Neva

John Wick in watercolor

Why

Why Not

Impressions

This is the second game from Nomada Studio, the team behind Gris, another absolutely beautiful game telling an emotional story in watercolor. I really cannot overemphasize how beautiful this game is, the screenshots are impressive but still don't do justice to how it feels to play. If you were picky you could call Gris a walking simulator with some basic platforming (albeit still a fantastic game), but no such accusations can be levelled at Neva.

I played bursts of this in between sessions of Silksong and the combat, while obviously more basic, compares pretty favourably in terms of feel. It's not exactly difficult, but it can be surprisingly difficult and I did die a few times when a new enemy type caught me by surprise before I could figure out its gimmick.

Platforming feels equally smooth; gliding through the air with your dash just feels and looks satisfying. There are some interesting puzzles as well, including a very cool looking platforming puzzle involving mirrors. You can also spot collectibles in the form of glowing plants which grow brighter when you reach them, and I'd strongly suggest you try to do so if you have the patience since they can affect the ending.

The puzzles, platforming and combat combine for a gameplay loop that honestly might make a pretty fun game irrespective of the breathtaking art and heart-string tugging story, but you know you're getting those from a Nomada game. This is a spectacular follow up to the already great Gris; keeping everything unique to the studio which made that game great and finding incredible success with adding a combat system. Definitely check this out, it might be worth the price tag just as a walking simulator for the art and story, but there's also a really fun game hiding behind those towering pillars.