When the action-adventure game was first revealed a year ago with a that included the immediate emotional death of a large wolf-like creature, I knew this game would be a tearjerker. That isn’t surprising given developer Nomada Studios’ track record. Its first game, 2018’s emotional platformer , required a box of tissues handy at all times.
So I thought I would be prepared for the emotional weight of during my hands-on demo at the ’s official games selection. Turns out I wasn’t at all. Upon starting the demo, I was confronted with the game’s reveal trailer once again.
Once the familiar story plays out, the screen goes black for a second, and when it comes back, I’m presented with a gorgeous tableau of a lush green forest. At the center of this picturesque view is the game’s protagonist and a wolf cub. As the protagonist, a young woman named Alba, I wake up the cub, which the game reveals to me is the titular Neva.
And that’s when I immediately started to get worried. I am not ready for whatever Nomada has planned for this story. Something about making the cub the namesake of the game makes me worried I’m gonna watch a wolf die at the beginning and end of the emotional experience.
Once I regain my composure, I first take a second to appreciate the game’s stunning color palette. The forest is vibrant and full of dimension —it’s lush, full of varying shades of green that speak to the complex and diverse beauty found in nature. Specks of reds, blues, ora.
