Neva: The Next Emotional Platformer from Gris Developers

The recent PlayStation Showcase surprised many as it featured a plethora of third-party games compared to the few first-party ones. Among these, fans got their first glimpse of Neva, an upcoming indie game published by Devolver Digital and made by the same developer that crafted the emotive journey of Gris - Nomada Studio. While little is known about Neva, the trailer showcased clear Gris inspirations, hinting at another tactfully-delivered story about loss and the journey of choosing to live a life that may have its challenges and low points. This time, players will follow Alba, the main character, and her relationship with a cub.

How New Indie Game Neva Compares to Gris

Gris expertly portrays the five stages of grief through its use of color. The protagonist begins in a colorless world with few details, representing the denial stage. As the world takes shape, critters appear in a land tainted with red, symbolizing the anger stage. A violent storm pushes the lead character back during this phase.

Gradually, Gris regains its colors, with green signifying the bargaining stage, blue representing depression, and yellow symbolizing acceptance. Through its use of visual storytelling and platforming gameplay, the game weaves a beautiful tale of loss and life. Players are immersed in stunning graphics as they explore the themes at the heart of the game.

Neva's trailer at the May PlayStation Showcase features Alba fighting against the corruption of her world with the help of a wolf and its cub. However, the adult companion is lost in battle, leaving Alba to continue the fight alone.

This poignant opening sets the tone of the game right away, emphasizing the central theme of Gris' story. While the protagonist is not alone this time and can rely on the love and support of her cub, it's unclear whether the adult wolf succumbs to its wounds at the very beginning of the game. This puts players in the same situation they were in when they first began Gris. Similarly, Gris' protagonist is not always alone and befriends a cute and loyal apple-eating companion who accompanies her through part of the journey.

However, Neva and Gris seem to have a mirror-image approach to their respective stories. Neva's story appears to be about battling dark forces that threaten to corrupt the world, whereas Gris' story is about illuminating the world after a traumatic event. Though the inciting incident appears to be the same, the direction is quite different. This reveals 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 indie adventure game will be just as compelling as Nomada Studio's first title.