The wolf actually died in neva rivera new platform adventure game from Nomada Studio. This isn’t really a spoiler, as the game’s trailer shows off this moment, which is one of the first things you’ll experience when you start playing the game. Yet, for the next five hours, you’ll wonder whether the game’s pups will suffer the same fate as their deceased parents.
As the developer’s second work in 2018 Grisis a critically acclaimed puzzle platform game about grief. neva river There is a lot to do. Like its predecessor, neva river Featuring gorgeous visuals and delicious platforming puzzles. However, the sophomore title falls short in how it executes an overly familiar theme. For those who have played Gristhe game’s unique art style and hand-drawn movie-like animation make it very clear that the same team is behind it. This pedigree isn’t always a good thing, however, as the game fails to stand out on its own, instead relying on creative choices we’ve seen before. neva riverThe story about our relationship with nature and the cycle of life seemed ripe and had potential, but it never knew how to fulfill that promise.
Season’s story
Although Xiaolang ranks among the best neva riverthat’s not the role you play. Instead, you take on the role of Alba, a surrogate parent to the now orphaned Neva. Alba is a young woman who lives in a beautiful forest inhabited by huge deer, wild boars and wolves. She seems to have known the Neva since birth and we see her interact with a wave of people who are destroyed by some kind of Fight against enemies consisting of natural plagues. As the forest around them rapidly dies due to this new threat, the two embark on a journey that lasts an entire season cycle (or roughly five hours of gameplay). Along the way, you’ll help Neva transform from a nervous puppy into a giant wolf as he battles the world’s now-infected inhabitants.
However, before you start your adventure, there are plenty of Princess Mononoke The atmosphere throughout (if you still can’t tell the difference between the giant wolf at the beginning of the game and its female companion), you may be neva riverof Gorgeous visual effects. very similar Gris before it, neva river Presented in the form of painting. An early shot of the game’s starring duo resting under a giant flowering tree is particularly stunning, and sets the stage for every beautiful vistas to come. The leaves of skyscraper-tall trees are composed of countless tiny dots of color that are daubed together in a way that Georges Seurat would have approved. As the game begins in the summer and progresses through the seasons, the color palette becomes more subdued, and the growing infection-killing nature also comes into play. Gris is a game that starts in grayscale and lets you bring color to the world. neva river Turn that around and it’s a wonderful visual journey.
Lone wolf and cub
you navigate neva river A 2D platformer where you can run, jump, double jump and dash through lush natural environments. There’s a lot of platforming puzzles, but there’s also combat, and mechanics are missing from the game Gris. While I was initially concerned about how combat would be integrated into this narrative-heavy platformer, after playing through it in its entirety I can say it’s mostly fine. You’ll be slaying a variety of enemies along the way, some of which require more thought than others to defeat and make your way. As the Neva grows with the changing seasons, you’ll also unlock new ways to incorporate them into combat. The combat isn’t particularly bad, but it’s not satisfying enough either, making the game’s boss battles (near the end of each chapter) the low point of your short adventure.
Platformers, on the other hand, feel enjoyable, especially when neva river brought new challenges. However, as in Gristhese interesting variations on the game’s standard platform often get only a brief moment of attention before being abandoned entirely. One area required me to navigate invisible platforms by looking at reflections in the horizontal plane, which made the controls feel backwards as I jumped in the air, hoping not to fall to my death. Subsequent rooms added more reflections and different perspectives, making them more interesting to navigate, but it wasn’t long before I completed this particular series of levels and never faced a similar challenge again. I can’t help but think it would be better if a handful of innovative additions were added to the core gameplay, and each received greater attention.
This is the cycle of life
when i Previewed neva river This past June, I came away excited about the potential of this story. But now that I’ve finished it, I see that this is a game with potential that will never be realized. In Summer, the game’s earliest chapter, Neva’s company feels meaningful, in part because you have to keep an eye on the pup. If you’re not paying attention, they’ll run away or fall off ledges and have a hard time following you. You can press the button at any time to call the Neva and caress them, which guarantees that this connection established between Alba and the Neva will be meaningful.
In later chapters, however, this feeling never rings true. Ultimately, Neva becomes just a tool for Alba (and you) to use in combat or platforming, but never a true companion. The focus on NPC companions sets the game apart from games like Iko and the last guardianbut unlike those games, it fails to understand the importance of allowing such a companion a degree of freedom that may sometimes go against the player’s wishes, but ultimately leads to a wonderful symbiotic relationship through challenge.
In theory, the game’s combat also has a thematic purpose, as it allows you to actively fight for a better world. As Alba and Neva continue their advance, they are continually ambushed by the once-thriving forest fauna, now infected with the same corruption that taints the land itself, and by letting you directly participate in this struggle, the game seems to claim itself a rallying cry for environmentalists. Unfortunately, however, these themes are never superficial. Apart from destroying the threat, Alba and Neva are unable to effectively bring the world back to life. The Neva is the only animal you as the player are directly responsible for and interact with, and even they are just another tool to use in combat. There were a lot of setups that had me waiting for the game to say something meaningful, but it never paid off. With the game’s narrative failing to capture the message of environmentalism, the addition of combat feels like an afterthought, its only real purpose being to give the player something to keep busy in the form of taking out enemies.
instead, neva river Prioritizes reflections on life and loss, which often feel immature and pale in comparison to others Gris‘ Execute the same theme. a lot of neva river Feels bolstered by its predecessor to offset its weaknesses, with familiar themes and the same platform (warts and all) Gris Fans of the game are encouraged not to focus too much on the game’s shortcomings. Finally, when neva river Attempting a final narrative twist that completely deviates from the story’s initially compelling and original themes is one that comes too late in the game and only undermines the few unique options that this experience attempts. At least the short one.
.
