Is the gameplay anything special?

[RogueLikely]

I understand that these kinda games are mostly loved for their atmosphere and story, and while I can appreciate that I've found that gameplay/mechanics wise they often boil down to pressing right and solving an obligatory puzzle every so often.

I see there's combat in this game, but is there any depth or challenge to it? What about upgrades or customization? Equipables? Is it linear or more metroidvania? Hidden stuff? On a scale of "Inside" to "Hollow Knight" where does Neva land?

[Athena]

No, there is nothing special in terms of gameplay and controls.

You can double jump and dodge on the ground and in the air. That's the extend of your movement abilities.

You only have one attack button and do at most 3 combos.

There is no customization, not equipables, no hidden stuff except for a little bit out of the way one-time collectibles.

Never played Inside so I wouldn't be able to tell you.

[RogueLikely]

Originally posted by Athena:

No, there is nothing special in terms of gameplay and controls.

You can double jump and dodge on the ground and in the air. That's the extend of your movement abilities.

You only have one attack button and do at most 3 combos.

There is no customization, not equipables, no hidden stuff except for a little bit out of the way one-time collectibles.

Never played Inside so I wouldn't be able to tell you.

Thanks. I don't hold it against anyone who enjoys these sorts of games, but I struggle to justify buying them over simply watching a good playthrough on youtube or twitch, especially when the gameplay itself is barebones and only used to tie together story beats and pretty scenery.

[Athena]

I understand completely.

[Wasserstern]

Thats a weird scale haha. But I get what you mean. Its closer to Inside. If you didnt enjoy playing that one you wont enjoy Neva. Its gameplay is even simpler.

[kennyminot]

The combat shares most of its DNA with boss rush titles. You're not going to get a bunch of messy mechanics -- instead, you have a few simple combat tools, and your goals it to use them to get through a carefully orchestrated set of encounters. You have enemies that push little blocks that you need to attack from behind. You have flying enemies that shoot black flames across the ground. And all these enemies are mixed together to create fresh experiences. On top of that, you have a bunch of beautifully drawn bosses that have their own slate of attacks.

It ain't easy. I don't think you'll spend more than 20 minutes on a boss (I beat them game in like 3 hours), but you'll definitely die a few times to the more challenging ones. I thought the combat was fun and added a bunch to the game. It's not the kind of game where you the combat just involves pushing a few buttons so you can advance the story. It's a legit combat system. I could have definitely played the game for a few more hours (not that I was disappointed by the length, but I genuinely wasn't sick of the combat).