Neva Review: A Breathtaking Journey of Growth For Nomada Studio

Nomada Studio and Devolver Digital are back, ready to tug at your heartstrings and inspire animal lovers, especially dog owners (sorry cat fans, you have Stray), to cuddle their pets. Neva is a 2D action-adventure platformer that follows Alba, a young woman bonded to a mysterious wolf cub after a harrowing encounter with dark forces.

While many players quickly noticed its resemblance to GRIS, the adventure platformer Nomada Studio is best known for, Neva marks a bold and triumphant evolution for the studio. 

The Story of Neva is Beautiful and Important

Caution: Be advised that Neva is a short 4-5-hour game that focuses heavily on its narrative, so our breakdown and analysis of its story will contain major spoilers.

Neva hits hard right from the opening scene, nearly identical to the game's announcement trailer. Alba and her large wolf companion are ambushed by dark forces, leaving Alba unconscious while the wolf is tragically killed by the creatures. This leads Alba to take in the wolf cub, Neva, as they continue their journey (more on this later).

From this point, Alba and Neva travel through a world ravaged by unknown dark forces, seeking to stop the destruction. The game is divided into four chapters - Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring - with each one marking the progression of both the world and the story. 

As you explore these areas and clear the darkness threatening the world, the underlying message of Neva begins to unfold. The game teaches that, although we face challenges, as long as we cherish and care for those close to us, the future remains bright and full of possibilities.

Of course, this is my interpretation of the story, but the game's elements strongly point toward this message. Throughout the journey, you have chances to bond with Neva, whether by calling her name or petting her. This feature is adorable and something many pet owners will love. Even if you aren't a pet lover, the music (by the amazing Berlinist), atmosphere, and voice acting create a sense of growing connection with Neva, both in terms of relationship and strength.

Neva herself physically grows as well, likely representing the game's themes of growth and resilience. As she grows, you unlock new abilities to use in combat (which we'll touch on later), leading to the final chapter, Spring.

After what seems to be the defeat of the ultimate darkness creatures, Alba, Neva, and a smaller wolf pup named Bruma are seen resting peacefully in a forest. However, as you begin walking around, the game throws a twist you likely won’t see coming.

The same scene from the start of the game begins to play out, and at first, you might think it's a glitch. But this is where the game reveals its masterstroke. All along, we assumed Neva was the wolf cub we saved in the opening cutscene, but in reality, Neva was the large wolf, the mother of Bruma.

The developers cleverly execute this "bait and switch," showing us the end of the story first before bringing us back to the beginning. We grow alongside Neva, who becomes the large wolf we first saw, leading to the final scene where Neva sacrifices herself to save Alba, leaving Bruma, the pup we nurtured at the end of the cutscene.

This emotional twist reinforces the story's themes of growth beyond tragedy, loss, and hardship. It’s a powerful lesson that resonates deeply with real life, and games like Neva and GRIS allow players to experience these emotions in a meaningful and healthy way. For this reason, I can confidently say that Neva is a game everyone should experience at least once.

Neva is an Action-Platformer, and I Couldn’t Be Happier

When GRIS was first released, many praised its masterful narrative while others criticized it for being overly simplistic, labeling it as a “pretty walking simulator.” It seems Nomada Studio took that feedback to heart and addressed it in Neva.

In Neva, players now face a real death state and have access to a fully functional combat system — something GRIS lacked. Alba wields a sword, allowing her to perform simple combo strings, aerial attacks, and a downward thrust that helps clear out groups of enemies.

From the start, Alba has a double jump and a dodge roll with invincibility frames (iframes) that let her evade enemy attacks. Her health is represented by three flowers at the bottom of the screen, with each hit consuming a flower. You can regain health by damaging enemies, hitting save points, or using Neva’s abilities.

Speaking of Neva, the wolf cub’s abilities grow more intricate as you progress. Initially, Neva is just a "smoll pupper" and can only follow you, though she can fully heal you after battles. By Fall, Neva has grown and can make long jumps on her own and assist in combat. She even joins you in performing downward thrust attacks, increasing their damage and knockback.

By Winter, Neva is at her strongest, able to attack with every swing of your sword and perform downward slashes almost every time. She can also be sent to dash at enemies, either latching onto them or distracting them while you fight. In this chapter, you can even ride Neva, adding a fun change of pace.

Overall, Neva strikes a good balance in its combat - simple, smooth, rewarding, and challenging enough that some encounters may require a few retries. However, there’s room for improvement, such as adding combos to Alba’s sword swings or incorporating active abilities linked to Neva’s spirit powers. These additions could have further grounded the combat and provided more opportunities for storytelling through gameplay.

This may stem from the limitations of Nomada Studio’s size, as expanding the combat would mean adding more enemies, levels, and content. The studio has prioritized focusing its resources on delivering a strong narrative rather than fully fleshing out the combat system. I respect this choice, as they’ve managed to address some of the shortcomings of GRIS while staying true to their core vision.

This evolution highlights Nomada Studio’s growth and commitment to enhancing their core gameplay, even if the combat doesn’t reach the depth some players, myself included, might have hoped for.

Ultimately, I look forward to seeing them continue refining their 2D action-platformer mechanics while maintaining their deeply narrative-driven experiences. If they do, I can see them joining the ranks of Hollow Knight and Nine Sols in the future.

Of course, Nomada is a smaller studio, and with Adrian Cuevas, David Collado Ochoa, and Conrad Roset Tenllado focused on telling human stories through their games, we may never see a full-fledged action-adventure platformer from them.

But I’m content with the steps they’ve taken in Neva, and I believe many players will be too. It offers a short yet impactful story, with enough gameplay and challenge to keep you engaged. If Nomada continues on this trajectory, their future games will be just as incredible.

Neva is a Personal Game of the Year

Neva is a worthy and ambitious successor to GRIS, and the team at Nomada Studio should be immensely proud of what they’ve created. While the game has some technical and combat limitations and its story-focused design may not cater to the button-mashing gameplay we’re accustomed to, these shortcomings are easily overlooked for the heartwarming and beautiful story it tells.

At around 4-5 hours long, Neva is a refreshing break from the shooters, MOBAs, RPGs, and Souls-likes that have dominated the gaming landscape recently. I’m grateful to Nomada Studio for continuing to craft these narrative-driven experiences, providing a reprieve from the fast-paced, competitive games that fill our screens.

If you’re looking for something different or just want a break from the usual grind, Neva has you covered. Its simple combat is easy to master, and its story is one you won’t soon forget. I know I won’t.