small but illustrious pantheon and one of the Great Games of 2024.
***
Final score: 9/10 paintbrushes.
Visit the official website for Neva here.
