Nihilumbra

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"Nihilumbra" is a single-player platformer game with an interesting plot and stellar game mechanics. As the character Born, players will use colors to gain abilities and transform the world while trying to escape from the relentless Void. With sensational graphics, stunning music, and a highly emotional story, players will face grinding and a challenge in the second half of the game: the Void Mode. The game is designed for all to enjoy, whether they have puzzle game experience or not.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 961 reviews

story202 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and graphics that create an immersive atmosphere.
Unique gameplay mechanics involving colors that affect the environment and puzzle-solving.
Engaging story that explores themes of existence and self-discovery.

The narrator's voice can be annoying and overly explanatory, detracting from the experience.
The main story mode is too easy and feels like a tutorial, while the Void mode can be frustratingly difficult.
Some puzzles rely on trial and error rather than clever problem-solving, leading to potential frustration.

story
645 mentions
31 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of "Nihilumbra" is a blend of philosophical themes and emotional depth, exploring concepts of identity and existence through the journey of a character born from the void. While the main story mode is often described as simplistic and easy, serving primarily as a tutorial, it captivates players with its beautiful art and narration, though some find the narration overly explicit and heavy-handed. The subsequent "void mode" offers a more challenging experience but lacks additional narrative elements, leaving players divided on the overall storytelling effectiveness.
- “The story, the art, everything about it is so beautiful and pleasing to the eye, and I honestly was challenged by it still.”
- “The story can be heavy-handed as it waxes poetic, but also has genuine moments of emotion and thoughtfulness through its narration.”
- “The music, story, and gameplay all come together solidly to create a bigger picture which is greater than its parts and well worth two hours of time.”
- “The narration is excessive, not only describing simple game mechanics and solving puzzles for you, but also narrating away any possible nuance to the story and how you as the player should feel.”
- “The story is boring and predictable.”
- “The story mode is almost too easy but it gives you time to get used to the mechanics.”
gameplay
337 mentions
42 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Nihilumbra* is characterized by its unique color-based mechanics that allow players to manipulate the environment to solve puzzles, creating an engaging platforming experience. While many players appreciate the intuitive controls and innovative concepts, some criticize the excessive narration and repetitive puzzle design, which can detract from the overall challenge and enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing and creative gameplay experience, though opinions vary on its depth and execution.
- “The unique game mechanics, the different colors and how each one functions, make for really interesting gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is original, intuitive, and just very satisfying to partake in.”
- “Nihilumbra offers a casual puzzle-platforming experience with unique gameplay, beautiful visuals, and a simple but intriguing narrative.”
- “Gameplay is awful on the wide screens.”
- “Most of the difficulty comes from the awful gameplay, and the jarring side-scroll/page swap where enemies can still attack you while you can't see or time your jumps properly.”
- “The gameplay feels a bit contrived, but that may just be personal preference.”
music
203 mentions
65 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, with many reviewers noting its ability to enhance the overall experience and match the mood of different areas. While some find the soundtrack memorable and beautiful, others describe it as repetitive or unremarkable, suggesting a mixed reception. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing significantly to its emotional depth and immersive storytelling.
- “The music is wonderful and does an excellent job at setting the mood of each area.”
- “The soundtrack is beautiful, particularly the void chase theme.”
- “The music, narration, art, and gameplay come together perfectly to create an environment that I quickly became attached to.”
- “The music is extremely dull and there seems to be only one looping track.”
- “The music gets really boring at some point, so you can't tell me you would not be bored if you had to listen to the same 2 minutes of music for 1 hour.”
- “The music was hardly anything to be called 'memorable', but music does tend to be on the lower priority rung for independent projects, so what's there is sufficient.”
graphics
191 mentions
60 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning artwork and atmospheric visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some players appreciate the unique art style and smooth animations, others criticize certain character designs and inconsistencies in the visual presentation. Overall, the game's aesthetics are often highlighted as a strong point, contributing to its engaging narrative and gameplay.
- “The visuals are a highlight in this game, making the world seem so alive even as it is so bleak, with the nothingness and the self-aware piece of nothingness you play as, to say nothing of your brothers and sisters who you must bypass, being successfully foreboding amid this seemingly living world even as it is cartoony and a 'colorful' sort of darkness.”
- “This game has absolutely stunning visuals.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous and the tone is perfect throughout.”
- “Bad: precision platforming sections (although a few), amateurish visuals, fonts, audio, menu etc.”
- “While the art style of the world is pretty, the character sprites are poor for even an amateur level (it looks like there are 5 sprites max for the movement of the character which is essentially a black semi-morphous entity).”
- “The visuals try to be stylish but fail quite handily, having backgrounds that are so blotchy and missing in detailing that it's hard to understand how these were used in the final game.”
atmosphere
68 mentions
71 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful design, engaging music, and emotional depth, creating a rich and immersive experience that enhances gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the effective use of color and narration, which contribute to a unique blend of wonder, somberness, and fear, although some find the narration intrusive. Overall, the game successfully captivates players with its atmospheric charm, making it a standout in the indie puzzle platformer genre.
- “The atmosphere this game creates with this artwork works really well and enhances your feeling of vulnerability.”
- “The game's atmosphere is finely split between three moods: wonder, somber, and fear.”
- “It is easy to tell that a lot of time and love went into making this game, this is a one of a kind game that has a rich story and an engrossing atmosphere.”
- “But this one does not have the atmosphere that 'Limbo' had.”
- “This game is boring, painfully easy, and any positive aspect of the atmosphere is ruined by the voice constantly talking at you and saying the most painfully obvious things.”
- “I understand that the captions and narrations are trying to teach you the controls and create an atmosphere at the same time, but I really can't appreciate its aggressive way of telling you 'you are nothing' 'you don't fit into this world' all the time.”
emotional
31 mentions
90 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits a wide range of responses, with many players finding it deeply touching and relatable, often leading to tears and a sense of connection with the protagonist. While some praise the beautiful storytelling and atmospheric music that enhance the emotional journey, others criticize the writing as overly simplistic or heavy-handed. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to evoke strong feelings, despite mixed opinions on the narrative quality.
- “A beautiful and emotional short story.”
- “This game almost made me cry.”
- “It's beautiful, fun, touching, etc. and I connect to it; I feel alone and like a void myself.”
- “Boring story.”
- “It's kind of like they wanted to make a platformer that incorporated the whole painting technique and then they just kind of came up with some boring storyline just so you would feel like you had a reason to run through these levels.”
humor
15 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it clever and entertaining, particularly through the physics interactions and developer commentary during replay. While the narrator's delivery lacks comedic flair, the game's quirky mechanics and secret language add a layer of humor that appeals to a more mature audience. Overall, the humor is described as slightly funny but can also veer into the absurd or dated, depending on the player's perspective.
- “The physics corrects itself very fast though, and it's hilarious to watch, so I can't complain.”
- “You can play through story mode again and this time there are funny comments from the developer and interesting insights into the game concepts.”
- “Very beautiful platform game; very original concept and the droll, pontificating voice over adds a very funny touch.”
replayability
11 mentions
36 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mix of replayability, with many players appreciating the ability to explore different story paths and tackle bonus levels after completing the main story. While some find the replay value limited, others highlight features like hard modes and unique challenges that enhance the experience, making it appealing for those who enjoy puzzles and seeking new challenges. The addition of special modes and unlockable content further contributes to its replayability, ensuring players have reasons to return.
- “There's a lot of replayability in this, finding new ways to navigate through the story and even bonus levels at the end when you have completed the main story, so I would say it's definitely worth the price.”
- “After beating this mode, you will unlock a special 'secret language' bonus which gives the game brand new replayability and a chance to enjoy something untraditional and funny.”
- “However, I cannot see any replay value.”
- “Void mode provides some replay value to Nihilumbra, and the puzzles range from a worthy challenge to a bit vague.”
- “While the game itself is not that long, it does have a fair amount of replayability as well as a sort of hard mode to challenge yourself further.”
grinding
11 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is marked by a significant level of tedium, with many players finding the execution of puzzle solutions and chase sequences frustratingly repetitive. While some puzzles are interesting, the reliance on speed and coordination over creative thinking contributes to a sense of monotony, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing. Overall, the game's design choices have resulted in a grinding experience that detracts from enjoyment.
- “I'll be honest, hardcore platformers are not my genre at all so maybe this is just a mismatch of taste to game experience, but I think the thing I found so frustrating was that, while the puzzles in void mode are interesting and challenging, the execution of the puzzle solutions is mind-blowingly tedious.”
- “It didn't just get more challenging - it got tedious.”
- “I understand that the increased difficulty is the point of the mode, but for me, it was less 'this is challenging and I wish to continue' and more 'this is incredibly tedious'.”
stability
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
-20 % neutral mentions
90 % negative mentions
Overall, the stability of the game is mixed, with some players reporting minor bugs and glitches, particularly related to character movement and environmental interactions. However, several reviews highlight a lack of major performance issues or significant glitches, suggesting that while the game may not be flawless, it is generally more stable than many AAA titles. The consensus indicates that while there are some clunky elements, the game is playable and does not suffer from severe stability problems.
- “No bugs, no glitches, no frustrating impossible moments-- the only thing slowing you down is how fast you can think!”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience.”
- “I appreciate the consistent performance; it feels solid and reliable throughout my playtime.”
- “To be fair to the devs, they have at the very least created something that passes the absolute bare minimum of calling it a game, and it is at least less buggy than most AAA games these days, but a good game it is not.”
- “Clunky and buggy.”
- “What could have been a thrilling challenge is ruined by glitches and buggy content that is far more difficult to overcome than any mental obstacle that can be put in front of you.”
optimization
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a mixed experience with optimization; while some note no performance issues or glitches, others express frustration with unoptimized controls that hinder gameplay and timing. Additionally, the quality of the script affects the overall experience, suggesting that optimization extends beyond technical performance to include gameplay mechanics.
- “No performance issues or glitches at all.”
- “I do not know whether that is caused by the script or the performance itself.”
- “Without optimized controls for my muscle memory to improve my in-game timing of jumps, etc., the maps became more frustrating than fun.”
character development
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its delightful design and integration with atmospheric music, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. Reviewers highlight the stunning artwork and character designs as standout features that enhance the storytelling.
- “The artwork, character designs, music, and the story are all very wonderful and gorgeous.”
- “My final opinion upon this game is that it is a must buy; I have such a fun time and enjoy the enemy and character design.”
- “Delightful character design and atmospheric music.”