NIDUS

About

NIDUS is a single player and multiplayer action game. It was developed by Caleb Wood and was released on February 19, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

"NIDUS is a challenging Action game that offers Single Player and Local Co-Op modes for 2 players. Control a Symbiotic Flower and Wasp, evolve for defense and attack, and upgrade worlds in this split-screen experience. With 20-30 minute runs, no-hit score multiplier, nightmarish bosses, and unlockable difficulties, NIDUS offers an immersive and thrilling gameplay with surreal hand-animated visuals."

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 296 reviews

gameplay48 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and an incredible art style that captivates players.
Gameplay is unique and engaging, with a satisfying combat system that rewards skill and coordination between the two characters.
The sound design complements the visuals perfectly, creating an immersive and psychedelic experience.

The game has a steep learning curve, making it difficult for new players to grasp the mechanics quickly.
Frequent crashes and performance issues on lower-end PCs hinder the overall experience.
The chaotic visuals can be overwhelming, making it hard to follow the action and understand what's happening on screen.

gameplay
111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The gameplay is widely praised for its unique mechanics, engaging depth, and satisfying combat, with many players appreciating the balance between challenge and fun. While some find it initially overwhelming, the game effectively guides players through its mechanics, leading to a rewarding learning curve. However, a few reviewers noted that the gameplay can become tedious and repetitive over time, despite its visually stunning presentation.
- “The mechanics of interplay between the flower and wasp make the gameplay deep and engaging, and there's plenty of variety in the enemy and boss designs.”
- “The gameplay is just so well crafted and satisfying; I really can't get enough of it.”
- “Absolutely beautiful art style and gameplay that is a bit odd initially, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very satisfying.”
- “Firstly, this game does a rather bad job at explaining the core mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is just a bit too 'messy' for me to want to push for anything challenging, but what's there is intriguing enough, so it was an enjoyable pick up.”
- “Figuring out the gamepad controls took about two gameplay sessions for me, but for some others it might be a little more difficult.”
graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and vibrant visuals, often described as some of the best seen in gaming. Many reviewers highlight the creative and psychedelic artwork that enhances the gameplay experience, although some note that the aggressive visuals can occasionally hinder readability and control. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and engaging sound design contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in its genre.
- “This is so creative and amazing, so stunning with some of the best visuals I've ever seen.”
- “The art style is gorgeous as you can see from the trailer.”
- “Visuals are stunning and by far my favorite part about this game.”
- “Graphics don't seem to play entirely well with 21:9 aspect ratios - some UI elements are cut off.”
- “I really wanted to like this game because of the visuals, but I just can't find the twin-stick controls and trying to focus on two things while moving a shifting play area around enjoyable.”
- “The only criticisms I have of this game are that it's very graphics intensive and to run well does require a little bit above the lowest end of computers, but not by much.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its excellence, mysterious quality, and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is described as mind-melting and perfectly complements the game's psychedelic art style, leading to a strong desire among players for a purchasable version. Overall, the music is consistently rated as top-notch, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The music is excellent, mysterious, and mind-melting.”
- “I'm obsessed with the artstyle and the music and sound design complements the psychedelic feel of the game perfectly.”
- “Everything is top notch, from the visuals, to the music and sounds, and especially the gameplay!”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, with smooth performance despite some slow load times and issues with game settings not being saved. However, users have reported bugs related to window scaling and resolution on high-definition and wide screens, which can affect the experience.
- “The game runs great overall, with only minor issues like slow load times and game settings not being saved.”
- “The window scaling and resolution on high definition/wide screens can be buggy though as of now.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers strong replayability through its four difficulty levels and the requirement to adopt different strategies in each playthrough, particularly due to the challenge of controlling two characters simultaneously. Players are encouraged to explore various paths for completionism, enhancing the overall replay value.
- “The way the game progresses, there are definitely optimal and easier paths, but for completionism and maximum replayability, the game forces you to take different and varying approaches each run.”
- “It has 4 difficulties, which grants replayability on its own. At the end of it, I just think the main difficulty is getting the hang of controlling 2 characters at once, which was easy enough for me to do, but I know there are people who will think otherwise at first.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players expressing excitement about its comedic elements, particularly in a co-op setting that could be enhanced by a relaxed atmosphere. Overall, it seems to deliver the lighthearted fun that fans anticipated.
- “I would normally want to be funny, but I've been following this game on Instagram for a while - and my god, it's everything I could've wanted.”
- “However, for co-op, this would be a great time after some, uh... funny cigarettes.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the cool gameplay but find the grinding aspect tedious and repetitive, which detracts from their overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Cool gameplay, but it's too tedious and repetitive to really enjoy.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story of Nidus is a whimsical love tale between a flower and a wasp, set against a backdrop of battling evil bugs in a surreal, acid trip-like environment.
- “Nidus is a love story between a flower and a wasp fighting evil bugs on an acid trip.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, particularly regarding GPU performance, leading to significant issues with lag and overall gameplay experience.
- “GPU-wise, this game wasn't optimized at all and runs poorly.”
- “GPU-wise, this game wasn't optimized at all and runs poorly.”