Nihilumbra

Nihilumbra is a beautiful, haunting, if not altogether philosophically poignant, romp through a world fully realized through a masterful marriage of gameplay and presentation.

Nihilumbra is the kind of game that many will look over because they think they've played things like it hundreds of times before. It's not.

The more traditional dynamics related to platforms and puzzles take on a different perspective at Nihilumbra than what we are used to. A recommendable proposal that, in spite of the fact that the years weigh on the audiovisual section, will make us spend some very pleasant hours.

All in all, Nihilumbra is a fun platformer, which allows for those who are new to puzzle games and those who are well versed in them to enjoy the game equally. With the creative and unique elements that are used in each puzzle, it is definitely a nice game for its price.

Playing out as puzzle platformer, Nihilumbra is all about making use of a variety of abilities you’ll acquire as you move through each world to survive a variety of scenarios and try to escape the ominous Void...

From the gorgeous settings, to the wonderful narrative development, and the smart implementation of sharp puzzle elements, Nihiliumbra is an absolute joy to play.

Nihilumbra has finally released after a delay of almost one year due to technical issues with the Wii U port, and it was worth the wait. The game tells the story of Born, a blob that wants to escape from the void to the world, but there is a problem: the void wants you back. What makes the story more interesting is that a voice will be narrating the story, helping you to progress while including a few elements that make the story stronger.

Nihilumbra does a perfect job at creating a nihilistic setting which will plunge the player in a gloomy, depressive spiral. Its visual and sound environments fit the game's plot without any flaws and the initial difficulty level allows the player to finish the plot-driven part of the game without problems. Things get more complicated once the player reaches the following segment, where the difficulty level hikes dramatically and the whole experience becomes much harder.

Nihilumbra is such an exquisite game to look at, that it's disheartening to see such lovely artwork was wasted on an experience that only manages to dull the senses.

Overall, I was very pleased with Nihilumbra. Though it does run a bit on the short side, the replay value to be found in Void Mode certainly improves matters. The visual and audio side of things was competent, serving to fit the story and gameplay well, but weren’t exactly mind blowing. Luckily, the gameplay itself was enjoyable and constantly challenging, but without ever making me want to smash my head against a wall. I would recommend this to any fan of puzzle games who hasn’t played it yet, or to hardcore Nintendo enthusiasts. Born’s journey is one worth experiencing.