Neva Hands-On Preview: A Stunning New Puzzle-Platformer From the Makers of GRIS That Could Have Limbo-Like Potential

ign.com:

I think Neva and I are going to get along quite well.

To this end, people who know me know what kinds of games I like: first-person shooters, point-and-click adventures, story-driven third-person action-adventures, and puzzle-platformers – or as I like to call them, Limbo-likes. If your game tells a poignant, emotionally compelling story with a beautiful art style, gorgeous music, and no dialogue whatsoever, then there is a good chance that I’m going to really like that game. It doesn’t always pan out, though; Black The Fall was a shameless and mediocre clone of Playdead’s seminal 2016 masterpiece Inside. Somerville was made by an ex-Playdead developer but couldn’t quite reach the narrative heights of Limbo or Inside.

But Neva, the new Limbo-like from the developers of 2018’s outstanding GRIS? I played the first 45 or so minutes of it and it is checking every good box there is for this subgenre. Let me start with the obvious: no, not the art style. I’ll get to that. But the dog. OK, so Neva isn’t a dog, but she’s this universe’s mythical equivalent of a canine companion. I must’ve held the Y button down five times in the first five minutes to pet Neva, and I hope the developers at Nomada Studio include an unlockable achievement for doing so.

Anyway, Neva’s beautiful opening sequence instantly made me care about Neva and protecting her at all costs from the dark forces that are corrupting this previously pristine world. And pristine it is. As I started to mention earlier, the art style in Neva is as colorful as it is unique. I adore the full use of the color palette that’s on display here, from the muted greens of the dark forest to the bright yellow of the open plains, Neva’s world is absolutely stunning.

Fortunately, it shows the initial signs of having the gameplay to back it up, too. While the first three-quarters of an hour I played only served to slowly introduce the combat mechanics, eventually intertwining them with the platforming in order to create the