Who said platformers can’t be both sinister and cute?
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Peet who slept peacefully in a coma. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a nightmare.
Neversong is roughly a 6 hour platforming side-scroller where you play as Peet, who has awoken from a coma to find his world in turmoil, his friend is missing and needs rescuing. You will face off against big bosses and puzzles aplenty in this twisted world, while also finding songs that you can play on a piano that will unlock new items or areas for you to use.
The trophies of the game elude that you can speedrun the game if you know how, but chances are that you’ll need to know specific songs before playing and that will obviously ruin the main experience, which is a touching story and one worthy of telling.
The level design is basic but enjoyable, while the puzzles will make you think. It’s well thought out and executed decently, plus more importantly it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Some games like this can go on and on, while Neversong ends at just the right time. It doesn’t feel too short or too long, it’s literally the perfect length which is something games do tend to struggle with sometimes.
Visually, Neversong has a dark but cute art style and looks impressive to boot. The soundtrack is superb and I didn’t notice any framerate drops, though I did notice the load times between areas took a bit longer than I would have imagined.
The Verdict
Neversong is a great, but brief platformer. The good news is that it doesn’t feel like it should have been longer and is well balanced and tells a great yet sombre story. I hope we get a sequel or spiritual successor down the line as this was something truly special.
Score: 8.5