Obviously, it is not at all necessary to have played Coma to appreciate Neversong, which is sufficient in itself. The introductory sequence takes the form of a storybook, and describes in verse the story of young Peet. It should be noted in passing that if the voices are only available in English, the French subtitles have the intelligence to preserve the rhyming effects. We therefore learn that this frail orphan has become a loving friend with Wren, the prettiest girl in the area. But while they are playing in an abandoned asylum, a disturbing creature kidnaps his sweetheart. Unable to react and play the big arms, Peet immediately falls into a coma. Now is the time for the player to take control. Our anti-hero wakes up in his friendly village, but we can't really talk about a return to normal. The adults have disappeared, aggressive creatures have invaded the premises, and certain environments now seem very disturbing. The artistic direction brilliantly transcribes this atmosphere, which is both charming and sinister. The 2D graphics evoke children's books as well as Tim Burton films, and we take great pleasure in discovering each new place. Meetings with the few children in the area are also not lacking in spice. Left to their own devices and half-disturbed from the bulb, these kids with often improbable names offer us on several occasions very funny and quite amusing monologues. In addition, the narration in the form of a book regularly returns to remind us of our good memories. It's always the opportunity to take advantage of a few additional rhymes, and one or two very successful monochrome illustrations. The general dressing is therefore very successful, but you should not rely too much on the "children's story" aspect, because Neversong is not a walking simulator or a simple vaguely interactive story. Real gameplay answers the call.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN A COMA
The game indeed borrows from action, adventure and platform games. We are therefore entitled to some fights, some puzzles, and some passages requiring a minimum of skill. The whole is perfectly balanced, with no component overly taking precedence over the others. And while we expected a health walk, some moments still require a minimum of concentration. Attention, we are still not on Dark Souls, Myst or Super Meat Boy, very far from it. But under its nice airs, Neversong still offers a certain challenge. The game may have been released on the Apple Arcade a while ago, but it's not just an insignificant little mobile game. Moreover, the adventure places five different bosses on our way. Each of them allows you to unlock a small melody of five notes, to be reproduced on Wren's piano, which generally allows you to discover new equipment. Peet can first take a baseball bat to hit enemy creatures. Then he will have access to magnetic gloves, which will allow him to cling to sorts of vegetable eggs placed high up in the sets. Later, he will add nails to his bat, so he can slice through vines and knock down the bombs they support. Then a skateboard will allow him to slide on sloping surfaces. Finally, the umbrella will allow him to fly above four or five columns of air.
If we cannot really qualify the playing field as an open world (because small loading times come to separate certain zones), we can on the other hand completely speak of small metroidvania. Indeed, some places inaccessible at first end up being able to be visited once you have the right equipment. Unfortunately, this choice is not necessarily wise for such a short adventure. It only takes three to four hours to see the end of it, and the sets are therefore not very numerous. As a result, we find ourselves having to always make the same round trips each time we unlock a new tool. As for the gameplay itself, it lacks a little precision at times. Sometimes it's hard to see if you're hitting the enemies or not, or you have to try several times before jumping on an element, because they are often located a tad too high relative to the range of the jump. On the other hand, we won't quibble over the puzzles, because they don't seem too simplistic or too difficult. But there is still a small shadow on the board to report. From the start of the adventure, we suspect that Peet has not really come out of the coma and that his adventures are not necessarily real (promised, it's not a spoiler). Alas, the game attempts a half twist, half "end subject to interpretation" final revelation, which sows a bit of confusion when it is supposed to create emotion. Pleasant but imperfect, Neversong is therefore very reminiscent of Little Nightmares, both in terms of atmosphere and success. On this last point, we would have preferred it to approach Limbo and Inside, two other titles that clearly inspired Thomas Brush and his team.
