Neva

I really liked Gris. but I don't like this. The story has none of the emotional impact that Gris did, and the focus on combat instead of puzzles doesn't really work since the combat kind of sucks. It's hard to pinpoint why – I guess it comes down to the fact that dying feels like the result of controls being imprecise rather than lack of skill, combined with game play that just feels tedious. I get what I'm supposed to do to beat that specific boss, but none of it is really enjoyable.

saying this game is beautiful is an understatement, its breathtaking.

One of the most vibrant and beautiful art styles in any game I've played in a long time. Every frame of this game could be a background image on your computer. Does a lot with a little in terms of story (show, don't tell) and while I was not the biggest fan of the combat it never felt truly unfair... except for a handful of times. Well worth the time you spend with it.

Neva is an emotional masterpiece. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and the art direction is breathtaking just like in Gris, but even more mature and refined. The story hits hard with its themes of love, loss, and growth, and the bond between the main character and the wolf is deeply moving. The music and atmosphere completely pull you in. It’s not just a game—it’s an experience. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates storytelling through art and emotion.

I really tried to like this game. I loved Gris, their previous game. Neva has great music and artistry, but the combat and game play just aren't that good. I suppose that I could forgive that, but I just found the game a chore to play, and the overall story not that intriguing. I had to force myself to complete it, and the ending just didn't deliver for me. It didn't have the amazing journey that Gris did with its beautiful ending, and it just wasn't fun to play. I see that most people that played it really enjoyed it, but I didn't enjoy my short time with this game. I would definitely recommend buying and playing Gris. That game is a masterpiece. Neva, unfortunately, falls far short of that.

Neva failed to captivate me despite all of the artistic emphasis and melodramatic music. I ended up finding the game to be quite dull. This was primarily due to long stretches of mindlessly holding “right” to advance through wide, empty, and monochromatic scenes, but the unforgivably slow first act and boiled-down platforming/combat certainly didn’t elevate the short-lived experience. The disappointingly generic use of "nature vs formless evil void creatures" failed to intrigue. The theme of "magic dog grows up" is similarly predictable and somewhat pandering. That's to say, you'll probably be more emotionally involved if you're biased towards being a dog person and senselessly find any dog-related sadness to be heartbreaking. The game also totally froze during the two most important cutscenes at the climax and very end, which is just funny for someone who was already completely disenchanted with the game. Sadly, there isn't much more to Neva than what's in those one-minute action reel trailers. Those do a great job of covering the entire game and showing off the soundtrack as well as the main highlights for its art and animation. Neva is about buying into the simple hand-drawn visuals and dog-focused narrative. If those don’t grab you, the utter lack of substance here will push you away.

Beautiful visuals, music and story. Highly recommend this experience

great game, for both art and gameplay.

A beautiful game, but the combat is frustrating if you (like me) don't have and/or don't want to use a game controller. I can't recommend this game unless you have some sort of controller or just want to play on story mode. If the store page made it clear (like the game does AFTER you buy it) that it's best played with a controller then, at least, it's up to me if I want to take on that challenge. And yes, after scouring the game's store page, I now see that there's a little note in the controller support area that the developer recommends a controller...but if you don't care about controller support (like me) you don't generally check that area.

Amazing visuals and smooth gameplay, my only gripe is that I wish there was more of it

You loved Gris? Sit down and play this game too. You have a dog a cat? you want an animal? you love animal? Sit down and play this game. You have a heart and eyes? Play this game. Good day

Gorgeous art design and a great soundtrack. It is a bit short, but keeps you invested in the story at every part. Beautiful game

A simple narrative-forward platformer, runs about 4 hours/6-7 with all achievements. Plenty of stunning visuals. The story is emotional and compelling, I found myself really investing in our animal companion (Neva) through the course of the game. Personally I found the first thirty minutes of the game slow, since there's not a lot of puzzles or fighting and it is mostly a very basic tutorial on your controls. Still, the challenge definitely ramps up with the battling mechanics and platforming, especially if you're going for collectibles. There is also a easy mode for those who prefer that which negates the three-lives mechanic. Even with the three-lives, your character spawns at the last position she was at, so there is not much progress lost either way. This is a game for lovers of art and animals, those who enjoy slow moments as much as action-packed ones and those who enjoy platformer puzzles combined with action.

This game is like navigating a huge artboard with a lot of beautiful colour transitions and a poignant story!

just finished the game and oh my god the art is beautiful and i loved the storyline so much, will 100% be replaying sometime soon

This games feature some of the most beautiful visuals I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing in a video game. Along with the incredible soundtrack, the game also features a story that will keep you wanting more. The only downside is the game-play. It's not bad, but it's nothing new and it can get repetitive quick. Other than that, a fantastic game!

One of the most beautiful games I've played in a hot minute. Absolutely stunning and quite fun. It's not a very long game depending on things but I love the use of art here, the platforming, and the combat. The ending kinda annoyed me but it is what it is. I still have so many questions left unanswered. Nonetheless, great game.

a lot to say about this one... the positives: - it's stunning. from start to finish, no notes. - the music is also good. - i won't spoil what they are, but during fall and winter, the mechanics get really enjoyable and creative, whether we're talking about the designs for the fights/enemies or the platforming mechanics. - the story is very straightforward (given what's going on in the world right now, it's not difficult to understand what the game is trying to tell you; the enemies being inspired by no face from studio ghibli also leaves little room for doubt. this game is about living in harmony with nature) but the simplicity suits this format perfectly. - i loved the horror elements to the atmosphere and design! this is something you won't find in GRIS. - the ending is really moving: i loved that despite the game being about cycles (something that going from season to season also makes clear), it's hopeful at its core. the negatives: - summer (the first part) feels really lacking in comparison to the rest of the game. i understand that it's because we're introducing the world and mechanics but it's still way too lacking: a big part of it is spent simply running through the (beautiful, granted) map with neva, and when puzzles and enemies show up, there's barely anything. it's not very compelling at all. i get that making the fights interesting is difficult at that stage of the game (since a lot of it is carried by neva's abilities evolving) but they could have added some puzzles and platforming to make it interesting... even if neva can't follow as a pup, having been separated for a time and/or or finding ways to reunite with her would do the trick. and even in the later part, it's not fun because all of the mechanics remain very basic. - same for spring at the end of the game, it feels way too short and the ending comes about abruptly. i wish we were able to enjoy that season more. - it's clear that this game is meant to be an entirely different thing from GRIS, but at the same time, it's very clearly still connected design-wise: you'll find the same archways, most noteably, that any GRIS player will remember. and this is where it gets tricky, because Neva has strengths that GRIS doesn't, but it also feels a lot less cohesive than GRIS. it tries to do cozy but also challenging but also fights--something about it ends up feeling unbalanced. it makes the game design feel a lot less genuine than GRIS, because some of it seems to have been put there "because we know it works", something like that? and like i said the immersion into the world doesn't always work very well. it feels connected to that. sometimes you feel like you go through the environment rather than being an active part of it, which doesn't do the story any favors, since you're meant to be in harmony with your environment and constantly helping it heal. - from a technical standpoint, i didn't love that chase scenes didn't have an automatic save point somewhere in the middle, but that's very minor. neutral: - i played nearly the whole game on story mode because i'm not a very good gamer and i play to sweat over platforming and to soak in the story and atmosphere, not to suffer through fights dozens of times. personal preference. cannot speak on how hard the fights were if you decide to play this the other way. - the flowers you collect for that one specific achievement... only got very few of them. some of them, i genuinely didn't even see how you were supposed to go about reaching them. but hey, i'm not a completionist, so i'm aware that aspect of the game isn't made for me anyway and that it being hard (sometimes really hard, perhaps...) is the point. in conclusion: it's a good game and i do recommend it. loved running around with my wolf spirit best friend. i hope this studio makes a cat game next

Beautiful and enjoyable, but, god, some of the parkour puzzles get far too frustrating as the game progresses. It's hard to enjoy the atmosphere and art when you're doing the same jump 50 times in a row to try and achieve the pixel-perfect execution needed to get to the next stage.

Great game for the most part but almost every cutscene froze ruining the experience. This game has many cutscenes so imagine getting ripped out of the experience 1/4 of the time.

Neva - 10/10 Completion Time - 5 Hours A beautiful story set in a dark world. I definitely cried. Following a traumatic event, a young woman named Alba finds herself bound to a wolf cub. Together they adventure forward through a rapidly dying world filled with corruption and evil. Over time, as the wolf cub grows, they begin to work together by using their special abilities. In this emotionally driven story, they must do whatever it takes to survive. Similar to Nomada Studio’s first game “Gris”, Neva is a puzzle platformer. You’ll traverse the different seasons by solving puzzles & battling the darkness in order to proceed to the next area. Personally, I was not a fan of Gris. I enjoyed the gameplay, but I couldn’t connect to the story or the emotions. I absolutely loved Neva. It hit all of my heartstrings, and I even found myself crying…not once, but twice. I think the story in Neva is beautifully written and the soundtrack takes it to the next level. You also get to pet Neva, and who can say no to that? Honestly, I can’t recommend Neva enough. The platforming is fun, but not overly challenging. The only parts that were a little challenging for me (I struggle, okay?) were trying to get the collectables, so you can totally skip those if you’re just here for the story. The puzzles were not very challenging, but I thought that was okay because they aren’t the focus of the game. I’ll admit, combat was challenging in certain areas, but again, it never became overly frustrating. I just thought the overall game was incredibly well balanced and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think it’s worth the entire price tag, but you can definitely find it on sale or even as a bundle if you are interested in picking up Gris as well. 10/10 the hive recommends.

Beautiful little game that can be done in one sitting. Great art direction and some fantastic music. The combat is surprisingly very fluid and fun for such simple controls. I definitely had a great time with the game and would highly recommend it. Pick it up on sale if you get a chance, and you won't regret it.

Every frame of the game is that gorgeous and emotional... Sunny in the summer, Moon falls in the fall, Fighting in the breeze, and blossoming in the spring... Not much to say, you will eventually feel it when you try out Neva 100/10 Fun fact: i took 200+ screenshots lol

Very atmospheric, relaxing and non rage enducing like alot of other games i play

The soundtrack in this game is next to none for such a small company they sure know how to portray such emotion through its OST, and really engage you in the emotion within the game. Short but sweet.

Neva's art is beautiful, and the music is even better. However, the story is only so-so and sums up to "black Kaonashi-inspired creatures corrupt the Earth and raising a dog/child is hard" which feels significantly less emotional than it could be. As a result, it doesn't really hold up to expectations shaped by other games, namely its Nomada Studios predecessor Gris, and Planet of Lana, which has similar gameplay and story beats. This is only the first of many areas where Neva falls a little flat. On the topic of mechanics, the combat is mediocre at best. The enemies are repetitive and have difficult-to-read hitboxes, which makes learning how to dodge them especially frustrating because the healing system is based on landing hits without getting hit. Even once you do understand the enemy hitboxes the combat still feels like a button-mashing chore without room for skill expression because the melee attacks are clunky and there isn't really an advantage for using different attacks. The platforming is also very simple and only okay, with some neat puzzle components becoming frustrating because the controls feel imprecise when the intended solutions require precision. The game is also pretty short, with the story coming to an abrupt climax and ending earlier than it felt it could have. The two games I compared it to earlier, Planet of Lana and Gris, each were longer, but did so by including many more puzzles and different types of content, making them much less repetitive than Neva was. All-in-all, these are secondary to the art and the story, so I can't completely fault Nomada Studios for leaning into those elements, but it was disappointing. I think the game is okay, and I still enjoyed it more than I disliked it, but my prior experience with Gris gave me high hopes that Neva just didn't live up to. If you enjoy good art and a decent story, then you'll probably enjoy it too, but I don't think it stands out nearly as much as other options.

Beautiful art and story. The gameplay wasn't quite as challenging as I would have liked it though, I do wish there was a "hard" mode or something

(vague spoilers ahead) my GOD this game was absolutely beautiful. it gave me lots of ghibli vibes—spirited away with the no-face-type creatures, and princess mononoke with the wolf companions, scenery, deer, and boars that were prevalent through the game. i was so obsessed with neva & the mc's relationship and how they always had each other's back. i adored how each season, neva grew up & gained new abilities. each region was crafted meticulously with harmonious colors, vibrant visuals, and eye-catching formations. the music gave me goosebumps when it really mattered, and lulled me in moments of peace. the only reason i take off a partial points is for the boar fight that i failed at 20+ times (and that was user error, lol!)

If 2d-platforming, artsy and colorful is your jam, then this is for you..

The entire game is just absolutely beautiful, you can take a screenshot anywhere and have a new wallpaper and the way it all flows so smooth with no defined edges gives such a natural feel to the world it's amazing. I bought this when it came out but never got around to playing it and wow do I regret not playing it day 1, Gris was already one of my favorite games and this took all the elements of that and made it even better 10/10

it was such an emotional story. if you like somthing you can sit back and play, this is it.

I read somewhere on Steam that if Gris was a whisper then Neva is a song and now that I have finished the game, I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. There wasn't any dialogue throughout the game but it still makes you feel everything. Love, loss, longing and growing up in the midst of all that.

One of the most beautiful art styles game I've ever played, Music is beautiful and of course, the story. 10/10

Its a good game. The ending had me shed a few onion tears. Its strong, it gets you emotional, similar to Gris. The way Nomada tells their stories is very visual and they do a good job at that. Simply put, the art is astonishing to look at. Combine that with Berlinist's spectacular music and then it becomes a punch in the gut. I suggest you go in blind, like I did.

Beautiful art, scenery, and emotional story. Any screenshot could be a background wallpaper. Absolutely stunning artwork. Neva (the wolf) responds very well and the controls feel smooth. It's nice seeing Neva's growth throughout the levels. Combat is fun and similar to Hollow Knight with simple attack, evade, jump. Some platforming levels require perfect timing, which could take multiple attempts. The really hard ones are for optional collectibles. The path of progression is always doable even if the puzzle makes me pause and think (which is great! It's been a while since a game puzzle has made me stop and think about the path forward. Most nowadays are really simple and easy.) Sometimes the art style makes the platforms difficult to see at first. But you get used to it and they become easy to see as you go on. Even if you miss it the first time, falling/dying only sets you back a little, so you can easily try again.

Beautiful and amazing game. Said a lot without saying a word!

An emotional and compelling game with a charming aesthetic, many screenshots taken. Make sure to explore all paths and enjoy the platform puzzles.

A 2d platformer with puzzle and action elements, by the makers of GRIS. You go through a visually impressive landscape and defeat black blob enemies as the story slowly unfolds. It took about 4 hours to 100%. The intro credits shows the designer first, musician second and developer third. This is also reflected in the game itself. It looks gorgeous, sounds pretty good but plays a little less good at times. + Beautiful 2D cutscenes and music that tell the story. + Generally amazing art and design! + Adorable wolf companion that really helps you fight the black goop monsters! + Some interesting puzzles to get all the collectables. + Achievements are all doable in a single playthrough (I went back for some). + The mirror level! - Neva's auto-aim leaves something to be desired at times. - Your own weapon feels very flimsy and never gets stronger. - Some of the art gets in the way of gameplay, making it hard to see some things. All in all a solid and fun game, well worth it!

Beautiful yet simple aesthetic. It's not a long game but surely an entertaining platformer.

I just finished the game, and I have to say, the story is absolutely wonderful! The puzzles and adventure are incredibly engaging and made for a captivating experience. The music is also quite good, enhancing the overall atmosphere. I do wish the controller vibrations were more pronounced during certain combos, and it would have been nice if the character had an HP system. However, I understand that these design choices were likely made to keep the game accessible for everyone. Overall, I really enjoyed the game and the entire experience ♡♡♡~

Neva broke me in the best way No words, just vibes. And those vibes hurt. The art is beautiful, the music destroyed me. It's like Gris but heavier and more grown. I finished it in one go and just sat there after. 10/10. I'll never emotionally recover.

This game, like Gris, was a colourful adventure, filled with emotions and and moments of awe when hearing the OST and the beautiful visuals.

This game is too short. It will allow me to play it through on a whim. I loved every moment and didn't want it to end, and now that it has, I'm so happy that it's not going to be laborious or an effort to play through it again. This is a handmade masterpiece of storytelling, tutorials excluded with less than 3 words. It's Spiritfarer for the Hollow Knight Fans.

I really loved this game! If you loved Gris' artstyle, you'll love this game's as well! The game is more combat focused, but contains new beautiful music and art. I really loved being able to call out to Neva, and Alba and Neva's response to this changing over the course of the story. It was also really cute watching Neva grow from a pup to an adult and seeing what happens in Spring I.

Amazing art and music. But too much tragedy just to have tragedy, could be much better game without it, devs were trying to pull out a tiers from you without any reason. GRIS is much better. Also not skippable end titles, why? 6/10

The ending had me in tears... Neva is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The art direction is superb and it only keeps getting more powerful as the game goes on. The gameplay is fundamentally simple but serves to highlight the strongest aspect of the game which are the visuals. The platforming and combat introduced in Neva, having come from the same studio that made Gris, another beautiful game, are simple yet satisfying. I found myself enjoying myself decently enough through those sections. Neva is an experience you play through to relax and take a step back and let your mind drift as you glide along the beautiful environments that you go through. I'm excited to see how Nomada expands upon this style of theirs in the future. Score: Art - 10/10 Overall - 7/10

I was a huge fan of Gris, so I was very excited to pick up this game. Although I enjoyed it, I feel it was not as good as its predecessor. Pros: -Stunning visuals. As always, the team did an immaculate job. This game ventures a lot more into uncanny territory as well, which was also incredibly well executed visually. -Great music and sound design that is very immersive. -Cute doggo!!! -Varied gameplay from Gris, with fighting segments and interesting puzzles. Cons: -the story is strange and a little sad. It's not necessarily bad, but I was very confused throughout and wasn't really sure what the point of it all was. Made it hard to get into. Gris had a nice mix of clear metaphor and simply artistic visual storytelling. This one feels like they wanted to have a more specific story be told, but weren't sure how to do it well. -The fighting segments are very, very precise in some sections. This isn't bad, in fact if you enjoy things like that it is very well put together, but if you are coming at this game from Gris, the difficultly level skyrockets. There is an option to turn of fighting damage, but it felt like cheating, so I spent hours trying to power through 2 or 3 sections that were so precise I couldn't finish them.

It's really nice, the art is beautiful, the story is pretty good (although personally I didn't like the ending but I won't spoil anything). The game can feel quite slow at points but I feel like it's supposed to be that way to give you time to really enjoy the atmosphere, also sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between the background and platforms, and the keyboard controls are terrible so a controller is definitely better if possible

This game is freaking beautiful and does everything it tries to do nigh perfectly if you've played Gris then you already know just how amazing these guys are at visuals but this game is far more then just a pretty face all the movement in this game feels great, the double jump and dash both flow into each other perfectly and vice-versa the combat all feels fast and fun with some really amazing fights (especially near the end) although i will admit its not the most challenging experience, but even if any challenge is a bit to much for you there is of course a super easy mode that you can change into at any time the puzzles are all at the right level of difficult where you'll probably have to stop for a second every now and again to figure something out but overall you'll be smashing through them and that's all just the boring mechanical stuff, the game is really emotional and isn't afraid to show some teeth when it comes to death and even by the end when you probably already know whats about to happen it'll still hit like a truck as you can see from my playtime the game is pretty short but i still recommend you at least play the first hour and if you ain't loving it by then you can always get a refund and if there's anyone who worked on this that is for some reason insane enough to be looking in the steam reviews i truly thank you for making yet another beautiful bullet to my soul

Good game in most aspects. Great music. Meh combat. Is it the perfect successor that GRIS deserved? NO, GRIS had something special where it was both simple and impactful. I missed that in Neva, however i had fun playing it and didn't focus on analyzing the story to be able to understand. I promise to do next time.