Summary
The Accessibility Update forNevahas just dropped, bringing many quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and various other changes to the award-winning indie title. Developer Nomada Studio has released several small patches forNevasince it came out.
Considered by many to be among thebest indie games of 2024,Nevais a single-player puzzle platformer that launched to critical acclaim in October. The Unity-powered side scroller lets gamers take control of main protagonist Alba as she and her wolf companion Neva banish terrifying creatures of the dark from the world over the course of four seasons. A new major update for the title hopes to improve players' gameplay experience by introducing a host of additional features, among other things.
Thanks to the recently released Accessibility Update forNeva, people can now skip the game’s three chase sequences from the pause menu when playing in Story Mode. The latest patch also tweaked mechanics like the transforming flower platforms in Chapter 2 to improve accessibility. Adjustable grain intensity, high-contrast tutorials, and an indicator that alerts players of wolf barks have been implemented as well.
Other notable changes include the addition of PlayStation 5 DualSense controller features on PC and visibility enhancements on Alba that should make it harder for players to lose track of the character. Nomada Studio, the same team that previously worked on the similarlyvisually impressive adventure gameGris, addressed several issues in the Accessibility Update, including one that resulted in the wolf becoming stuck following an interaction.
Nevawon the Games for Impact award at The Game Awards 2024, beating outCloser the Distance,Indika,Life is Strange: Double Exposure,Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, andTales of Kenzara: Zau.Grisbagged the same accolade, which is reserved for titles that are thought-provoking and have a pro-social meaning or message, according to The Game Awards. Nomada Studio said in astatementthat was released afterNeva’s win that its mission has always been to create games with stories that inspire, move, and resonate with players.
Adrian Cuevas, the co-founder and technical director of Nomada Studio, explained in the past thatNevafocuses on parenthoodand the process of growth. He also revealed that the 1997 Studio Ghibli classicPrincess Mononokeinfluenced the development of the Devolver Digital-published game, especially in regard to its character designs. Other inspirations forNevaincludedThe Last Guardianand the works of renowned French painter and Impressionism art movement founder Oscar-Claude Monet.
New features - Accessibility
Neva
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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.Over time, their relationship will evolve as they learn to work together, helping one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations. The wolf will grow from a rebellious cub to an imposing adult 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.
