Neva: A Ghibli-Inspired Journey – An Interview with Lead Producer Roger Mendoza
From Gris to Neva: A Studio's Artistic Evolution
Nomada Studios, the creators of the critically acclaimed Gris (2018), are back with their sophomore effort, Neva. This gorgeous adventure game tells Alba and her wolf's journey through a decaying world, and shifts away from grief, focusing on the beautiful bond between them. It's published by indie darling Devolver Digital.
Unlike Gris, where Alba gained new abilities, Neva's gameplay evolves as the wolf grows older; adding the element of combat to this otherwise simple and gorgeous experience; creating an experience significantly more diverse compared to Gris; with players not controlling Neva directly, instead interacting in unique ways (calling her, petting her, adding her to combat) throughout the approximately 4-hour story. The level of detail added really sets Neva apart from Gris in an easy to recognize manner, creating unique gameplay and artistic appeal.
Neva’s Artistic Vision: A Departure from Gris' Watercolor Style
We interviewed lead producer Roger Mendoza to find out more about Neva's development. When asked about its art style, Mendoza shared, “We knew we wanted to do something different; we don't want to be the watercolor guys. We knew we wanted the art style to be different, but still recognizable.” This emphasizes just why these choices for development were crucial and this new aesthetic design was exactly what the creative teams hoped for!
That “recognizable Gris vibe” remains – mostly through the artistic style of director Conrad Roset and the same animation team. Yet the shift is clear. Instead of outlines, the approach uses more vibrant colors. The artistic direction itself shows artistic influences–Monet’s impressionism plus the flat colors used by Japanese artist Masayoshi; obviously combined with Studio Ghibli's style! The impact of each influence is surprisingly recognizable and easily conveyed, helping to set Neva's artistic style clearly and effectively from Gris' very distinctive watercolor aesthetic.
Gameplay Evolution: Expanding on Gris' Foundation
Mendoza describes Neva as “more complex” in terms of gameplay. He highlighted “added combat” and increased options and variety for the skillset. However, “we still have the story mode” with assistance (making the game easy, as no dying occurs!). This option shows how considerate and mindful Nomada Studios was toward existing players and fans from Gris, keeping that same charm.
But here's a key twist, he mentioned, that “it's not the character who evolves, it's actually Neva, the wolf.” The addition of this animal as a major player brings the central thematic element to this new Nomada Studios title into sharp focus; with the story of Neva’s growth tying into the evolving gameplay experience, making this very choice incredibly relevant and memorable, an example of artistic brilliance. This bond develops, creating a unique gaming relationship rarely attempted and certainly seldom executed so well in many recent titles. This makes gameplay incredibly compelling.
Neva's Development: Risks Taken, Lessons Learned from Gris
Mendoza emphasized that creating Neva didn't involve comparisons with Gris, that the initial team approach emphasized prioritizing a project they loved to produce; adding further weight to Mendoza's commentary concerning the design choices. And while Neva naturally shares elements with Gris (same animation team, similar music), those artists still made it different! This choice and Mendoza's response shows an enormous amount of thought and effort to create a meaningful production that truly creates its own value!
Mendoza further revealed that the original concept didn't feature an animal; a conscious design decision challenged by Roset's vision which resulted in introducing this wolf; a bold creative move which resulted in unexpected advantages. He notes that creating this mystical animal greatly increased how these different choices affect production! It added significant work (animating the character is harder) and a different perspective and story direction. This shows a surprisingly mindful design decision!
Building a More “Alive” World: Enhancing the Gris Experience
Mendoza discussed building on Gris’ lessons; noting improvements in scenario creation. That whole world of Neva “feels more alive and more dense,” indicating improvements in creating richer, more immersive levels.
Those improvements stemmed from shifting towards creating games as “chapters.” That technical change helped produce more polished visuals with richer level designs without pushing technical limitations; the storytelling advantages also matter; Mendoza explains that these shifts benefited story structure which had far more varied levels and better plots! He further emphasizes these benefits to overall pace; something which directly affected many different moments. All these changes demonstrate a serious approach to crafting meaningful content, producing a unique and critically successful Gaming experience!
Gris: Inspiration and a Significant Foundation for Future Productions
Mendoza explained the very origin of Gris–an idea Roset had long ago that combined pencil sketches (no color at first) gradually building as the game is played; this detail really shows a serious and long-term approach to game creation. He explains the idea originally involved creating a mobile-based title; that this project began by those very humble origins. This demonstrates that even simple concepts could grow and adapt throughout development into extremely important and ambitious creations! The final result totally exceeded all of those earlier expectations, setting a new standard for that particular studio. Those efforts surrounding Gris made this story involving a creative partnership and also its thematic portrayal of grief; made with the help of an external professional psychologist; this demonstrates how those kinds of challenging approaches were dealt with from the outset! These important decisions formed the initial bedrock for many successful and clever development choices throughout Neva’s production cycle.
Neva and Gris: Thematic Shifts and Expanded Creative Vision
When comparing Neva and Gris Mendoza highlights shifts from Gris's focus on grief towards a theme of parenthood; he mentions how more linear structure of this narrative makes Neva less open to interpretation which resulted in many improvements for storytelling that creates stronger plots and narrative focus, especially for players experiencing this for the first time! This shows incredible improvements!
He suggests that players will make deeper connections, especially parents; creating this stronger personal relatability. And his excitement over the story itself is clear and contagious; suggesting Nomada Studios’ focus on creating meaningful storytelling which remains deeply compelling.
Challenges, Improvements, and What Fans Will Love in Neva
Creating Neva after Gris’ success presents some problems; Mendoza describes this honestly– it required dealing with that burden of fulfilling higher expectations set by Gris. He discusses the response by stating this did involve prioritizing building something the team enjoyed; this emphasis suggests that building something beloved often results from personal effort to a great extent; showcasing that the internal commitment greatly mattered!
Introducing combat brought major changes– requiring new expertise (a combat designer)! And it required immense balancing. Balancing combat and narrative remains significant, generating a challenge which the team worked on through many iterations; with Mendoza commenting that their “striking the right balance” ultimately impacted how they ultimately produced Neva’s combat. These issues show why production requires careful planning, iterative improvements, and open communication!
Mendoza’s most enthusiastic response emphasizes that “two characters” would bring unique value, emphasizing this aspect as something highly unexpected for those Gris fans coming into this title! The closer, more intimate experience and personal storytelling makes a completely new emotional journey. He concludes with his eagerness towards that release, hoping players will really connect with the story– especially mentioning a curiosity regarding viewers’ thoughts concerning that ambiguous and emotionally powerful ending.
Conclusion: Neva: A Successful Gamble Based on Established Expertise!
Neva is a beautiful example of a successful gamble; successfully evolving Gris's artistic style and enhancing it by adopting new game mechanics that really highlight this team's growing expertise! It retains some Gris's core charm yet adds deeper gameplay mechanics while producing an entirely new thematic journey which many players have thoroughly enjoyed.
Mendoza's interview revealed many aspects to their artistic design choices; its conscious attempt at producing a new experience from well-established expertise, while providing a meaningful commentary regarding the importance of mindful game production; particularly how balancing creativity and technical aspects created a compelling product which fans eagerly await!
