How Princess Mononoke, The NeverEnding Story, And The Last Guardian Inspired Neva

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As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that the upcoming platformer, Neva, has caught my attention like no other game has in recent memory. The blend of influences from iconic works such as Princess Mononoke, The NeverEnding Story, and The Last Guardian, creates a unique tapestry that promises an immersive and emotional journey.

Neva is a game developed by Nomada Studio that features the narrative of a young wolf protagonist, who teams up with a character named Alba. As players guide Neva through her transformation from a cub to an able ally in a deteriorating world, they will notice that this title, along with its precursor Gris, has significantly emphasized the artistic aspect for Devolver Digital’s collection of games. This inevitably leads to drawing inspiration from various sources such as other games, cultural phenomena, literature, paintings, and beyond. Some of Neva’s inspirations may be more overt, like Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke with its wolves and perilous forest, while others might be less obvious or subtler, like Michael Ende’s 1979 novel The NeverEnding Story and the 2016 action-adventure game The Last Guardian.

During an interview with Game Rant, the lead producer of Neva, Roger Mendoza, discussed how the upcoming game was influenced by the films Princess Mononoke, The NeverEnding Story, and The Last Guardian.

How Princess Mononoke And Michael Ende’s The NeverEnding Story Inspired Neva

Initially, it’s clear that both stories, Neva and Princess Mononoke, share striking resemblances through their wolf characters. Mendoza further noted some parallels between certain adversaries in Neva’ and No Face from Spirited Away, but he emphasized a stronger influence of Princess Mononoke on the creative process of both Mendoza and the creative director of Neva, Conrad Roset, who are avid fans. Specifically, Mendoza mentioned that Neva contains elements reminiscent of what transpires in the forest of Princess Mononoke.

Many people recall the 1984 film “The NeverEnding Story,” which was somewhat influenced by Ende’s book. However, it was Ende’s novel that truly inspired the game “Neva,” particularly its portrayal of The Nothing as an enigmatic force that destroys the world. Mendoza elaborated on how Roset drew inspiration from the concept of The Nothing in “Neva.” Similarly to The Nothing, the enemies in Roset remain undefined, leaving it up to players to discover them.

He strongly embraced the concept you mentioned, The Nothing – a pervasive presence that lacks specificity. Our aim with Neva was to follow a similar approach, avoiding explicit explanations of events or their origins. Instead, it invites viewers to discern that the world is deteriorating and confront their fears.

How The Last Guardian Inspired Neva

I’ve got to give a shout-out to The Last Guardian by GenDesign and Japan Studio. It left quite an impact on our game, Neva. You see, just like in The Last Guardian, the main character in Neva also forms a strong bond with a companion, and that’s no coincidence. The relationship between the young protagonist and Trico from The Last Guardian really struck a chord with us, and we wanted to capture some of that magic in our game.

To provide an example from video games, we thoroughly examined “The Last Guardian,” a title where one cares for and nurtures another being. This game holds a special place in our hearts, serving as a strong base for developing this role. It offered a valuable starting point to observe their approach, and then strive to incorporate the best elements into our own unique design.

Despite some technical issues encountered by certain players, The Last Guardian is generally acclaimed for its heartwarming depiction of friendship. Similarly, the game Neva draws inspiration from Claude Monet’s paintings in its backgrounds. It will be intriguing to observe how Neva blends these diverse influences into a unique style and impacts the developing bond between Alba and Neva – a relationship that seems destined to unfold as an equally moving and visually stunning adventure, much like Gris.

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2024-10-08 19:35