Chris InglisNomada Studio’s 2018 game Gris was a solitary dive into grief. Their next title, Neva, released in October 2024and published by Devolver Digital, is a journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around Alba and her animal companion, Neva. It is a perfect example of how minimalist design can yield maximum emotional payoff with a strong narrative that is backed up by emotive music and beautiful hand-drawn landscapes.
The story isn’t told through lore-heavy dialogue but through the evolution of seasons of events and their relationship. In the early chapters of Summer, Neva is a liability whining at the edge of gaps, getting distracted by butterflies, and cowering in combat. You often have to stop and call Neva or give her a pat to continue. By the time Winter rolls around, the power dynamic has shifted.
Watching Neva grow from a trembling pup into a majestic, antlered force of nature is a rewarding character arc. The pet button is an emotional reset after some of the game’s more intense combat and environmental encounters. The stunning hand-drawn art and emotional evolution of Neva is bought to life by the hauntingly beautiful score by Berlinist.
Where Gris was mostly focused on environmental puzzles, Neva adds to this by introducing a simple yet challenging enough combat system. Alba’s movements are sharp and precise, requiring you to weave through corrupted, Ghibli-esque monstrosities. It’s a simple three-hit combo and a dash but it’s a perfect balance without the need for super fast reflexes, and no rage quits in sight. It doesn’t take many hits for you to die and reset, though the health system simply requires you to keep hitting enemies to regain health flowers.
While containing fewer than its predecessor, the puzzles use the environments such as the reflective ice surfaces in later chapters to challenge your spatial awareness without slowing the game’s pace. The camera work is an excellent necessity, frequently zooming out to reveal a world that looks like a moving painting. Parallax scrolling for the seasonal background adds depth and creates some very effective backdrops to the simple platforming gameplay.
Overall, Neva is a beautiful story set in some fantastic hand-drawn seasonal environments, with just enough combat and puzzles to keep you driving forward. The experience respects your time, clocking in at around 4–5 hours of pure artistry with enough intensity in combat to keep you on your toes. If you enjoyed Gris, you would definitely enjoy this game and for newcomers, it’s a great platformer with an emotive story to play through.
This review utilised a key provided by Devolver Digital and Neva is out now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
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