The recent PlayStation Showcase featured, to the surprise of many, a plethora of third-party games compared to the few first-party ones, which made the experience a bit controversial for some. Among these third-party games, fans got to see the very first trailer for an upcoming indie game by the name of Neva, which is published by Devolver Digital and made by the same developer that crafted the emotional rollercoaster that was Gris - Nomada Studio. While very little is known about Neva, with the trailer not including information regarding the game's release date or the gameplay loop, it's clear that Nomada Studio's new title wears Gris inspirations on its sleeve.
Gris was a tactfully-delivered story about loss and the stages of grief, with the protagonist going from a world devoid of color and joy to a gradually more colorful one where she eventually accepts the pain and the consequences of death. With just a trailer out now, the upcoming indie gameNeva seems to be carrying Gris' legacy on by telling a story that is about loss as much as it is about the bravery of choosing to live a life that may have its challenges and low points, this time exploring the journey of Alba, the main character, and her relationship with a cub.
How New Indie Game Neva Compares to Gris
Gris represents the five stages of grief with its masterful use of colors, starting with the absence of color and the lack of meaningful details in the world as seen by the protagonist, which corresponds to the stage of denial. The world gradually starts to reveal its true shapes and forms, and critters make their first appearances in a strange land that is soon tinted in red, standing for the stage of anger, which is represented by a violent and unrelenting storm that pushes the lead character back.
In a similar process, Gris regains its colors one at a time, with green representing the stage of bargaining, blue for the stage of depression, and finally yellow for the stage of acceptance. Thanks to a mix of the game's visual storytelling and platforming gameplay, players are rewarded with a beautiful story wrapped up in gorgeous graphics, all while the themes of loss and life take center stage. Neva's trailer at the May PlayStation Showcase is about Alba trying to fight the corruption of her world with the help of a wolf and its cub, but soon loses the adult companion in battle.
This heart-wrenching introduction sets the tone of the game immediately, and it is a major callback to what Gris' story is all about, even though this time the protagonist is not alone and can rely on the love and support of her cub. Similarly, Gris' protagonist is not always alone, and she makes the acquaintance of a cute and loyal apple-eating friend that accompanies her through part of the journey. It's unclear whether the adult wolf succumbs to its wounds at the very start of the game, but if so, it puts players in the same situation as they were when first beginning Gris.
However, Neva and Gris seem to also have a specular path in how they tell their respective stories, as the former seems to be about fighting dark forces as they try to encroach the world in corruption, whereas the latter is about lighting the world up after a traumatic event. The inciting incident seems to be the same, yet the direction is quite different, and it shows that Neva will have a new story to tell that may share similar beats with Gris', but it doesn't mean it can't be as good as its predecessor, or even surpass it. As it stands, it's likely that this new adventure indie game will be as compelling as Nomada Studio's first title.
Neva is currently in development for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
