I’ll admit it right off the bat—I’m a dog person. Maybe that’s a bias, maybe not, but I felt it was worth mentioning as I dive into Devolver Digital’s latest release, Neva, crafted by the same Spanish team that brought us Gris a few years back. While Gris was a visually beautiful journey, it didn’t fully resonate with me on an emotional level. In contrast, Neva hooked me within the first ten minutes and didn’t let go until the credits rolled. The primary reason? It hands you a young wolf pup to protect, and almost immediately, I found myself adopting the fierce loyalty you’d see in the “if anything happens to it, I’ll take all of you down with me” meme.
Neva is a breathtaking, hand-drawn experience, clearly designed to be completed in just a few hours. Yet, those hours are packed with surprising emotional intensity, blending melancholy with moments of warmth that often catch you off guard. Right from the start, the bond between the main character and the wolf pup feels genuine and complex, a mix of responsibility and tenderness that builds as you progress through the game.
As for the game’s art style, its top tier, the hand-drawn style is distinct, blending dark, foreboding landscapes with moments of serene beauty that make you want to stop and appreciate every detail. It’s the kind of game that could easily be paused at any moment to admire its visual composition. The art is not just aesthetically pleasing but also serves to heighten the emotional impact of each scene. The color palette shifts with the story, using vibrant hues in moments of hope and darker shades to convey danger and despair, creating a world that feels alive and responsive to your journey.
Unlike many artsy platformers, Neva also incorporates a combat system, something I wasn’t expecting, given the usual focus on puzzles in this genre. Although you can’t technically die, the combat sections center around protecting your wolf pup from threats, which makes each encounter feel significant. It’s less about overcoming your enemies and more about safeguarding your companion, adding a layer of tension that feels very different from a traditional platformer. The puzzles themselves are relatively straightforward, mainly serving to progress the story and strengthen the bond between you and the pup, but they’re balanced well with the action.
This emphasis on the protective relationship with the pup is what sets Neva apart for me. The game doesn’t just use the pup as an emotional prop—it actively builds your connection through gameplay. The sense of nurturing grows with each interaction, creating a genuine attachment that, by the end, made me feel as though I had truly been on a journey with a beloved companion. The gameplay seamlessly integrates these emotional beats, ensuring that the story and mechanics work in tandem to create a cohesive experience.
So, in the end, should you give Neva a chance, if you have a free afternoon and a dog to cuddle with than yes. This was a short experience that knew its length and used every moment to its full potential, and near the end, it got me choked up a little. It is a great game that will go under the radar in this packed fall timetable, but if you are in between downloads for the bigger games, give this one a shot because once you start it, you won’t be able to put the controller down until the credits roll.
Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed on Nitenedo Switch