I first meet Fiona when sheās taking a depression bath. Sheās thinking about floating away to a remote island sheās seen in an ad when her doorbell rings. Itās the instant noodles I ordered (Neverway asked me to pick a food), and when youāre ordering instant noodles, you know youāre down horrendous. A quick check of her computer tells the story: my girl has stopped coming to work, and sheās been fired. She has five days to pick up her things from the office before theyāre recycled. Fiona hasnāt replied. Another email is from foxyrogue1 letting Fiona know that foxyrogue1 has her hoodie. When she doesnāt reply, foxyrogue reaches out to see if Fionaās okay. She doesnāt reply to that one either.
But her email reveals other secrets, too. One from Insurance Heaven tells me a Misplace can happen to me, and tells me not to look at it. Ominous. But I have instant noodles to eat. Afterwards, I traipse around Fionaās apartment, taking in how stunning all of it is. Iām not exaggerating when I tell you that Neverway is one of the most visually striking video games Iāve ever seen. It reminds me of something you might find on the Game Boy Color, only far more beautiful, and the muted, grey color palette of Fionaās department makes it easy for me to identify with her state of mind. I stand on her balcony, flush her toilet, turn on the TV, and learn that, according to the Misplace Patrol Authority, that there hasnāt been a Misplace in six months. That definitely sounds legit. With nothing else to do and nowhere to go, itās time for a depression nap.
The following day, Fiona realizes she has to go get her things from the office. That means going outside. I get her dressed, and off we go. One of the things that really impressed me about my time with Neverway was how it guided me to where I need to be without overtly saying āgo here.ā I didnāt know where Fionaās office is, but I figure it out pretty quickly because of how good Neverway is at showing without telling. Inside the train station, I find another ad for Montgomery Island, which seems to be targeted directly at Fionaās depression, and a couple people in biohazard suits inspect a cordoned-off bench, half of which is justā¦ missing. Thatās weird, but itās not my problem. Onto the train I go.
Another short walk takes me to the office, where I choose to have Fiona tell the truth about where sheās been. After grabbing her things, I buy corn on the cob (and snag a cup of coffee for the travel mug Iāve recovered from the office), and talk to another woman who told me that she wanted to be left alone. I decided to give her the corn Iād bought, which cheered her (and probably Fiona) up, too. Good deed for the day done, I decide itās time to head home.
Back on the train, things start getting weird. Thereās only one other person in the car, and she tells me sheās found heaven. All we have to do is wait. As the train moves, and light filters through the windows, static appears on my screen, and someā¦ thing sits next to me. When the light fades, it fades. The woman heads to the next car, and I follow. What happens next is confusing. I pick up a pipe and bash through a barrier blocking my way forward, then crawl through a large tunnel. In the final car, several massive, spindly legs ride up from an abyss. An enormous eye stares at me from the blackness. Then Iām attacked by strange, black, gelantinousā¦ people? Iām not quite sure. They cling to me, and I fight them off, my pipe crashing against their bodies. Images follow. Fiona in a forest of shattered trees, bones scattered all around, skeletons pinned to the shattered trunks. A massive machine that opens towards me. She collapses. And the train arrives.
When she gets home, foxyrogue1 is there to return her hoodie just before telling Fiona that they donāt think this is working. Fiona retreats back into her apartment, and like many a depressed person, dissociates for a while. In her foyer. In her bathroom. At her bed. Finally, she just decides to get away. And there again, is the ad for Montgomery Island. Fiona decides to take a chance.
After helping her move into her new house ā and meeting the officer who controls entry to the island, who does not seem to like Fiona very much and ominously warns her to head home immediately as itās late ā Iām taken to the second part of Neverwayās demo. This time, Iām inside a computer simulation based on Fionaās mind. If the opening sequence was about mood and tone, this is very much about What It Feels Like to Play The Video Gameā¢. After fighting off some enemies, I acquire a hookshot I can use to yank them towards me or zip across the gaps that segment this fragmented, blue-tinged cyberspace. My goal that my companion/handler/instructor Fang tells me is to rebuild a bridge, which means getting my hands on some wood, which in turn means getting my hands on an axe to chop down some virtual trees. Sure, why not? After all, this is all based on whatās going on in Fionaās head.
Once again, thereās nothing telling me where to go or what to do. I have to figure it out for myself, and I love that. I traverse the paths available to me, fight off enemies, drop from higher ledges, hookshot across gaps. When Iām tired (both energy and health are a resource), I can relax in the hot springs or sleep in my virtual bed. I learn where I canāt go and where I can, following the square patterns between solid ground that inform me I can walk to new areas. I help a woman named Monica save a wilting flower by finding the materials to craft a watering can at a workbench, and am rewarded with a dash that moves through enemies and leaves behind a shadow. After a fantastic joke about what Fiona fears most, I face off against a boss that tests my ability to use the skill I just acquired. I have to use the dash to get around his shield. Once heās down, I finally get my axe, and I can finally repair the bridge.
And then things start getting weird again. Creeping shadows infiltrate the simulation and pursue me wherever I go. I traverse through smaller and smaller versions of Fionaās apartment, then across a black void where scenes I donāt understand play out before me. One shows me two children with numbers for names playing in a laboratory talking about becoming strong, and a third who tells them that they do not want weapons. Another shows weapons being transplanted into a child. Maybe one of the ones I saw earlier, only older? I do not know.
In the end, I find a man named Lancelot sitting atop a throne. He calls me Fang, and asks me what I am when my purpose is gone, then transforms into a monstrous, black blob with a dollās face and snakelike hair. After a quick battle against the shadows, Fang rushes in to save me. I fight past the storm pushing me back. I embrace Fang, and the demo ends.
I came away from my time with Neverway stunned by its beauty, turning over what Iād seen in my head, and wondering what would happen next. I didnāt get to see much of its life sim elements ā I didnāt farm or fish during my demo ā but I was compelled by its strangeness and its willingness to turn me loose and let me figure things out for myself. I donāt know if Iām sure of how Neverway will look when developer Coldblood Inc. finally puts the whole game in our hands, but I was so interested in what I saw during its demo that Iām also not sure I care. I want to spend more time in this world: I want to plumb its depths, learn its secrets, and unravel its puzzles. From playing this demo, I think I understand Fiona. And I want to see where her story goes, no matter how dark or strange the road she travels becomes.
Will Borger is an IGN freelancer. You can find him on Bluesky @edgarallanbro.
