In 2018, Nomada Studio broke hearts with Gris<\/em>. It\u2019s a beautiful platformer with a gorgeous, painterly artstyle and an exceptionally moving soundtrack. Without dialogue, it tells a universal story about depression and navigating grief. Basically, if you want a good cry in between platforming challenges, Gris<\/em> is the game for you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nomada Studio released its next game about six years later. 2024\u2019s Neva<\/em> is every bit as stunning as Gris<\/em>, and adds new gameplay and narrative elements to what makes Gris<\/em> work so well. It\u2019s one of the best games of the 2020s, no \u201cindie\u201d qualifier needed, and you can check it out with a PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium subscription.<\/p>\n In Neva<\/em>, you play as Alba, a young woman living in a forest painted in green and pink hues. Corruption is spreading throughout her world, and Alba is just trying to survive. She\u2019s not alone, however. Where Gris<\/em> was dialogueless, Neva<\/em> features one spoken word: \u201cNeva,\u201d the name of Alba\u2019s dog companion. Sometimes she\u2019ll say Neva\u2019s name softly in tender moments; other times, when Neva faces danger, Alba will shriek in a way any dog owner can unfortunately relate to.<\/p>\n Both Neva and Alba are struck by a shared tragedy that opens the game, upending their worlds. They persevere, and their mostly wordless bond grows stronger every step of the way. They are each other\u2019s worlds, just like how our real-world dogs are our everything.<\/p>\n Neva begins the game as a small puppy and gradually blossoms into a canine that would fit right alongside Princess Mononoke<\/em>\u2019s massive wolves. That growth is reflected in the gameplay, because Neva<\/em> isn\u2019t just a platformer; Nomada added combat and fail states (which weren\u2019t in Gris<\/em>) to reflect the dangerous world Alba and Neva exist in. Where Neva might not be able to hold their own in an early game fight, the pup becomes a formidable force over time, becoming an essential companion to Alba when the pair is in danger.<\/p>\n Black creatures with white masks \u2014 they look like monstrous versions of Spirited Away<\/em>\u2019s No Face \u2014 await the pair at several turns. They\u2019re frightening creatures, bulbous masses of inky flesh that just won\u2019t leave that poor pup alone. Alba\u2019s arsenal is simple and limited, but that limitation feels right for a game that\u2019s more about the emotion behind combat than the combat itself. I hack and slash away at thousands of enemies in video games. Very rarely do those hacks and slashes carry as much emotional heft as Neva<\/em>\u2019s.<\/p>\n Combat is just one part of the mechanics. Most of your time will be spent platforming, and those sequences are as good in Neva<\/em> as they were in Gris<\/em>. Alba can hop around in ways I only wish my knees would allow. She and Neva travel atop towering trees, across ruined and imposing architecture, beneath an ominous red sky, and more. Each area is as gorgeous as the last. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a screenshot of Neva<\/em>\u2019s beautiful landscapes is worth a thousand and then some.<\/p>\n Neva<\/em> won\u2019t take you much more than four hours to complete, making it a perfect weekend binge game. It has all the emotional complexity of Nomada Studio\u2019s Gris<\/em> and pairs that emotion with exciting combat and platforming. And if you like what Neva<\/em> has to offer and want to shed some more tears, the Neva: Prologue<\/em> DLC launched earlier this year, showing how Alba and Neva came into each others\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n![\"Neva](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/neva-steam-screen.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>IMage: Nomada Studio\/Devolver Digital<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Neva](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/neva-steam-screen-2.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Nomada Studio\/Devolver Digital<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n