Neva: Prologue Review

Neva was first released in October 2024, and if you look back upon it, you’ll find that I wrote a rather glowing review of it. When Nomada Studio and Devolver Digital announced an additional chapter of DLC, I have to admit, I was excited. So naturally, I put my name down once I saw that we were given the chance to review it.

First, I need to preface this with the fact that it is recommended that you have completed Neva first before going into Neva: Prologue. While it won’t contain spoilers, it does offer a little bit more challenge than the main game, and arguably, it makes the ending of Neva more emotionally resonant.

But if you’re unfamiliar with Neva, allow me to give a brief overview of the story. In a world that is being slowly destroyed, Alba and her friend, a wolf cub — eventually growing into an adult as the story progresses — work together to survive in this new world. With Neva’s mother having been killed at the beginning of the story, Alba takes in the cub as her ward, and it’s hard not to love her. There’s no dialogue here, only the calls of Neva’s name as you call to her.

While Neva allows you to utilise the eponymous wolf herself in the story, allowing her to attack enemies and more, this is not the same in Neva: Prologue. You see, Neva is even younger than she was when the original began. Instead, this is a cub who is tiny, feeble, and it’s up to you to protect her, all while gaining her trust.

The core mechanics of the gameplay remain the same, as it’s a platformer. Jump, double-jump, avoid obstacles, and battle the monsters that are out to destroy you. It’s simple enough, but there are a few additional elements here. For one, there are more obstacles. Shadowy vines will shoot up intermittently, causing you damage if your timing isn’t right. But there’s another element. Once you find the small wolf club, you’ll need to carry her to safety, and in these moments, you won’t be able to double-jump, dash or roll.

Considering the times you’ll carry the cub, you’ll need to be more precise with your jumps, as it will involve running from giant monsters. Of course, if you’ve played the main entry first — as you should — this won’t be too challenging. In fact, you’ll be familiar with running from enemies in these circumstances. However, there will be other monsters too. For example, while there are your standard mobs, there are also ones that essentially have scythe hands, or worse, the ones that are only visible when lightning strikes.

Wait, what do I mean lightning strikes? At one point, you’ll have to time your movements to avoid the attacks from the monster that you’ve been desperately trying to escape. There are also new forms of platforms that will only be visible in the light, and they’ll completely vanish when darkness rules once more. And with that in mind, these creatures that only appear in the light will be a bigger issue in a small mini-boss stage, and you’ll only be able to attack them in the light. The good news is, they can’t hurt you in the darkness, either.

The overall plot of Neva: Prologue is a simple one. Alba finds Neva the wolf cub, and goes out of her way to save her from these monsters. It actually makes their bond that much deeper, and it already seemed akin to that of a parent and child.

While it is challenging, you can also choose to play it via Story or Adventure Mode, but there will still be a degree of challenge through the use of the platforming elements. Overall, it’s a short addition to the game (roughly an hour or an hour and a half), but it’s one that works incredibly well. Of course, you could also play without having the additional context of the DLC, but if you’re a fan of Neva like I am? Well, it’s worth checking out.

For £2.49, it is well worth the price, and if you’ve never played Neva before? Well, you can get a bundle for £17.53 — considering the main game is £16.99 — it’s a good deal.