Neva Review (Transfer eShop) | Nintendo Life
During the first few years of the Switch, one of the indie games that stood out was an artistic little platformer called GRIScombines simple gameplay with incredible visuals for a memorable and moving experience. It’s fitting, then, that developer Nomada Studio has managed to produce and release a spiritual successor called Nevada in the twilight of the Switch’s lifecycle, ending its time in the spotlight with another state-of-the-art experience that captures the essence of Gris and expands on it in some notable ways. Although it won’t last too long, the Neva is a memorable, emotional and beautiful adventure that we recommend you take as soon as you can.
The game tells the story of a lone swordswoman named Alba and her titular wolf friend, Neva. Their journey begins when the wolf is just a puppy and the two of them and Neva’s mother explore a beautiful landscape, but the group is attacked by a fierce storm of dark demons. They courageously stood their ground, but Neva’s mother was killed in the fierce attack. Mourning their loss, Alba and Neva appear relatively unharmed, and the two then embark on a long journey to fight the encroaching corruption that the dark demons have brought to the land.
It’s relatively light on plot, but what it lacks in nuance and dialogue, it more than makes up for in raw emotions. The heart and soul of this story is the healthy, trusting relationship between Alba and her companion, and this is built upon in various ways of passivity through their actions. Things like Alba’s panicked cries for Neva when the dog disappears in a hostile environment or when the two hug each other for a long time after an intense fight really go a long way in proving they have what they mean to each other and this helps you become more caring. their welfare. You can’t help but root for this duo and you’ll definitely feel scared every time Neva is violently taken down by a dark beast. Nomada knows how to capture hearts and make the most of the Neva’s roughly five-hour running time.
Gameplay in Neva follows simple action platforming principles, but there’s enough challenge here to make for a thoroughly engaging experience. Most of your time will be spent navigating splendid environment through light platforming challenges that often task you to avoid evil black roots brought by demons. Those hoping for engaging platforming gameplay may be a little disappointed by the simple level design here, but there are still plenty of surprising ways the developers took advantage of the double jump or upper dash. no Alba’s. The platforming manages to be engaging – not too easy or too difficult – and just when you want a change of pace, a small group of demons will attack you to help shake things up.
These battles are where the new combat system comes into play, and it’s just as fundamental in creating that simple elegance. Alba has some basic combos, drop attacks, and dodge rolls, giving her a well-rounded (albeit limited) set of skills to deal with enemies. As you progress through the story, Neva grows from a cute puppy into a much more powerful monster, giving you access to new moves like a teleporting dash that can keep other enemies busy busy while you finish them off with your sword. They made an effective team, but the margin for error was small as Alba was only able to make three shots.
There is a small buffer here in that you can regain lost health if you perform well in combat, although this can sometimes be a tall order as refilling a health cell requires taking damage. about six hits to the enemy without taking any additional damage. Considering that you can sometimes be attacked by a large number of enemies at once, seeing a Game Over screen won’t be uncommon, but Neva is generous with its checkpoints and doesn’t make these This delay became too annoying. We found that combat added a lot to the gameplay loop, as it was distinct and blended well with the platforming sections, while also providing some of the game’s most memorable moments during matches boss.
The Neva’s imagery is arguably its most fascinating asset, immersing you in this peaceful and sometimes harrowing natural world. We appreciated how smoothly the color palette changed to fit a new scene or to highlight an emotional plot point, while also the moments when the camera pulled back to show you a frame Wide shots of the environment will definitely have you reaching for that shutter button.
It’s no exaggeration to say that virtually every still image of Neva looks like it came out of a concept artist’s sketchbook in the best way possible. And while Neva is a very gently paced experience that takes time for you to absorb everything, it also knows how to create just the right spectacle when the moment calls for it.
These striking visuals are joined by an equally captivating soundtrack that captures the beauty, intensity, and sometimes terror of our duo’s righteous quest. The music often plays things up quite nicely with strings and light keys to help add some texture to the verdant world, but it also builds into some punchy sounds to highlight big sections and moments. engrave the story. We highly recommend playing this game with headphones, as the audio-visual mix here will immerse you in a way that few other games can achieve.
The only stumble in the presentation was the performance, maybe lightly sometimes falling behind. Neva isn’t a game we’d call choppy or even substandard, but there were times—especially when there was a lot of movement on screen—when we found some frames stuttered. fall. Normally, such small-scale performance issues are hardly worth discussing, but in a game that focuses heavily on audio-visual presentation, such issues tend to be more prominent a little bit. We wouldn’t say that these frame drops warrant skipping the Switch version, but if you’re particularly sensitive to frame rates and happen to own other hardware that can run Neva, you might consider it. choose that version.
The only other complaint we have (again relatively minor) is that some people may find it a bit lacking in experience. One playthrough will last about five hours and while there some replayability between some of the game achievements and collectible flowers scattered throughout each level, this is still what we call a one-time experience. Now, runtime isn’t everything, and we think Neva is a fun, well-paced, and much more memorable experience than most platformers, but those looking for a can exist for a long time, but not. Find it here.
Conclusion
Neva is a breathtaking example of moving art, delivering a completely immersive platforming experience that will linger in your mind long after you’ve rolled the credits. Incredible visuals, a moving soundtrack, satisfying gameplay, and a surprisingly touching story all come together to create a game that shouldn’t be missed. A few frames aside, if you’re looking for a new addition to your library that will give you something scent Instead of just consuming, look no further than Neva.
