
Nihilumbra is an existentialist platforming-fan's dream, with plenty of puzzles and unsettling presentation to make players feel isolated and challenged by their environment. Though the title's arrival is a tad late on Wii U, it is nonetheless admirable how much life developer Beautifun Games has breathed into this adventure centered around themes of death and darkness.
The story of Nihilumbra is presented unobtrusively through text that appears as players navigate across the landscapes. There is an impressive range of options for the voice that narrates this story, though we found that silencing this voice and reading the text ourselves made for a better experience (luckily this is an option). We follow a strange creature born from the "Void" who escapes his dark world to explore our own while on the run from the same Void which wants desperately to reclaim the part of it that escaped.

As the player clears levels the narrator laments how progressing through each area destroys it, since the void chases us relentlessly. During our journey, we are faced with the idea of our protagonist's own awakening as a living being versus the destruction we bring to our new home by simply existing in it. The themes here are not ever fully explored beyond much of an abstract level, but they do create a very uncomfortable backdrop that fleshes out the atmosphere and gives players an interesting impetus for making progress. Nihilumbra may at times take its protagonist's struggle with the meanings of life and death particularly seriously at times, but this doesn't distract from the methodical yet charming setting.
In most ways Nihilumbra is a standard puzzle-platformer, albeit one with a very grim atmosphere. The only actions our protagonist is capable of include running and jumping, as well as pushing boxes and activating switches. What makes this experience really stand out, however, is the ground physics mechanics. As players encounter a new area, they will find a flower which gives access to a new "color," or ability. This ability is utilized by touching the Wii U Gamepad and "painting" the walls, floors, or ceilings with a particular colour (which can switched between using the shoulder buttons). The first colour we came across was blue, which makes surfaces slippery. Applications for this particular colour include gaining enough momentum to jump a gap, or pushing an otherwise-immobile box.

There are five worlds in total, which means five colours (in addition to an "eraser"), and Beautifun has done a fantastic job of designing puzzles which make great use of all of these. There are sometimes multiple solutions to a puzzle, and often times using the brute force or the easiest thing that comes to mind will not suffice. The puzzles in Nihilumbra are designed to make players think, and they succeed to that end. Unfortunately, the credits roll somewhat abruptly; the positive is that there is more to do, so disappointed is quickly turned around.
The objectives in these latter stages are geared around clearing the world of the Void that our hero is responsible for spreading (accomplished by simply making it to the goal). These stages do not introduce any more colours, but are incredibly challenging (but never unfairly so). This is where the real meat of the game can be found, and where more advanced players can really challenge themselves.
Overall, the controls are tight and easy to pick up, even in situations where drawing and moving at the same time is necessary. There were just a couple of times when we felt that progressing was based on trial and error, which was frustrating, but fortunately these instances were few and far between. There's also a co-op mode that allows one player to simply focus on spreading colours with the GamePad, which is a neat way to share the experience. Additionally, a concept art gallery is gradually populated as players progress, but no guidance is provided for exactly how to unlock these. The art is beautiful to look at, but knowing exactly how to unlock it would help add some concrete replayability to the experience.

Nihilumbra's visuals are exceedingly engrossing. The protagonist's movements, as well as those of enemies, are detailed and charming, and the hand-drawn landscapes and backgrounds are gorgeous. The art style is a delightful mix of creepy and cute, and every single element feels perfectly in place. Though the atmosphere has much to do with the beautifully-directed art, it can also be attributed to the great sound design and music. The tunes are hauntingly pretty and fit every level well, and the sometimes-harsh sound effects of the environment and enemies serve as a sobering contrast to the fragility of our hero. The entire presentation is spot on, which is vital in atmospheric platformers like this.
Conclusion
For the price of entry, it's very easy to recommend Nihilumbra to players looking for a substantial and contemplative experience. The puzzles here are, on the whole, head-scratchers which require quick wits and quicker reflexes, though we did run into a couple of unfair scenarios. Fortunately as players come to grips with the environments, even the later super-hard levels become manageable. Using the GamePad to change the interactivity of surfaces works very well and also makes for a great variety of ways to play with the world. Nihilumbra is a beautiful, haunting, if not altogether philosophically poignant, romp through a world fully realized through a masterful marriage of gameplay and presentation.
Comments 27
You've got to be kidding me. Nihilumbra is nothing but a "me too" kind of game. It wants to be artistic, meaningful, philosophical, clever, but ends being just an utterly mediocre platformer with "been there, done that" kinds of mechanics and generic puzzles. the story also beings promisingly, but it simply goes nowhere. It repeats itself over and over and over.
It's not a bad game, but the very definition of a mediocre game worth 5 or at maximum 6 out of 10. Giving it a 9 undermines your entire rating system and devalues your scores.
I played this on PC a while ago. Very surprised by how good it turned out to be. The main game is fairly short - took me about 2 hours, but for a low price its good if it's what you're looking for.
@KeeperBvK - I think this is why reviews exist - because not everyone happens to share the same opinion of a game.
Sounds good, will pick it up later today, been waiting on this review. Quick question: is it ever necessary to move with the d-pad while painting on the touchscreen? If you see what I mean? I'm left-handed and imagine that could be difficult.
Edit: So, to clarify, is it always the case that you paint on the touchscreen and then move your character?
@luke88 - No, you probably wont need to worry about that most of the time. If you are in a situation where you're trying to get somewhere very quickly (maybe to escape an enemy) then you could just use your right hand, because all you need to do is essentially draw a line.
Great game. I agree with the score. The "main" game is like a training mode for void mode but is fun in spite of that.
@KeeperBvK See, it's because of people like you that reviewers should stop pinning numbers on the articles, and just let the overview/conclusion give the final word.
I think this game is fun, especially as a two-player experience. It's much harder to manage some of the time constraints without a second player. My fiancé really got into it, and I honestly enjoy our arguments about what tactic will work best for whatever obstacle. I get that Void Mode is essentially a more difficult replay of the same game, but it genuinely feels like a continuation to me, as it doesn't just ramp up difficulty but legitimately changes how you perceive each area.
The only complaint I would have - that is, if it weren't so easy to ignore and fitting to the tone and aesthetic - is regarding the somewhat cliché philosophical jargon about the meaning of existence, or whatever. That being so minor, I'd say this is a pretty good game.
A wonder how this could have played even decently on mobile.
Good game. I wouldn't say it is great but it certainly deserves a chance.
@ekreig lol, true dat. Classic Game Room is one of my favourite video reviewers, who simply gives his overall thoughts and feelings about a game, with plenty of cheesy jokes and no numbers out of ten to be found.
Got this on PS+ a few weeks ago. Looking forward to booting it up when I get a chance!
@KeeperBvK Hmm someone didn't read the review.
Sounds interesting. I'll see if I can find some more impressions before making a decision.
@Genesaur He would still disagree with the content of the review and its conclusion, so what does the number have to do with anything? People need to stop trying to use the scoring system as a scapegoat; such complaints will always exist as long as there are opinion pieces.
@ricklongo It was never him disagreeing that was the issue, he outright said " Giving it a 9 undermines your entire rating system and devalues your scores", essentially meaning any opinion that doesn't agree with his own is invalid.
If he read the review instead of just the score he would have found a series of reasons the reviewer liked it so much which might have helped him realise not everyone looks at things the same, instead of just going "9?! NOO!" I think that's roughly what @Genesaur meant.
I am sadly out of space to pick this up, but will get to it once I sort my external storage options.
@PorllM He would just have said that "giving this game a glowing recommendation undermines your entire review system". My point is that the numbers, which are there as a quick "summing-up" of the reviewer's opinion, are not the cause of such behavior.
To clarify the contents of the review, just to avoid any confusion: the real weight of the score is behind the game's well-designed puzzles and integration of the mechanics therein, as well as the beautiful visuals and music, rather than the philosophical themes that run through the game. In addition, we felt the price to content ratio was very favorable. hope this clears up any confusion!
@Geonjaha Great, thanks for the reply, good to know.
@ricklongo Dude, that's what I mean, though. I'd love it if he gave at least slightly more reason than pooping on a number.
To be fair, he accused it of being "me-too," as if you couldn't apply that to any platformer/puzzler. And while as an overall package it's a wonderful experience, there isn't anything super unique about the game's mechanics, so I get where he's coming from. But still, the excessive focus on the number is exactly what bothers me. People define even those differently, too, so conversations (and especially arguments) about them get confusing. Like, the people who act like an 8/10 is a mediocre score. Those effin' guys.
Doom to apple and their crapp store! There are no great games on ios! Mobile games are evil!
Oh wait.
Wow. Me and NL really differ on this game. I found it uninspired, and not much fun at all. I liked the concept, but felt the execution was bad.
5/10 for me
@Genesaur I get where you're coming from, but yeah, to be honest, he did provide gameplay-related reasons instead of simply complaining about the score.
Even though the looks of this are a little fringy, I think I could still get into this game. I wanted it for WiiU after I heard about it like 200 years ago, I'm surprised its out now.
I bought this.
I enjoy the indie offerings on Wii U and will do my part to see them succeed and continue. What's $8-15 a week for a decent indie game?
Some people are going to like this game more than others. I showed this game around and I saw how many different opinions people have on this game.
Some dismiss it entirely, and some others play on and on and buy it for their own Wii U. I wasn't very impressed by the easy 4 hour story mode, but the unlockable void mode (harder game) saved it for me. That's where the game starts to shine with unique and challenging ideas for puzzles and action.
Also on the positive side: the atmosphere that gets across well thanks to great music , sound effects, and 16-bit graphic effects and animation.
Negative: there is a lack of final polish to the technical quality, and man I didn't understand what the story is all about.
I like the sound and feel of this game so will pick this up. Not sure what all the fuss over reviews is about. Everyone is allowed their own opinion on things so trivial as a game review. A review is only there to give more information, not to tell you what you should or should not like/buy. If you need that kind of input into your life, it's time for a rethink.
@GiantBreadbug
You do know that $8 is just the introductory price right? Will you change the score if it shoots up to $15?
This is a great little game. The narrator is a bit creepy at times. I really like the co-operative play as my little girl likes to do the colours while I move the character around. It reminds me of Max and the Magic Marker.
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