Neva

What a beautiful piece of art. From the animation to the story to the music. If this does not elicit an emotional response from you, you might be dead inside.

10/10, emotionally destroyed me. Absolutely beautiful game, visuals are stunning and the soundtrack is amazing. Some aspects felt a lil boring, I´ll admit, but this game makes up for it in style and feeling, if you´re into that. Really enjoyed it, cried multiple times. I remember playing GRIS on the switch a few years ago (?) and I couldn't get into it at all. Neva (the dog itself) made me feel things immediately. And you can pet her.

Neva [i]would[/i] be the best metroidvania I'd played all year - there's just one small problem: It's not a metroidvania. Neva's art - like with Nomada's previous game, GRIS - is absolutely jaw-dropping. The art effortlessly combines a Ghibli-esque dark whimsy with a reverence for nature with a much more minimalist style reminiscent of Monument Valley, all this accompanied by a film-worthy score and gorgeous if subtle sound design. Compared to that, however, Neva's gameplay leaves something to be desired. The bones are all there - Neva's combat feels incredibly fluid and strikes an excellent balance between playability and spectacle, and there are some incredible concepts shown off in the game's many platforming sections. The problem is, it doesn't take those stellar beginnings to their would-be conclusion. The combat ramps up in difficulty far more slowly than it is mastered, leaving the game's encounters feeling repetitive and nonthreatening. The platforming presents almost the opposite issue - each concept is abandoned almost as quickly as it is revealed, never giving any one of the time it needs to show off its full depths. These issues compound with the game's almost painful linearity to give the impression of a game that hasn't quite realized its full potential. Ultimately, Neva is rather like an egg. It was assigned walking simulator at birth, and though it's been experimenting with different genre expressions, it hasn't quite figured itself out yet. It's okay though, because we love it anyways. Neva's art and story is good enough that I would heartily recommend it despite the game's unfulfilled potential. I can only hope that Neva marks an exploratory period for Nomada, and that their next game gives their clear skill in metroidvania-like games the proper showcase it deserves 7/10