NEVA Prologue

About the Game

Game: Neva
Genre: Puzzle platformer
Consoles: PS5, PS4, Xbox One/ Series X Nintendo Switch, PC
Published:Devolver Digital
Developers: Nomada Studios
Released: October 2024

This post covers the DLC expansion of the Game Neva that was relased in October 2024. For review of the game please click here. To sum up, Neva was a wordless indie game developed by Nomada studio. The game was a 2D platformer featuring a a woman called Alba with her wolf called Neva. It artstyle made it easily recognizable as it uses a washed out color pastel art style. The game was well received and praised by alot of people, journalist and gamers alike.

The DLC named Neva: Prologue was once again developed by Nomada Studio. The DLC was announced during Playstation state of play back in February 2026. The expansion was set to be released a week later on February 2026. The DLC came with a fairly low price tag that makes the decision whether or not to buy it relatively easy.

Story of the Game

The story of the Expansion takes place prior to the main games events, thus the name Prologue. We re re introduce to Alba, a young dark color woman with a white Afro haircut dressed in green with the pinkish-redish cape. Alba was wondering around in the forest until a shiny butterfly got her attention. Alba followed the butterfly which lead her to a cliff. Alba decides to follow her and jumps down the cliff. She then proceeds to look for the buttefly which she once again follows. Whilst following the butterfly, Alba comes across these shadow creatures which she defeats with her blade. She eventually finds a small scared puppy which she decides to befriend and escort it outside of the dark scary forest. The puppy seems weak and thus Alba picks it up to help it. Alba even protects it from big scary creatures however during a chase sequence, the creature attacks them causing them to be seperated. Alba, filled with rage draws her blade and tries to find her way back to the monster and the puppy.

Thoughts on the story

I ll keep it quick, the DLC's narrative was nice and the imagery helped it alot. It shows the player how both Neva and Alba met and why they re as close as they re in the main game. Was the expansions necessary to show this chemistry? No, but its a nice addition nonetheless.

Gameplay

Gameplay wise, the game sticks to the original release, meanning at its core Neva is a2D Platformer that combines action fighting and puzzle solving. The players get control of Alba, a young woman who carries a sword. Alba is tecnically a normal person and thus her movement is limited to her mortality, however the devs did gave her a couple of abilities necessary to make the game playable and enjoyable. Alba is capable of normal movement and she is also capable of jumping and double jumping. She can also jump on walls with flowers in order to climb them. In terms of compat, she is capable of using her sword and dodge by rolling. Airdodge is also available that allows Alba to cover longer distance whilst on air.

The game offers a small variety of enemies. The enemies are black liquid looking silhuettes similar to the Menos Grande of Bleach or studio Chibli No face. These creatures of Darkness are responsible for terrorizing the area and Neva. These beings follow and worship the Queen of Corruption who seem to be trying to stop Alba on her trace. These beings of darkness try to stop Neva by all means. Some attack head on, others re using projectiles and other have long range mellee attack and re also capable of blocking. The enemies attack the player with a specific pattern of behavior and the player can only use Alba's chain of attacks. Dodging their attacks grants frames of invisibility. Alba has three flower heart points and each time she receives a strike she loses a point. If she touches an enemy she once again gets hit and enviromental damage also deals one point. Life can be regained by dealing damage or reaching a check point.
chase
The game also features some puzzles Ofcourse some concepts were taken from the main game however some others were original to the DLC. For example, using the light to reveal platforms, using enemies to bounce onto higher areas and even break walls to reveal alternative paths.

Thoughts on the Gameplay

Even though the DLC kept things to close to the source, all additions felt fresh and unique. Its quite literally like having an extra chapter in the game. The chapter consisting of its own new enemies, its own puzzles and collectibles. It also delivers an exciting chase sequence and an amazing Boss figh .

Post Game Content

The DLC barely has anything to do after completing the main narrative. Theres only type of collectibles and these re the blooming flowers. Small glowing flowers that once Alba gets near them will blossom. Theres a total of 5 flowers to collect. There is not much to do honeslty.

Sound and Graphics

As mentioned in the prologue, the game stood out because of its Art style. The game has a washed-out color pastel look that can be a bless and a curse. The game looks beautiful and every frame can be considered an art on a piece of paper. The game director and Artist Conrad Roset who also worked on Gris wanted to outdone himself and thus a good looking game with that choice of art wouldnt have been enough. Thus the presentation of its narrative was proceeded with more focus on clearing the objective. The game even uses different visual effects to allow the platforms to appear. The environments are really well designed and the rain effect also looks clean.

On the sound department the game doesnt dissapoint. Afterall, all the wordless games rely on their imagery and sounds in order to pass down their message and Neva doesnt dissapoint. Cheerfull sounds can be heard during good moments and gloomy sounds when sad things occur. However, the music of Neva is made by the Berlinist who also worked on Gris. According to Nomada studio they worked with Berlinist ever since the concept Art of Neva. Overall, the audio and the imagery work together in harmony without one overtaking the other. All work balanced and well.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Neva Prologue is a DLC expansion that focuses in the events that lead Alba to meet Neva. The game's narrative is delivered through cutscenes and from gameplay. The gameplay is very close to the main release however some things are off since Neva is barely featured and when she does is too small to join in combat or to ride. The expansion features some new enemies, new locations and new types of puzzles. The length of the DLC is equal to pretty much a chapter of the standalone release, meanning it can last up to 60-90 mins and maybe up to three hours if you re going for a complete run without a guide. Was the expansion needed? Not really, however its very low price tag make it an easy recommendation for anyone who wanted/wants more of Neva.