Games

Neva Gets New Update for December 2024

Published

46 seconds ago

December 19, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Summary

Table of Contents

Neva’s recent Accessibility Update allows players to skip chase sequences and improve platforming mechanics.
The update includes features like adjustable grain intensity, high-contrast tutorials, language selection, and a wolf bark indicator.
Nomada Studio aims to enhance players’ gameplay experience by implementing visibility enhancements and fixing various issues.

The Accessibility Update for Neva has 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 for Neva since it came out.

Considered by many to be among the best indie games of 2024, Neva is 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.

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Thanks to the recently released Accessibility Update for Neva, 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 similarly visually impressive adventure game Gris, addressed several issues in the Accessibility Update, including one that resulted in the wolf becoming stuck following an interaction.

Neva won the Games for Impact award at The Game Awards 2024, beating out Closer the Distance, Indika, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and Tales of Kenzara: Zau. Gris bagged 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 a statement that was released after Neva‘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 that Neva focuses on parenthood and the process of growth. He also revealed that the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic Princess Mononoke influenced the development of the Devolver Digital-published game, especially in regard to its character designs. Other inspirations for Neva included The Last Guardian and the works of renowned French painter and Impressionism art movement founder Oscar-Claude Monet.

Neva December 2024 Accessibility Update Patch Notes

Changes

Input plugin updated (please try TRC input related things)
Add dual sense features to PC (you need to install DualSenseX for the speaker to work, but triggers/light should be there)
Change chapter selection menu: Total collectibles will be visible only when you have reached the last part of the chapter. Otherwise, a ? is shown
Add a climb tutorial movement, as some people didn’t know you can climb up. It waits a bit before showing in case you don’t need it. It’s located right after the climb tutorial.
In Chapter 3 Part 1, if you first go to the right, complete the area, and head to the ruins area, the black wolf will go towards the direction of the next goal instead of going back to the center. Before it was going in the opposite direction and could be confusing for players
In Chapter 3 Part 1, after unlocking the totem, the wolf will Bark to the ghost enemy and both Tackle and Call Neva will be blocked, showing that the only way to advance is by hitting the enemy with the sword.

Fixes

Fix issue at the beginning of Chapter 2 Part 1 where the wolf could get stuck doing an interaction (Videos/Fixes_2A_WolfStuck.mp4). This could happen also in the interaction on the right where the wolf drinks water
Move respawn point in Final Birds Arena just before lotus in Chapter 2 Part 1, to avoid tricky respawn glitch.
Move respawn point at Chapter 2 Part 2 so we don’t respawn invisible inside the fog
Fix two suns showing up before the deer battle.
Fix small controller rumble when loading Chapter 3 Part 1 that shouldnt be there.
Fix boulder enemy not resetting the block orientation on flinch when doing a hammer attack. (Videos/Fixes_3A_BoulderHammer.mp4)
Add some movement when the boulder enemy is grabbed by the wolf (Videos/Fixes_3A_BoulderGrab.mp4), before it was playing the animation in place
Fix Neva popping instead of fading in.
Move respawn point of right collectible Arena in 3A so it’s closer to the encounter if you die
Fix camera in encounter in lake area, Chapter 3 Part 1, where player was not visible in the reflection. (Videos/Fixes_3A_OutOfMirror.mp4)
Improve Collider shape in ruins Chapter 3 Part 1
Fix collision next to reach collectible in Chapter 3 Part 2
Add some assets to 3B after queen elevator to mark the path to the player

New features – Accessibility

In Story Mode only, you can skip the three chase sequences from the pause menu:
- Chapter 1, Part 2
- The end of Chapter 2, Part 1
- The ride chase sequence at the end of Chapter 3, Part 1

Graphics Menu Updates

Added an option to adjust grain intensity.

Accessibility Menu Options

Language Selection: Change the language from an in-game menu.
High-Contrast Tutorials: Features less transparency, with larger and bold font.
Wolf Bark Indicator: Shows both on-screen and off-screen when the wolf is barking, helpful for players with hearing impairments.
Player Always Visible: Alba will always remain visible (with slight transparency) to ensure players don’t lose sight of her.

Accessible Platform Mechanics

Chapter 2, Part 2: Flowers will stay open longer.
Chapter 3, Part 1:
- Invisible platforms that appear upon landing will now always be slightly visible.
- The ghost enemy after the totem will propel you higher when defeated, making the platforming section easier.

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Neva

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.

Adventure

Platformer

Puzzle