Apr 10, 2026
3 min read
I left my time with Neverway stunned by its beauty, replaying what I saw in my head and wondering what would happen next.
I first met Fiona when she was in the shower with depression.When her doorbell rings, she thinks about going to the desert island she saw in the advertisement.It was the instant noodles I ordered (Never asked me to choose the dish), and when you order instant noodles, you know you're not good.A quick check of her computer told the story: my daughter quit her job, and she was fired.Five days.he had to remove his items from the office before they were recycled.Fiona didn't respond.Another email came from foxyrogue1 telling Fiona that foxyrogue1 had her hoodie.When she doesn't respond, Foxyrogue calls to see if Fiona is OK.He didn't respond either.
But his email also reveals other secrets.One of the insurance heaven told me that an inappropriate place could happen to me and advised me not to look at it.the uglyBut I have instant noodles.After that, I walk around Fiona's apartment, enjoying how wonderful everything is.I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that Neverway is one of the most impressive video games I've ever seen.It reminds me of something you'd find on a Game Boy color, only much prettier, and the muted gray of Fiona's department makes it easy for me to recognize her state of mind.I stood on his balcony, flushed the toilet, turned on the TV, and learned that, according to the Office of the Out-of-Place Patrol, no one had come out in six months.It certainly sounds legit.With nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, it's time to take a sad nap.
The next day, Fiona realizes that she has to get her things from her office.That means going outside.I get her dressed and we take off.One of the things that really impressed me about my time with Neverway was how she guided me to where I needed to be without overtly saying "go here".I didn't know where Fiona's office was, but I figure it out pretty quickly because of how good Neverway is to say no.In the train station, I find another advertisement for Montgomery Island, which seems to be aimed squarely at Fiona's depression, and there are a few people in biohazard suits exploring a remote bank, half of them missing... It's weird, but that's not my problem.I'm going by train.
Another short walk brings me to the office, where I choose that Fiona told the truth where she was.After taking her things, I bought a cob of corn (and grabbed a cup of coffee for the travel mug I brought out of the office), and talked to another woman who told me she wanted to be left alone.I decided to give away the corn I bought, which made her (and probably Fiona too) happy.Good action for the day, decided it was time to go home.
Back on the train, things start to get weird.There is only one person in the car and he tells me that he has found heaven.All we have to do is wait.As the train moves and the light pours in through the windows, there is static on my screen and there is a… thing sitting next to me.When the light goes out, it goes out.I pushed through a barrier blocking my way forward, then stopped by a large tunnel.In the last car, several massive, wobbly legs rise from the abyss.A huge eye stares at me from the darkness.Then I get attacked by strange, black, gelatinous people...?I'm not entirely sure.They cling to me and I fight them off, my pipe hitting their bodies.The images go.Fiona finds herself in a forest of broken trees, scattered bones, skeletons stuck to broken logs.A huge machine opening towards me.He collapses.And the train comes.
When she gets home, foxyrogue1 is there to return her hoodie before telling Fiona that he thinks it doesn't work.Fiona retreats to her apartment.And said goodbye for a while, like many depressed people.in her hallin her bathroombeside her bedIn the end, she decides to run away, and there's another advertisement for Montgomery Island. Fiona decides to seize the opportunity.
After helping her move into her new home - and meeting an island entry officer who doesn't like Fiona very much and warns her to go home immediately as it's getting late - I moved on to the second part of the Never Way demo.This time I'm participating in a computer simulation based on Fiona's mind.If the opening sequence was about mood and tone, it's more about what it feels like to play a video game.In the game.After fighting some enemies, I get a hook shot that I can use to push them towards me or cross the rifts that divide this fragmented blue cyberspace.My goal, as told to me by my partner/guardian/mentor Feng, is to rebuild the bridge, which means picking up firewood, which in turn means picking up an ax to chop down virtual trees.For.Sure, why not?In the end, it all depends on what's going on in Fiona's head.
Again, nothing tells me where to go or what to do.I have to find out for myself and I love it.I travel along the paths presented to me, fight enemies, jump from high places, hook through gaps.When I'm tired (energy and health are material), I can relax in the hot springs or sleep in my virtual bed.I learn where I can't go and where I can, following patterned squares between solid ground that let me know I can walk to new places.I help a woman named Monica save a wilting flower by finding the materials needed to make a watering can on a workbench, and I'm rewarded by running through enemies and leaving a shadow.After a good joke about what Fiona is most afraid of, I meet the boss who tests my ability to apply the skills I just learned.I have to use dash to avoid his shield.Once he's down, I finally get my ax and can finally make the bridge.
Then things get weird again.Creeping shadows enter the simulation and follow me wherever I go.I walk through a smaller and smaller version of Fiona's house, then I walk through a black void with a picture I can't play in front of me.One shows me two kids with numbers playing in the lab who talk about being strong, and the third tells them they don't need weapons.Another shows a weapon.Converted into a child.Maybe one of the ones I saw earlier is bigger?i don't know
Finally, I found a man named Lancelot sitting on a throne.He calls me Fang and asks what I do when I miss my target and turn into a monstrous black blob with a doll's face and snake hair.After a quick fight with the shadows, Fang rushed to save me.I will fight before the storm that pushes me.I hug Fang and the demo ends.
I came away from my time with Neverway stunned by its beauty, running over what I saw in my head and wondering what was going to happen next.I didn't see much of his life-sim elements (I didn't farm or fish during the demo), but his weirdness and willingness to let me loose and figure things out on my own made me want to.I don't know if I'm sure what Neverway will look like when developer Coldblood Inc. finally gets the full game in our hands, but what I saw during its demo impressed me enough that I'm not sure I care.I want to spend more time in this world: I want to explore its depths, learn its secrets and solve its riddles.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 path she takes.
Will Borger is a freelancer.You can find him at Bluesky @edgarallanbro.
