Neva (v2026.02.19 & ALL DLC)

A dying fantasy landscape frames an intimate story about grief, responsibility, and the bond between a woman and the wolf she raises. Neva comes from Nomada Studio, the team behind GRIS, but trades that game’s mostly peaceful platforming for a more forceful side-scrolling action adventure. Alba and her young wolf companion cross forests, ruined settlements, and dreamlike wastelands as a spreading corruption consumes the natural world. The mood is melancholy and beautiful, balancing hand-painted scenery with moments of genuine danger and loss.

Alba handles direct combat with a sword, using slashes, evasive movement, and careful positioning to survive encounters with shadowy creatures. Her wolf is not merely a mascot: she grows over the course of the journey, learns to attack and assist, and gradually becomes a more independent partner in fights and traversal challenges. Levels mix brisk platforming, environmental navigation, light puzzle-like obstacles, and arena battles that ask players to read enemy patterns rather than mash through them. The campaign is focused and story-led rather than open-ended, with its emotional progression tied closely to the passage of time and the changing seasons.

Its greatest strength is how mechanics reinforce the relationship at the center of the story. Watching the wolf develop from an unruly cub into a powerful adult gives combat and quiet interludes more weight than a standard companion system, while the expressive animation sells every tender or painful beat without relying on constant dialogue. The art retains the flowing watercolor quality associated with GRIS, although Neva is harsher, more kinetic, and more willing to challenge players with combat. Anyone who enjoys cinematic indie adventures such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps, but wants a shorter, more personal tale with a stronger emotional edge, should find plenty to appreciate here.