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Nomada Studio built Neva around a simple change in roles: Alba first protects a vulnerable wolf cub, but as the wolf grows more independent, the two learn to rely on each other. That parenthood-inspired arc shaped both the story and the action, giving the studio’s follow-up to GRIS a more active form without abandoning its art-led approach.
What inspired Neva?
Neva was Nomada Studio’s second game after GRIS. The studio’s founders connected its origin to co-founder and artist Conrad Roset reflecting on parenthood. Rather than treating that idea as background for a conventional adventure, the team made the wolf’s growth the organizing principle of the experience.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Neva - Nintendo Switch | $39.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Neva - PlayStation 5 | $29.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Neva: Devolver Deluxe - Nintendo Switch | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Gris + Neva Collectors Edition - Switch | Buy on Amazon | |
| 5 |
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Neva - PS5 | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Nomada’s structure follows the relationship as it changes: Alba begins by caring for and protecting the cub; the wolf matures and becomes more independent; later, it can help Alba. The creators described this movement from dependence toward trust and reciprocal care as central to the project. Players may interpret that relationship in their own ways, but its progression is built into how the pair act together.
Nomada said the idea first took shape during the pandemic and described development as a journey of almost four years. The game launched on October 15, 2024. In its launch announcement, the studio called it “a journey of almost four years, starting during the pandemic, when the idea for the game was first conceived.”
#1 Best Overall
- Embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays
- Help one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations.
- An emotionally charged action-adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS.
- Languages: Voices: N/A; Subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
How did Neva build on GRIS?
Nomada did not set out simply to repeat GRIS. The founders said the team wanted to explore what an action game might look like if it came from Nomada, while preserving the studio’s own voice. In a Gamereactor interview published September 23, 2024, Roset put the question this way: “Sí, queríamos pensar cómo podría GRIS estar en acción y cómo podría ser un juego de acción si viniera de Nomada Studio, con nuestro propio estilo.” In English: “Yes, we wanted to think about how GRIS could be in action and what an action game from Nomada Studio, in our own style, could be like.” Gamereactor’s interview presents that as a design question, not a claim that the games play alike.
| Design element | GRIS | Neva |
|---|---|---|
| Player’s role and risk | The founders described GRIS as a game in which the player could not die. | Neva adds combat and the possibility of player death, making survival part of the experience. |
| Movement and action | A less demanding movement design, as characterized by the founders in their comparison. | A more complex move set and action-focused play, designed around Alba and the wolf’s changing relationship. |
| Relationship structure | Not organized around a growing companion in the way Neva is. | The wolf’s progression from dependent cub to more independent partner gives the adventure its emotional and play structure. |
| Visual progression | The founders described its presentation as more continuous. | Visuals are arranged in seasonal blocks, which the founders said let the team push its visual resources further. |
The continuity is as important as the differences. The founders said Nomada built on the conceptual and technical foundation established with GRIS, including its Unity tools and artistic direction, while expanding the gameplay. They described the studio’s guiding principle as making games its team wanted to play rather than chasing market trends. Nomada itself had formed in 2016 around the collaboration of Roset, programmer Roger Mendoza, and later programmer and producer Adrián Cuevas, with the hope that the success of GRIS would let them keep working together. The founders’ interview offers that account of the studio’s formation and creative approach.
Rank #2
- Embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays
- Help one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations.
- An emotionally charged action-adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS.
- Languages: Voices: N/A; Subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
What made the game difficult to make?
The move into action changed practical production demands. In the founders’ comparison, GRIS did not let the player die; Neva needed combat, survival, and levels that could support a more demanding set of actions. That shift made level design more consequential: spaces had to work as places to move and fight, not only as a succession of visual scenes.
- Designing around failure: Adding player death meant the team had to account for the possibility of losing, unlike in GRIS.
- Expanding Alba’s movement: The founders singled out the more complex player move set as a production challenge.
- Making the wolf feel alive: The companion needed to convey growth and personality while fitting into the action. Its animation was among the challenges the team highlighted.
- Connecting play to the relationship: Combat and cooperation had to coexist with a story in which the wolf’s capabilities and independence change over time.
These are extensions of Nomada’s existing foundation, not evidence of a wholesale technical reinvention. The team said it carried forward tools and artistic direction from GRIS while solving the different problems created by action, combat, and the wolf’s animation.
Rank #3
- Embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays
- Help one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations.
- An emotionally charged action-adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS.
- Languages: Voices: N/A; Subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
- Neva: Devolver Deluxe will include the following exclusive items, besides the physical game: A stunning softbound 88-page artbook showcasing concept art and game art; A copy of the game’s original soundtrack by Berlinist, on a CD and as digital download; A collector’s tuck-in box housing all the contents.
How do the visuals reinforce Neva’s progression?
The founders said Neva is arranged in seasonal visual blocks, in contrast with GRIS’s more continuous presentation. That structure let the team push its visual resources further, while giving the adventure distinct stages that accompany the relationship’s development.
On PS5, PlayStation Blog’s platform-specific article describes handcrafted levels with distinct palettes and says the DualSense controller’s light bar changes color to match the current stage. That same article gives a PS5 target of 4K and 120fps; it is a platform-specific claim, not a performance specification for every version of the game.
Rank #4
- Introducing the stunning and soul-stirring GRIS | Neva - Collector´s Edition which includes the following items curated for this once-in-a-lifetime release, with exclusive artwork from Conrad Roset:
- Premium Hardcover Artbook with Sleeve: 168 pages and split equally between the 2 games. Measurements: 31.5 cms x 31.5 cms & Original Soundtrack Selection on Double Vinyl Gatefold.
- GRIS and Neva Steelbooks: PlayStation size for PS5 version, and Nintendo size for NSW version & Art Print with a combined concept from both games: 30.5 cms x 30.5 cms, comes attached to the back of the box cover which also serves as a frame. Detachable.
- GRIS and Neva PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch physical games & Collector´s box housing all the contents of this magnificent edition, and with concept artwork from both games.
What is Neva, and when did it launch?
Nomada and publisher Devolver Digital describe Neva as a narrative action adventure with platforming, puzzles, and combat. It follows Alba and a wolf cub in a world decaying under dark forces. The game launched on October 15, 2024. Devolver Digital’s game page provides the publisher’s description and platform information.
Devolver Digital’s 2025 annual report, covering 2024, reported an average Metacritic score of 87 for Neva. That is a dated reception figure from the company’s report, not a statement of the game’s current score or a measure of how every player responds to it. The annual report is the source for that figure.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Neva is an emotionally charged action-adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS.
- Neva chronicles the story of Alba, a young woman bound to a curious wolf cub following a traumatic encounter with dark forces. Together, they embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around them.
- Their relationship evolves as they learn to work together, helping one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations. The wolf grows from a rebellious cub to an imposing adult while seeking to forge her own identity, testing Alba’s love and their commitment to one another.
- As the cursed world threatens to overwhelm them, Alba and her courageous companion will do whatever it takes to survive and make a new home, together.
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