One of the best ways to know how well a story is written is when it drags you in and become emotionally attached to a character or plot within it. Nihilumbra has that story and character as the tutorial just had me in tears as I had flashbacks in all the most negative ways. The more and more I played the more and more I was dragged into the depths of depression as I tried all that I could to to enjoy the game. I completed as much as I could after the tutorial but I couldn’t go any further. I closed the game and tried to calm my nerves. Coffee, cigarettes, talking to family, all of this couldn’t get me out of this funk I’m in, so I’m carrying on as I write this review.
The Good:
The story, the story, the story. What else can be said about a silent protagonist that escapes “The Void” only to be tracked down by monsters that want to make the hero a part of “The Void” yet again? Nothing, but what really makes the story come to life is the narrator. The disembodied voice, helps out when needed but in between moments of usefulness, he decides to rip into you verbally. It adds a new wrinkle in the game, as you have assistance, yet you have this sense of someone giving you the middle finger while your the only one there.
The artwork done on the game is by far the best I’ve ever seen. With the unique monsters and the lead character itself (Him, Her?! The hell if I know.) looking like nothing I’ve never seen before.
The game gives you colors as your power ups. Blue makes the ground covered in ice, as green allows you to bounce higher after leaping off a high perch. These powers are so balanced that there’s not one that’s overpowered, and you will catch yourself using all the powers through the game. You use the mouse scroll wheel to quickly switch between the acquired powers and you move with WASD keys so for those FPS players that want a game that they don’t have to relearn the controles, this is for you!
The Bad and The Ugly:
This game is the first form of entertainment that actually made me cry, due to the story hitting too close to home. I might be reaching far, but the best part of the game might also be a downfall about it. I might not have been in the right mindset to take on such a emotional role, but it had to be done.
The minor thing that was such was that when the voice over started and you went on to the next screen, you would have to kill yourself somehow to go back and listen to it all over again.
Overall it was a awesome game, but I wouldn’t recommend it to gamers who had a tough, personal issue in the past.
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Nihilumbra is now available on PC, Linux, and Mac, buy directly from official website to get both a Desura and Steam key for the game. You can also play on the go by downloading it on any of your iOS devices. This review is based off the gaming experience on PC so gameplay might be different on your mobile devices.