Spava – A Short Foray into Nightmare-Riddled Dream Worlds

“Like a church bell, a coffin, and a vat of melted chocolate, a supply closet is rarely a comfortable place to hide.” – Lemony Snicket

Overview

Spava is a short hidden object and puzzle game set within a series of fantastical dream worlds that have been overrun with nightmares.

Narrative

Spava’s narrative is vague and loosely delivered throughout the game. Each scene depicts a magical dream world that has been taken over by bits of nightmares. Various unsettling elements are present and these must be found and returned to their rightful place in order to restore balance. There is no text or dialogue so the ‘story’ is portrayed entirely through the visuals and the gameplay.

Gameplay

Spava offers five levels plus one extra final level that is much shorter and less challenging. Each of the main levels includes a number of stages in which the player must inspect a scene, find a selection of hidden objects and then put each item in the correct place in a grid through a process of association. The levels are interconnected and it is necessary to jump between them to collect all the required objects, however, the first three levels must be completed in order to unlock the following two. The puzzles require some thought but are not overly challenging, making Spava a fairly relaxing and casual experience.

The game is quite short. Two playthroughs in which 100% of the Steam achievements were obtained took a little less than 45 minutes. There are nine achievements in total, two of which are missable. Simple mouse and keyboard controls are used, Spava plays very much like a point-and-click but WASD can be used to move around in each small scene and the mouse wheel can be used to zoom in and out. The game is fairly simple but proved to be unexpectedly demanding of hardware that will happily run new AAA games. It is probably fair to say further optimisation could be implemented.

Styling

Spava features eerie piano music with a slow tempo and in a minor key. The effect is quite mysterious and somewhat melancholy. It is very atmospheric and fits the pace of the gameplay and the lightly unsettling imagery very well.

The 2D art style has a painterly feel and is heavily textured. It uses dark, muted colours with pops of saturation and vibrancy to create an effective contrast that suits the eeriness of the hand-drawn scenes. Players can adjust the brightness of each hidden object section, this is a great addition in terms of accessibility and is potentially helpful in finding the various objects.

Summary

Spava is a fun little game that is not too taxing. It is short but has a low price to reflect this. The hand-drawn visuals are a definite highlight of the game with a curious mix of fun and sinister imagery that creates an interesting juxtaposition. The music matches the aesthetic very well and helps immerse the player in the experience. The puzzles are not especially difficult but the disjointed progression through the levels adds to the challenge and the gameplay is very satisfying overall. I enjoyed this game, and while I’d like there to be more of it, Spava is perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea or while taking a short break and I am happy to recommend it.

Looking for more great point-and-click games? You may enjoy these reviews:
Beyond the Wall – A Charming Point-and-Click Adventure – Children of Silentown – A Sweet and Spooky Point-and-Click Adventure – Birth – A Delightfully Gruesome Point-and-Click Puzzle Game

Did you like this article? Consider supporting Indie Hive through Patreon! Patrons receive an early access article on Sundays!