Neva Prologue

In recent years, I have become increasingly fond of expansions for games that I really enjoy. This is probably because games now take so long to develop that creative visions come and go during the development period. Therefore, a solid expansion can serve as a tasty appetiser while the main course simmers in the kitchen. The Lake House for Alan Wake 2, Valhalla for God of War: Ragnarök, Burning Shores for Horizon Forbidden West, and Shadow of the Erdtree for Elden Ring have all brought new perspectives to the main game in an excellent way. So when Nomada announced Neva Prologue during last week's State of Play, I was pretty excited. Neva was among my personal favourites in 2024, but I hadn't expected to see more of the universe or play anything from Nomada for another 3-4 years.

But sometimes it's nice to be wrong, because even though Neva Prologue doesn't feel like an absolute necessity and could have used a little more meat on its bones, it's wonderful to be back with Neva and Alba, and one section stands out so strongly that it alone is worth the low price tag.

As the title suggests, Neva Prologue takes place before the main game, but since the difficulty level is higher than it was at any point in the main game, you should not start with it. If you haven't played Neva (the main game, that is), you might want to skip ahead and read our review here. But if you're in a hurry or feeling lazy, here's a quick introduction.

Neva is a 2D action-adventure game that combines platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving with an emotional story in one of the most beautiful packages you can imagine. Here we follow the woman Alba and her wolf friend Neva, who together try to free the land from a dark corruption that is very reminiscent of Kaonashi from Chihiro and the Witches.

In Neva Prologue, we get the story of how the two met. When Alba met Neva, if you will. It starts off a bit slow. Alba chooses to venture into a swamp, where she eventually finds Neva and decides to take care of the young cub. The first half is not quite on par with Neva's finest moments visually, and even though new elements are introduced, it never really becomes captivating to play.

We get a trio of new threats in the form of some arms that reach up from underground and can be avoided by timing your jump correctly; an enemy that must be attacked from behind; and some balloon enemies that detonate when you hit them, but in return give you a height boost if you manage to hit them before that.

About halfway through, the main threat is introduced, and then things suddenly fall into place. There is a visually stunning escape sequence, a challenging boss fight, and then a rather long section that rivals the best of the main game. Here you find yourself among vaults that bring to mind an enormous cathedral. The music rises in intensity and suddenly the hall is illuminated, revealing new platforms that can only be used in the few seconds when the light is strongest. Here, mechanics, visuals, and sound come together and merge into a higher unity. Suddenly, it becomes clear that the theme of Neva Prologue is rhythm. The timing of dodging the arms from below was the first step and the illuminated halls are the culmination. It demands precision in your timing and activates your brain cells as you try to find the right route, and it looks incredibly beautiful and sounds fantastic. And when Nomada puts the icing on the cake with a combat sequence where enemies only appear when the room is illuminated, it becomes clear that they have a very special talent for combining emotion with clever design.

In this way, Neva Prologue ends powerfully, going from great to excellent. That said, the expansion still feels a bit short. Not in relation to the price tag, which is very low, rather in relation to sucking you into the world and activating you emotionally. The story of how the wolf and the woman met lacks the surprise and power that would make it feel like a necessity rather than a good excuse to return to the universe. And then I have to admit that, in my opinion, the higher difficulty level doesn't really suit a game like Neva, which is meant to be experienced rather than conquered.

That said, Neva Prologue is a lovely way to spend an hour and a half, and the section with the illuminated vaults will stay with me for a long time to come.