Have you ever stopped in the middle of playing a game and said to yourself, “wouldn’t this be an amazing book/movie/TV show?” Not because you simply want more of the story, but due to the gameplay not really living up to the narrative, resulting in you rushing your way through the actual meat of the game just to get that next tasty morsel of story content. I personally know a few folks who would say this about The Last of Us, and I shared this sentiment with Death Stranding. The newest addition to this list is the indie title Neversong. 

I was instantly enamored with the overall aesthetic of the game that transitions from being bright and cheerful to melancholic in the blink of an eye. It takes on a Tim Burton-esque design that unfolds as if it’s a storybook that is meant for children, but has ultra-dark tones of loss and grief that permeate the story from start to finish. The juxtaposition between the well-written fully fleshed out cast of children and the unnerving bosses really left me with an uneasy feeling throughout.

The outstanding narrative focuses on the story of Peet and Wren, a young pair of children who venture into a local asylum that’s been long abandoned, only to be attacked by Dr. Smile, who is essentially Slender Man with teeth and wants to eat Wren to retain his youth. Playing out in a Dr. Seuss meets Charles Manson fashion, Wren is captured and believed to be dead, and Peet is left comatose, waking at the start of the game to the shock of the local children, who are running amok due to the strange disappearance of all the parents in the town. Where many games would’ve stumbled weaving all of this together into a neat package, Neversong excels, leaving no loose strings at the conclusion. This makes the lacking gameplay elements even more disappointing.

In looking at the trailer, it would be easy to assume that this is yet another Limbo clone, which would’ve probably been a better experience in my opinion, but it’s more akin to a Metroidvania style game. Most of the run time is spent going to and from Wren’s home, helping the other children residing in the village, and beating bosses that drop sheet music. The game doesn’t tell you that you have to take the newly discovered tunes back to her house to play them on her piano to move forward, which left me wandering about in the early stages of the game longer than I’d care to admit. While there are hints given by the children you can talk to, they are not always as clear as I would’ve liked. Regardless of the clarity, the constant backtracking really soured the experience for me, as it feels this was added to extend the relatively short game beyond what would’ve probably been an hour or so of content.

Most of the puzzles involve either opening the way forward or rescuing one of the neighborhood kids from predicaments they’ve gotten themselves into. These are extremely basic, devoid of any real challenge, and felt like busywork to connect the dots in the narrative and nothing more. This translates to the combat that is equally uninspired, allowing you to run headfirst into most of the enemies swinging your baseball bat until they go away. In the event you do take damage, almost every enemy drops a replacement heart, removing any thrill or challenge completely.

Neversong is nowhere near being an awful game; it’s just not a particularly fun one in my opinion. It thrives in its presentation and narrative, but lacks in every other facet. I can’t help but think this would’ve been more successful as an animated feature or a kid’s storybook. If you’re a fan of great storytelling and slightly macabre themes, this is well worth a playthroug,h but just don’t expect gameplay that will rival the likes of Limbo.

7 out of 10

Pros

• An Enthralling Narrative
• Creepy Presentation
• Fully Fleshed Out Characters

Cons

• Lackluster Gameplay
• Entirely Too Much Backtracking

Neversong was developed by Serenity Forge in conjunction with Atmos Games and published by Serenity Forge. It is available on AA, NS, PC, PS4 and X1. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Neversong, check out the developer’s site.

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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