Visually, Neva is breathtaking. It was made by the same developers as Gris, which is another breathtaking game and also one of my favorites. I don't know if it is a fair comparison or not, but I think Neva doesn't quite reach the same highs as Gris.
They added combat, which despite simple felt solid and you gained new skills every time the bond with your companion (Neva) grew stronger.
Gris doesn't have any combat. It is essentially a 2D platforming puzzle game, but I think it still did much more than Neva. Soundtrack, environments, thought-provoking themes, level design, puzzle design, all aspects that I think Neva wasn't as strong as Gris. Just by the level design, it felt that it was extremely kept to a minimum, with long times of just walking and jumping to linear platforms. I kept thinking how boring some of Neva's levels where because of that. Also it feels even shorter than Gris despite having pratically the same total playtime.
I still enjoyed a lot my time with Neva and think it's one of the most beautiful games I've ever played.
