The End Is Nigh

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,341 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The End Is Nigh Game Cover
It's really tough to follow-up Super Meat Boy, but Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel did it nonetheless with a dreary challenging platformer.
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"The End is Nigh" is a challenging platformer game where players control Ash, a deformed being who survived the end of the world. The goal is to navigate through treacherous environments, solve puzzles, and overcome obstacles to reach new areas. With over 600 levels, the game offers a vast and intense experience, pushing the player's skills to the limit in a post-apocalyptic world.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,341 reviews
music430 positive mentions
grinding42 negative mentions
  • The game features tight controls and responsive mechanics, making platforming feel satisfying and fair.
  • The soundtrack is a fantastic collection of remixed classical music that enhances the game's atmosphere.
  • The level design is clever and varied, with numerous secrets and collectibles that encourage exploration.
  • The game can be excessively difficult, especially in the later levels and optional challenges, which may frustrate some players.
  • The ledge-grabbing mechanic can feel inconsistent, leading to unfair deaths and frustrating gameplay moments.
  • The lack of a level select feature forces players to backtrack through entire worlds to collect missed items, which can be tedious.
  • music874 mentions

    The music in "The End is Nigh" has received widespread acclaim for its innovative remixes of classical pieces, primarily composed by Ridiculon, which blend rock and metal elements to create an engaging and atmospheric soundtrack. Many players appreciate how the music enhances the gameplay experience, providing motivation during challenging levels, although some find it repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's unique charm and emotional depth.

    • “The soundtrack is a well-crafted series of arrangements of some iconic classical tracks, and each remix adds its own melodies and riffs to make some songs almost unrecognizable.”
    • “The music fits the game so damned well and elevates it from a great platformer to a genuinely exciting and bombastic experience.”
    • “The end is nigh's OST is comprised of classical music remixed into Ridiculon's crunchy metal style and is absolutely one of the best OSTs I've ever heard in a game, fitting each unique area in interesting ways.”
    • “The copyright free, overused, slightly remixed music ruins the game for me.”
    • “Gameplay good, but dear god, if you don't *love* classical music, do yourself a favor and turn off the soundtrack.”
    • “From the level design to the music, it seems that absolutely no effort was put into making this game.”
  • gameplay523 mentions

    The gameplay of "The End is Nigh" is characterized by its challenging precision platforming, featuring tight controls and a unique ledge-grab mechanic that replaces traditional wall-jumping. While many players appreciate the game's intricate level design and the gradual introduction of new mechanics, some criticize the ledge-grab's inconsistency and the overall difficulty spike, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers a rewarding experience for those who enjoy mastering its mechanics, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its punishing nature and slower pace compared to similar titles like "Super Meat Boy."

    • “The gameplay is pure perfection.”
    • “With tight controls, creative levels, and interesting mechanics, this game never lets you down.”
    • “The gameplay consists of a wide variety of platforming puzzle rooms, tight controls, and the classic humor you know and love from Edmund.”
    • “Replacing wall jumping with the ledge-grab mechanic was a terrible move, mainly because the ledge-grab itself feels terribly inconsistent.”
    • “The ledge-grabbing mechanic - unlike smb's wall sliding - is incredibly unreliable and kind of ruins the game for me.”
    • “The few qualms I have with it is that the game likes to throw new mechanics at you that are sometimes really annoying and show up for that segment of the game only...so sometimes it feels really pointless and frustrating.”
  • graphics266 mentions

    The graphics of "The End is Nigh" have received mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style that combines dark, post-apocalyptic themes with simplistic yet charming visuals. Players appreciate the fluid animations and the atmospheric aesthetic, which complements the gameplay, although some find the graphics occasionally lack polish or clarity, particularly in retro levels. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point of the game, enhancing the challenging platforming experience.

    • “The graphics are incredibly polished and the style is peculiar, inspired, dark and beautiful.”
    • “The visuals are fantastic.”
    • “On top of the great gameplay, this game has a beautifully grim art style with a soundtrack that fits it perfectly.”
    • “The end is nigh is a bland precision platformer with decent (albeit fairly limited and bland) controls, awful visuals, awful music, and awful level design.”
    • “The visuals are mostly just colored stationary/moving shapes; nothing interesting to look at while you're trying to beat the same level for 30 minutes.”
    • “The dark art style overstays its welcome pretty quickly.”
  • story246 mentions

    The story in "The End is Nigh" is often described as minimal and intentionally vague, with many players noting that it is not the main focus of the game. While some appreciate its dark humor and existential themes, others find it lackluster or uninteresting, with a straightforward plot about a blob seeking companionship in a post-apocalyptic world. Overall, the narrative is seen as a backdrop to the challenging platforming gameplay, with hidden lore and collectibles adding depth for those who seek it.

    • “It has a funny and existentially troubling story, the way each world is actually a world and not separated levels is really neat, the secret cartridges are fun to collect and beat, and it's all around amazing!”
    • “The story is simple, your only source of entertainment just broke, now it's time to venture into the apocalypse and make a friend.”
    • “The game tells the story of an alone creature which, after the corruption of its last game cartridge, decides to go outside in order to make a friend and perhaps repopulate the world with said friend.”
    • “For one, the story is a bit lackluster.”
    • “The story is almost non-existent, or at the very least intentionally vague in traditional McMillen fashion: lacking a satisfying payoff for the sometimes insane levels of difficulty pushed through.”
    • “The story wasn't all that compelling and I found myself wanting to skip the cutscenes; this could also be because the platforming is so good.”
  • humor122 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark, irreverent, and existential themes, often juxtaposed with cute and cartoony visuals. Players appreciate the clever writing and comedic elements that provide levity amidst the challenging gameplay, though some find the humor inappropriate or lacking in substance. Overall, the game successfully integrates humor into its narrative and mechanics, appealing to those who enjoy a macabre sense of comedy.

    • “It has a funny and existentially troubling story; the way each world is actually a world and not separated levels is really neat, the secret cartridges are fun to collect and beat, and it's all around amazing!”
    • “The game uses its post-apocalyptic setting to make some seriously funny jokes; the fact that you collect tumors is just one example.”
    • “These moments are often genuinely comedic, and the game's ability to evoke humor within the context of a platformer and without any linguistic crutches is nothing short of inspired.”
  • atmosphere77 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a haunting blend of gloom and dark humor, enhanced by eerie dialogue, a captivating soundtrack of classical music remixes, and striking background art that evokes a sense of exploration in a desolate world. Players appreciate the unique art style and the emotional weight of the environments, which create a compelling backdrop for the challenging gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both immersive and intriguing, drawing players into its morbid yet charming narrative.

    • “It's a nice mysterious, sometimes hopeless feeling atmosphere, that's complemented by the often eerie dialogue, haunting music, and gorgeous background art.”
    • “The atmosphere is bleak yet somewhat optimistic, with the tone being set by a lovely intro and retained by a beautiful art style and soundtrack.”
    • “The game also has a stellar atmosphere, always leaving you intrigued by the morbid yet intriguing environments.”
    • “The atmosphere is rather gloomy, the earth is dead and so are you, probably.”
    • “Areas become more and more stressful, but you keep coming back to them, because you can't let go of this atmosphere of despair.”
    • “The atmosphere is a bit different, though, and my biggest let-down in this game is the super-annoying voice acting which doesn't even seem to fit into the game in any way.”
  • grinding42 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, often overshadowing the challenge it presents. Players report that the level design leads to a frustrating cycle of trial and error rather than skill-based progression, making the pursuit of 100% completion feel like a chore. While some enjoy the grind and precision required, many find it detracts from the overall enjoyment and fluidity of gameplay.

    • “More tedious than challenging.”
    • “The thing that makes this game so fun and challenging is also its downfall - it just gets too hard too quickly, the levels just become not very fun at all just grinding out death after death to learn your way through.”
    • “It's not 'hard', it's unnecessarily tedious, unfortunately.”
  • replayability24 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability, with numerous secret areas, collectibles, and a wealth of content that encourages players to return. Many reviewers highlight the engaging gameplay, tight controls, and a variety of challenges, making it appealing for repeated playthroughs. Overall, players find the game offers a satisfying experience that keeps them coming back for more.

    • “On top of the already-solid game, there are countless secret areas and hidden goodies, allowing for decent replay value.”
    • “There's a ton of levels, challenges, replayability, secrets, easter eggs, roads, themes, and a good soundtrack on top of that!”
    • “An art style similar to The Binding of Isaac without any of the grossout, gore, story, or replayability.”
    • “The replay value is also really high due to the large amount of content this game has with its secrets and cartridges.”
    • “Tight controls, satisfying feeling of completion, and enough replayability to last a while.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting its ability to evoke strong feelings, particularly through its impactful soundtrack and challenging gameplay. The combination of heartwarming storytelling and tight platforming mechanics fosters a sense of motivation and investment, with some players noting that it has even made them cry. However, frustrations with certain design choices, such as unclear hazards and the inclusion of water levels, slightly detract from the overall emotional experience.

    • “Soul-crushing banger, the credits theme made me feel some strong emotions.”
    • “I once said that never a game made me cry so badly as Super Hexagon.”
    • “This heartwarmingly demented exposition leads to an extremely tight platforming gameplay that is not as frantic as its older brother 'Super Meat Boy' (which is a plus in my opinion).”
  • optimization12 mentions

    The game suffers from significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, leading to dropped inputs and frustrating gameplay. While some levels are optimized for speed, the overall demand for high performance in platforming can hinder the experience, especially for players using less powerful systems. Achievements tied to performance may motivate players to improve, but the optimization challenges remain a notable concern.

    • “Some of the carts have certain conditions when beating them to earn extra achievements, which is an incentive for improving performance.”
    • “- Most levels seem to be optimized to be runnable quickly.”
    • “The most glaring issue this game has is performance.”
    • “I frequently experienced performance issues on my laptop which caused inputs to be dropped completely.”
    • “The game demands the highest performance in terms of platforming and skill to beat this game.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a lazy cash grab, leveraging its name to promote a subpar product. Players have expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of microtransactions and the overall gameplay experience, particularly highlighting a poorly designed wall grab mechanic.

    • “Stage 3: microtransactions”
    • “Lazy cash grab using name to promote a less than quality product. The wall grab mechanic is not fun.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game demonstrates strong stability on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance. However, this positive aspect is overshadowed by a general sentiment that the gameplay itself lacks enjoyment.

  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is highlighted by users for its engaging design and writing, contributing to a fun and immersive experience. The fluid controls and well-crafted levels further enhance the overall enjoyment of the characters within the game.

    • “Incredibly fun and fluid controls, great character design, fun writing, and excellent level design and secrets!”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

Buy The End Is Nigh

Play time

8hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
3-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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