Playing as young boy who wakes from a coma, Neversong is a moody Metroidvania that deals with depressing issues and the loss of innocents. There is even a warning screen when the game is first fired up, explaining there is some heavy stuff here. However, it never goes as deep as it suggests and there are plenty of humorous moments found in dialog and gameplay – you purposely roll a fat kid around Katamari style so he picks up odd debris, for example.
The ultimate goal is to find your kidnapped girlfriend because you fainted when things started to get a little crazy. Labeled as a wuss by your peers, Peet eventually finds a bat and uses it as a weapon to defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and fight off parents who have turned into bosses. In additional to teaching players about depression and social awkwardness, perhaps the game is telling you using a bat is the best way to fix all your problems, but who am I to judge?
I play through the first boss battle in my embedded stream below:
Additional items will also be gained, like magnetic gloves to assist in platforming, but gameplay never gets overly complex making this a great beginner exploratory action adventure. Only some light backtracking is involved and there are not many secrets. The best part, the length of the quest can be finished in a Saturday afternoon. There is even an Achievement for finishing the game in under one hour. Optional cards can be found that can change Peet’s appearance but actually couldn’t get this feature to work, assuming there is a bug. Nothing that cannot be patched and the difference is only cosmetic anyway.
Cutscenes are told from pages in a story book using rhyming techniques making the entire presentation seem like children’s novel. Although some words don’t actually rhyme, the voice acting is well done. It is easy to see the effort that went into the visuals too. Although always dark, they were purposely designed to fit directly into the coma-filled narrative. Even the creatures you face are pretty morbid and even sound gross.
It isn’t an overly complicated game as players don’t need to worry about backtracking to find that secret item or forced to acquire a ton of extra little bonuses that slowly increase stats. Neversong isn’t trying to be like other titles in the same genre which is refreshing. The darker, more personal tone is the real star of the show and doesn’t outstay its welcome. Hardcore fans might still be hungry once the credits start to roll but players looking for something a little more unique should appreciate what is here.
Sort Of Gives Me Vibes From: Limbo
Also Try: Pikuniku (Switch, Xbox One)
Wait For It: playing an instrument in the next Zelda game
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz