From the first trailer, I knew Neva would be an emotional experience. Nomada Studio's previous game, Gris, was a moving exploration of grief and the effects it can have on a person, told through the lens of a young girl who had just lost her mother. Neva explores family bonds through a different but equally emotional lens: parenthood.
The relationship between Alba and Neva reflects a mother/son relationship for most of the game. The wolf starts out as a small cub, curious about the world and ready to explore, and eventually becomes a strong protector, equaling its mother's capabilities. From there, the two fight the plague that affects the world, and Neva learns new skills each season.
The journey that encompasses this coming of age includes some of the strongest voice acting you'll find in a video game this year. However, unlike games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio, which are packed with dialogue, Neva accomplishes this feat with a much smaller script; Throughout the entire five-hour adventure, only one word is spoken.
Neva's control scheme is standard for an action-platformer game: one button to attack, one button to jump, one button to dodge, etc. However, a button specifically designated for calling Neva is included in the control scheme. No matter what you're doing or where you are, a simple press will make Alba say “Neva” and call the good girl a wolf.
While the mechanic has its uses (you can call Neva to your side if she's far away or tell her to jump off a ledge), it's primarily there for the player's enjoyment. Calling Neva usually results in Alba scratching her companion behind the ears a bit, which means that yes, on Neva, you can pet the dog.
Her biggest contribution to the story, and what sends Neva to the upper echelon of voice acting in 2024, is the emotion Alba conveys every time the button is pressed. When there is little danger around and Neva is sniffing around or standing still, Alba's voice is calm, loving and light. The character's love for his companion comes through, especially when it is followed by sounds of delight from both characters after an affectionate head scratch.
However, press that button at a more urgent moment and Alba's voice becomes a lot heavier. There is urgency to his calls, infused with a sense of panic. Your anxiety and fear come to the surface and all it takes is a tipping change. It's powerful stuff and makes the call button worth using even in hectic situations.
There's one moment in particular that really highlights how effective this voice acting can be. Alba and Neva are separated, and the player as Alba must go through a dangerous maze to reunite with the wolf. Throughout this endeavor, pressing the call button causes Alba to scream in pure terror, screaming helplessly into the void in search of her lost companion. The fear of the unknown is palpable and I begin to feel Alba's anxiety with her when I hear her call for the wolf.
Now, putting Alba's ability to call Neva on a button is not without its pitfalls. By doing this, Nomada ran the risk of some players not being able to hear the exceptional voice work in question, simply because they were so focused on the action on screen that they were too busy attacking and dodging to press the call button.
However, Nomada brilliantly trained us to keep it in the back of our minds through the mechanic I mentioned earlier: the one where Alba uses her call to summon Neva to her side. The player now knows that calling Neva can summon her, so once the two are separated, it's natural to press the button and see if it works, and when it doesn't work, to keep trying in the hope that maybe it will work. eventually.
Anyone who has ever been babysitting a child and lost sight of them, whether in a store, a theme park, or even in their own homes, can relate to this feeling of paralyzing fear, uncertainty, and doubt…too. like the feeling of pure relief when Alba finds Neva happily sitting on a platform, without a care in the world, as if nothing had happened. Children these days!
Neva is an in-depth look at parenthood and all the ups and downs that come with it. The raw emotion is best conveyed through the voice acting, credited to Cristina Peña, and putting Alba's voice under the player's control makes it much more effective. Nomada Studio deserves a lot of credit for finding a way to convey the intricate complexities of being a caregiver, and even more credit for doing it with a single word.
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