Neva: PS5 Review

Developed by Nomada Studio
Published by Devolver Digital
Platform: PS5

Nomada Studio's follow up to Gris takes players into the woods and into the heart of a relationship between a character and a baby wolf.

Written like that, it seems twee, but in its opening moments alone, Neva is a poignant and heartbreaking story that's best experienced cold.

Loosely, you play Alba who is forced into a co-dependant relationship with wolf Neva after a major event impacts their world.

Split into seasons, the game mixes up combat and platforming as you make your way through a time period and through a series of challenges as well. With two different modes affecting which version of the game you play - one's a softer story-led approach, the other a brutally fatalistic mode - Neva is a game to be experienced rather than to race through.

Gorgeously minimalist art backgrounds catch the eye repeatedly (though occasionally the visuals are obscured by some of the more obtuse game requirements) and prove to be a distraction from the light combat which takes place throughout. Certainly on the more basic level, the game's combat is easy - apart from the need to dodge later on.

With Alba using the PlayStation's DualSense controller to call to her pup with clarity, there are moments when the sound completely catches you offguard. And repeatedly pressing a button to call her proves to be annoyingly compulsive too.

Whilst it may be a tale of protective parenting amid ecological issues, the basics of Neva work to ensure immersion and engagement with both the wolf and the situation. It may lack some of the more major challenging elements you'd expect for a platform game and its puzzles, but Neva proves to be an emotional experience whether you're heavily cynical or not.

And sometimes, that's not necessarily a bad thing.