Developer: Atmos Games
Publisher: Serenity Forge
Reviewed on: Xbox One X
Code Received.
Neversong brings you on a very personal journey through love, loss, and reconciliation. As Peet you travel through a twisted dreamscape in search of your lost love interest. Along the way you meet a color cast of characters, fight a variety of enemies and bosses, and acquire several transversal tools. It’s short, but manages to leave a lasting impressing with clever writing and bizarre imagery.
The set up here is that Peet slips into a coma after his girlfriend Wren is kidnapped in front of him. He must set out to find her, but it quickly becomes clear that the world he is inhabiting is actually his own twisted version of reality. He gets help from the dream versions of all his childhood friends, who are also on the search for their lost parents. Along the way he peels away the horrifying veil of his mind prison by remembering the songs him and Wren wrote together. It’s an odd story that doesn’t offer answers to all the questions it asks, but that is part of the point. Much like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, Peet’s wonderland never make complete sense.
The game is mostly about the story, but it does feature simple combat and platforming sequences. It all feels snappy and responsive. Enemies fall into a few basic designed, and the boss fights are rather clever. They feature prominently into the story, so they really feel like special events. Overall, the action never got in the the way of the story and that is all you can really ask for in a game like this.
The most striking thing about Neversong is probably the dark, sometimes horrific imagery. Peet’s mind prison is always foreboding, featuring some truly twisted levels and boss designs. Even the friendly characters speak and act in bizarre ways that always had me feeling uneasy, a lot of this can be attributed to fantastic voice acting. It’s definitely a creepy vibe that will stick with me for some time.
Neversong is a unique, if short lived experience. It’s easy to get through the game in one sitting, and it has minimal replay value. However, it’s crammed with personality and high production values. In the landscape of games that tackle mental health issues, Neversong stands strong by mixing competent gameplay with a somber, deeply painful story.
