Nimbus

About

Nimbus is a single player racing game. It was developed by Noumenon Games and was released on October 25, 2010. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Nimbus" is a single-player platformer game with ingenious mechanics, good graphics, and a masterful soundtrack. Players control a craft in levels filled with obstacles, racing to reach the goal while solving puzzles to acquire thrust. The game features over 50 levels, unique gameplay, and opportunities for optimization and secret discovery, with additional trails, levels, and ships to unlock.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Nimbus features great momentum-based movement and clever level design, making it a fun and engaging puzzle game.
The game is highly replayable, with a good mix of casual play and challenging optional goals, including time attacks and hidden collectibles.
It has a charming aesthetic and a delightful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.

The control scheme can be frustrating, particularly with relative controls that may confuse new players.
Some levels are excessively difficult, which can lead to frustration, especially for those aiming for completionist goals.
The game suffers from technical issues, such as performance inconsistencies based on hardware, which can affect gameplay.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The gameplay of Nimbus is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, which include a unique glide and momentum-based platforming system that encourages precision and skill. Players appreciate the varied level design and the gradual introduction of new mechanics, making the game both challenging and addictive. While the overall polish and charming aesthetics enhance the experience, some players feel that the core mechanics may lack depth for long-term engagement.
- “Nimbus gets a lot of mileage out of its simple game mechanics.”
- “The glide mechanic gives a pleasant, relaxing slow down at the apex of your trajectory, before you drop, dive and attempt to keep your momentum, avoiding collisions on the way.”
- “Absolutely lovable and earworm-worthy synth music; bright, effective and personal graphics, and instantly-easy-to-learn but absolutely-impossible-to-master mechanics.”
- “However, because, in my opinion, there's not too much to these core mechanics of the game, I started to lose interest after a couple of hours.”
- “Lowering your resolution and turning off graphical effects can help with this on some of the levels, but these are not adjustments you should be forced to make to fix a gameplay issue.”
- “Another is it's a fair bit more puzzle-y and less twitch gameplay.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting the fantastic and catchy soundtrack that complements the gameplay. The combination of pleasant, relaxing tunes and vibrant graphics creates an engaging atmosphere, making it a significant draw for players. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, often described as earworm-worthy and worth the price of admission on its own.
- “Charming music and graphics with solid gameplay has me returning over 5+ years to keep playing and set new records, now my global average is top 100!”
- “This is a surprisingly unique game with a great soundtrack.”
- “Absolutely lovable and earworm-worthy synth music; bright, effective and personal graphics, and instantly-easy-to-learn but absolutely-impossible-to-master mechanics.”
- “The soundtrack on its own is worth getting!”
- “If you're into short bursts (like, 2 minutes) of light, puzzle-ish gameplay with airy graphics and music, it's worth a go.”
- “+environments and music exceedingly reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog.”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
52%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally described as charming and colorful, with a clean aesthetic that complements the gameplay, though they may not be groundbreaking or cutting-edge. While some players appreciate the unique art style and pleasant visuals, others note that the graphics feel reminiscent of retro console games and are somewhat average. Overall, the visuals are considered effective and fitting for the game's lighthearted nature, enhancing the overall experience without being overly distracting.
- “Charming music and graphics with solid gameplay has me returning over 5+ years to keep playing and set new records, now my global average is top 100!”
- “This is a really unique platformer with a beautiful art style and clever puzzles that is absolutely worth a try.”
- “Absolutely lovable and earworm-worthy synth music; bright, effective and personal graphics, and instantly-easy-to-learn but absolutely-impossible-to-master mechanics.”
- “While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting edge graphics.”
- “Lowering your resolution and turning off graphical effects can help with this on some of the levels, but these are not adjustments you should be forced to make to fix a gameplay issue.”
- “This can be avoided to a degree by reducing graphical settings and resolution to the lowest possible, but you really need a capable enough computer if you want to compete.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game offers strong replayability due to its numerous levels, global time rankings, and hidden secrets that encourage players to optimize their runs and collect items. While the main campaign is relatively short, the challenge of unlocking additional content and achieving high scores keeps players engaged. However, the appeal of replaying may vary depending on individual interest in collectibles and cosmetic upgrades.
- “That gives the levels a lot of replay value, and while I didn't intend to chase after good times when I started playing, I eventually found myself getting sucked into trying to find optimal routes through each stage and complete clean runs.”
- “It has good replayability because of global time rankings for each level and has a lot of secret levels that are difficult to unlock and keep it challenging.”
- “Great length (numerous worlds and levels) and replayability (you will want to find every secret level and collect everything like in classic gaming)!”
- “Main campaign will take you about 2 hours to beat, but the replay value in the levels is trying to get the hidden coins.”
- “Replay value: b, you can easily get some of the bonus unlocks your first playthrough, the bonus tokens are very simple in the early levels, and the unlockable cosmetic modifications to your ship are fun, but it isn't going to bring you back if you aren't into that kind of thing.”
- “Great length (numerous worlds and levels) and replayability (you will want to find every secret level and collect everything like in classic gaming!”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's story has not resonated well with players, leading to a lack of interest, which some attribute to its platform choice. While the narrative may not be compelling, the game offers challenging levels post-story that can enhance the experience, and its 2.5D aesthetic draws comparisons to other beloved titles like Yoshi's Story.
- “The story, world, solo immersion, multiplayer depth, overall idea...”
- “Hardly a success story; gamers just weren't all that interested in the game, which goes back to my point about this simply being on the wrong platform.”
- “This isn't bad though, as there are plenty of hard levels to play after the main story is beaten.”
- “The 2.5D cutesy affair really reminds me of Yoshi's Story, which is another game worth playing.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising the impressive graphics and visuals, while others report performance issues and subpar porting that affect gameplay. Additionally, the physics engine has been noted as both a highlight and a source of frustration, indicating a need for further refinement. Overall, while the artistic elements are well-received, the technical execution leaves room for improvement.
- “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth graphics and performance even on lower-end systems.”
- “I was impressed by how well the game runs; the developers clearly put a lot of effort into optimizing the physics and visuals.”
- “The attention to detail in optimization really enhances the overall experience, making the gameplay fluid and enjoyable.”
- “The graphics are stunning, but the performance is severely lacking, making it hard to enjoy the visuals.”
- “The game feels like a poorly optimized port; it struggles to maintain a steady frame rate even on high-end hardware.”
- “While the art style is impressive, the physics engine seems to be poorly optimized, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its lack of stability, with users describing it as "buggy" and expressing significant frustration with its performance.
- “The game is a buggy piece of garbage.”
- “Constant crashes make it unplayable.”
- “Frequent glitches ruin the overall experience.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to frustrating controls and an overwhelming number of levels, especially in the later stages where level design becomes overly complicated.
- “The controls can be frustrating, and the sheer amount of levels gets tedious after a while.”
- “Pretty darn good, apart from some slightly overcomplicated and tedious level design late in the game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its polished design and engaging music, creating an inviting environment that encourages players to return frequently.
- “The atmosphere and presentation are polished, and it's the sort of game you can very easily keep coming back to.”
- “Nice design, music, and atmosphere.”