The End Is Nigh

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 72 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 72
  3. Negative: 11 out of 72

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  1. TitaniumDragon
    Oct 18, 2017
    7
    The End Is Nigh is a very difficult platforming game made by the same guy who made Super Meat Boy and the Binding of Isaac. The game’s aesthetic is more reminiscent of the latter, while the gameplay is heavily reminiscent of the former.

    A highly difficult platforming game, you play as Ash, a black blob with one good eye. He can run, jump, swim, and do a sort of butt slam attack into the    The End Is Nigh is a very difficult platforming game made by the same guy who made Super Meat Boy and the Binding of Isaac. The game’s aesthetic is more reminiscent of the latter, while the gameplay is heavily reminiscent of the former.

    A highly difficult platforming game, you play as Ash, a black blob with one good eye. He can run, jump, swim, and do a sort of butt slam attack into the ground that accelerates his rate of downward motion and can smash through breakable ground. He can also hang off of ledges and do a longer horizontal jump while doing so that will also smash through breakable sections of wall.

    The game starts with Ash playing a nigh-impossible retro-platforming game. Given the great difficulty, the player is very likely to die… and the moment they do so, the game glitches out and breaks, and Ash goes out into the world to make a new friend now that his video game cartridge is busted. The world is a post-apocalyptic hellscape, rendered in the style of a place full of tumors and black blobby enemies and spikes.

    You can’t kill enemies in this game; indeed, contact with any black blob enemy will instantly kill you. There are some enemies – signified by having white skulls – that you can jump on the heads of to propel yourself up into the air. The game is mostly about environmental challenges, though, and avoiding the enemies – springs, spikes, collapsing buildings, and similar challenges are the barrier between you and getting to the next screen. There are sections of the game where you swim around, including in boiling water that will kill you within a few seconds, so you have to get out of it quickly.

    The game’s mechanics are on the whole simple and relatively straightforward. Your challenge on every screen is to make it out onto the next screen; there are optional challenges, in the form of both harder-to-reach tumors sitting around in mostly-obvious spots in the levels, where the challenge is to get to them, and secret side areas, which are hidden off of the main path and which contain mega-tumors (5 tumors) or game cartridges at the ends of them. These paths are much harder than the main path, and the paths which conceal later game cartridges are amongst the most difficult parts of the game.

    The game cartridges are an alternative collectable that allows you to play a “retro” style game, pixel graphics, where you must navigate through levels which are even harder than the main game. These, too, award you with tumors for completing them. Unlike the main game, many of these also have limited lives, meaning you only can fail 20 times before you are kicked out and have to start over on the minigame (and you must fail fewer than 10 times to get a bonus tumor).

    While the main portion of the first half of the game does not have limited lives, in the second half of the game, the player’s tumors become extra lives, refreshed every time the player reaches a checkpoint – once every 20 levels or so. Because the second half of the game is much harder, this greatly encourages the player to collect those tumors, and the final level of the game subtracts a whopping 450 tumors from your total (out of only about 500 or so in the whole game), making the final section of the game much more difficult to complete without getting kicked back to the start of the area.

    Unfortunately, this game feels like a less good version of Super Meat Boy – but ironically, not directly in terms of gameplay. Ash plays differently from Meat Boy, but he works well and the levels are, on the whole, interesting to complete.

    The biggest problem is the level select and the collectables. The levels are almost all linear, but you can only go to the first of 20 levels in an area, and then push your way back through all the others in that area if you want to collect a missed collectable. This strongly encourages the player to collect every collectable on the first time through an area, or else forces them to tediously re-complete the area while searching for them.

    The other problem is that the game has very little in the way of a sense of progression. There’s only a handful of cut scenes, rather than the one after every section of levels that you saw in Super Meat Boy, and beating one area just leads onto another, harder area, rather than any sense of reward. This gives the game a feeling of monotony; what are you accomplishing here? Nothing, really. And the second half is even worse because there is no clear goal – you just go out and do platforming sections. While this doesn’t seem like it should matter, it somehow does, and it diminishes the game as an experience having no real sense of progress or a meaningful goal.

    Not being as good as Super Meat Boy doesn’t make it bad, and indeed, I had fun with it overall. But this is definitely not a game for everyone.    … Expand
  2. Promotheus
    Aug 9, 2017
    6
    I like the game, I'd rate it a 3/5 so a 6 is not meant to be an inflated IGN-type scoring where everything below 8 is garbage. The platforming is spot on, once you get used to the controls they feel very intuitive and fluid. The game obviously is very similar to Super Meat Boy, but I think I prefer tEiN, for one you can't hold on to any wall which I think makes the platforming here moreI like the game, I'd rate it a 3/5 so a 6 is not meant to be an inflated IGN-type scoring where everything below 8 is garbage. The platforming is spot on, once you get used to the controls they feel very intuitive and fluid. The game obviously is very similar to Super Meat Boy, but I think I prefer tEiN, for one you can't hold on to any wall which I think makes the platforming here more interesting. You can only grab onto ledges and certain hooks which is a better way to go in my opinion.

    The vector graphics look remarkably nice and fluid in hi-def. The post-apocalyptic theme is very nicely executed and has a lot of appeal and charm. I'm torn on the music. The pieces that work are really good and you don't even recognize them as primarily remixed classical tunes. Some pieces though tend to get very repetitive and/or very out of tune with the theme for the world, to jolly for example. So I found myself turning off the music from time to time.

    If you are more of a casual gamer you probably wont like this one though The game is incredibly hard and you are intended to die many times. Even though this is intended game design I also think it is questionable, because the valuing of lives is so engrained in me having played platformers since the NES days. Grinding the stages and getting better at them is rewarding, particularily when it comes to the even harder cartridge stages, but it definitely comes at the price of a big chunk of frustration.

    The PR campaign for the game promised a more adventure game-style as opposed to the arcade SMB one, but the game certainly falls short there. A more metroidvania approach would've been cool here with upgrades and stuff, even SMB had characters that behaved differently. One of my absolute faves is The Binding of Isaac, and getting items and stuff would've been cool here I think (and I'm not saying this out of the blue, the developers promised a mix of tBoI in the game as well).    … Expand
  3. diego24star
    Dec 16, 2018
    10
    The BEST platform game i ever play. Very hard, enjoyable , with good mecanics a very nice esthetic and a lot of cool enemies. Hide masterpice
  4. Bloodfire
    Jul 15, 2017
    10
    Not sure what I expected from the meat boy follow up but when I first launched it I was extremely skeptical about the quality of the game after the first minutes of the game has the main character almost burst an eardrum by screaming f****** at the top of his lungs and then the main character seemingly having fewer abilities than meat boy. Don't be fooled by those first moments. The gameNot sure what I expected from the meat boy follow up but when I first launched it I was extremely skeptical about the quality of the game after the first minutes of the game has the main character almost burst an eardrum by screaming f****** at the top of his lungs and then the main character seemingly having fewer abilities than meat boy. Don't be fooled by those first moments. The game uses a Metroid style layout with hidden paths and collectibles. the game is brutally hard yet very technically sound. Love you Ed.… Expand
  5. Dancarnate
    Jul 12, 2017
    10
    This game is amazing, well worth the money. This game introduces the mechanics in a way that are easy to grasp and then brutally tests your abilities to execute them. The graphics are gorgeous and the lighting especially in the Hollows is awe inspiring. This game is so good I actually created a metacritic login just to make sure I gave this game the justice it deserves.
  6. Broyax
    Oct 5, 2019
    0
    Une fois n'est pas coutume, je commencerai par une note positive : l'intro de cet ersatz de "jeu" (toujours entre guillemets les jeux qui n'en sont pas, c'est la règle) est assez drolatique bien qu'en anglais comme tout le reste... mais on comprend aisément de quoi il retourne, notamment ce cri du coeur !

    Pour le reste, non les restes, car cet indé foireux de crevard n'est qu'un    Une fois n'est pas coutume, je commencerai par une note positive : l'intro de cet ersatz de "jeu" (toujours entre guillemets les jeux qui n'en sont pas, c'est la règle) est assez drolatique bien qu'en anglais comme tout le reste... mais on comprend aisément de quoi il retourne, notamment ce cri du coeur !

    Pour le reste, non les restes, car cet indé foireux de crevard n'est qu'un assemblage de déchets récupérés à la déchèterie (car ce genre de daube n'est même pas recyclable) pour les restes donc, il s'agit d'un étron indé archi-classique : plate-forme 2D en... 2 couleurs, noir, blanc... et même trois avec le gris, mélange des deux premières ! donc techniquement, 2 couleurs seulement ! quel... euh... "talent".

    On saute donc avec son espèce de blob informe et on s'aperçoit que l'espèce de "jeu" est extrêmement punitif : c'est ainsi que les indés merdeux tentent de se racheter une légitimité, à savoir la difficulté ! comme si on allait perdre son temps avec "ça". Mais cela peut avoir son attrait pour les jeunes joueurs autistes ou les jeunes adultes désoeuvrés en manque de repères.

    Quoi qu'il en soit, la fin est proche pour toi, petit indé misérable ! les jeux-cloportes de ton genre n'ont qu'une seule fin possible : dans le broyeur !    … Expand
  7. BananaLuiz
    Jul 31, 2017
    8
    Interesting, a funny game with a good gameplay, good soundtrack and graphic style, challenging and engaging, the game will hold you for hours until you finish it
  8. Pardoow
    Sep 22, 2019
    7
    If it wasn’t so super meat boy inspired, I would have like it better. Still a solid indie game
  9. Weener
    Jan 18, 2022
    0
    Not fun whatsoever. Terrible progression system. If you miss like one collectible you have to play the entire world again. Trial and error BS is what Edmund's best at, so if you like that, you'll like this.
  10. Soullex
    Dec 9, 2022
    5
    Farklı bir hikaye anlatmaya çalışsa da, mobil oyun gibi....................
  11. Tromble
    Jun 29, 2021
    8
    The End is Nigh is the game I wanted when I first played Super Meat Boy.

    I would highly recommend The End is Nigh.
  12. Reniachii
    Mar 4, 2022
    10
    My favorite platformer of all time. The mechanics are simple, and the level design is magnificent. it is quite exhausting going for the 100% (mainly because of the carts) but other than that, this game is awesome.
  13. Sylvy
    Dec 28, 2022
    10
    One of the best games I've played! The music is absolutely incredible, the controls are solid, the art is amazing, I cant get enough of it! I want more! It's so good I changed my steam pfp to ash (the main character) after beating it, and it hasn't changed since! Would highly highly HIGHLY recommend to anyone who loves challenging platformers!
  14. mfdez57
    Jul 18, 2023
    10
    This game is simply spectacular! It is a platform game in which you will have to progress through different levels. What makes this game special is its high difficulty: the main levels are difficult, but the future levels and video games are extremely difficult. I consider it better than Super Meat Boy, another game by the same creator, Edmund Mcmillen, because its mechanics work better.This game is simply spectacular! It is a platform game in which you will have to progress through different levels. What makes this game special is its high difficulty: the main levels are difficult, but the future levels and video games are extremely difficult. I consider it better than Super Meat Boy, another game by the same creator, Edmund Mcmillen, because its mechanics work better. There are actually few mechanics, which makes it a very simple game, however, it keeps being great.

    Also, the soundtrack, which is made up of remixes of classical music, is excellent.    … Expand
  15. Darneckr
    Jul 6, 2023
    10
    Este videojuego son una de las mejores joyas oculta del creador de isaac y super meat boy, la dificultad, el arte y sobretodo el soundtrack hace tan maraviloso este juego.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2017
87
#87 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Cubed3
    Feb 5, 2018
    80
    Anyone who enjoyed Super Meat Boy is likely to have a good time with The End is Nigh. Both games are very similar, with the latter being a somewhat more mature and thought-provoking platformer. Ed McMillen knows how to make his games hard and addictive and that has not changed here. Sometimes the unrelenting challenge can lead to fatigue, yet at the same time that sensation of being worn out and battered is extremely fitting considering the portentous atmosphere in the later sections. There really is no other talent like McMillen working in the industry. The man crafts simple and easy to pick up games that are extremely difficult, yet at the same time combine sardonic wit, dark humour, and a foreboding solemness.
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  2. CD-Action
    Oct 30, 2017
    90
    A frustratingly difficult game that I couldn’t get enough of. [10/2017, p.59]
  3. PlayGround.ru
    Aug 23, 2017
    85
    This game will not become the new Super Meat Boy, but it is an excellent hardcore platformer you will love through hate.
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