Production 8: An Academic Play Log

Ecology and the Climate Crisis
The game’s narrative setting is a once-beautiful world that is slowly decaying and corrupted by dark forces. The developers have stated that the game’s setting was directly inspired by real-world issues like climate change and environmental pollution caused by human interference, which has led to a gradual collapse in the ecosystem.

Neva has been heavily lauded for its watercolour art style and gorgeous idyllic landscapes. As the game progresses, inky black creatures—the dark forces which serve as antagonistic characters in the game—encroach on the landscape. Their wispy, tentacle-like tendrils spread a blight that kills or harms everything around them. This stark contrast of the black creatures against the pastel colours of the landscape represents an aesthetic duality of the environmental crisis threatening the planet.

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The hostile creatures are described as an embodiment of fears concerning the environment, and by facing them, Alba and Neva directly confront environmental destruction, positioning the game as an environmental game where the core conflict is ecological survival and the ultimate goal is to restore the environment. 

While Neva is primarily focused on environmental and emotional themes, I think that the conflict and setting can be interpreted through a post-colonial lens as well, particularly in how the corruption manifests. Colonialism is fundamentally an act of “geographical violence” (Edward Said), where the land is forcibly brought under control. In Neva, the dark forces draining the forest of its beauty can be understood as a representation of colonialism. Alba and Neva’s quest to cleanse the world and fight the darkness represents the struggle to reclaim belonging to one’s land. 

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Human–Nonhuman Entanglements
The relationship between Alba and Neva is the emotional core, serving as a non-anthropocentric model for entanglements. This bond evolves over the course of the game, shifting the focus from anthropocentric views to one of mutual reliance. The game explores a crucial theme of parenthood as well, with Alba raising Neva from a cub until adulthood. The player is always led to be a little bit worried about Neva, considering that the beginning of the game involves the cub’s mother dying, which means that death isn’t outside of the realm of possibility for our little one.

The gameplay involves Alba calling Neva to help with puzzles and platforming, positioning teamwork as essential to how the game functions. The combat and exploration mechanics change over time as the characters grow and mature (such as a younger Neva requiring help to reach platforms vs. an older Neva carrying Alba on her back) and show the evolution of their relationship and how procedural rhetoric informs this evolution. This dynamic challenges traditional narratives by centring the growth of a nonhuman character and the mutual aid necessary for survival in a collapsing world.

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Final Thoughts

Of course, Neva is far from the only game that explores climate change. There are many games that I’ve played in the past that also have something to do with the topic, the most notable being Final Fantasy 7, which is one of my favourite games (and one that I could talk about endlessly). 

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I think that games that embed climate crisis themes within broader narrative frameworks communicate their ideas more effectively than titles that explicitly brand themselves as “about” climate change. To quote Bogost, these embedded approaches allow systems to show rather than tell—experiencing environmental decline is more effective than it being “preached” as didactic content. These more educational games usually risk oversimplification or pedagogical stiffness that completely limits ludic complexity. When critiques of real-world issues emerge emotionally from play itself, it stays with the player more so than overt environmental messaging. ​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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