Nihilism is the theme of this puzzle-platformer. A game that tries way too hard to be deep and sometimes comes off as goofy as a result. Luckily some solid gameplay is present to keep you playing until the credits roll. Whether or not it's compelling enough to keep you playing after it's initial short running time, I cannot say. Although there is something special here for the rightNihilism is the theme of this puzzle-platformer. A game that tries way too hard to be deep and sometimes comes off as goofy as a result. Luckily some solid gameplay is present to keep you playing until the credits roll. Whether or not it's compelling enough to keep you playing after it's initial short running time, I cannot say. Although there is something special here for the right audience.
Storytelling is a big part of the game. It doesn't get in the way of the gameplay thankfully, but it's an always present aspect of the experience. It's all delivered through narration that presents obvious attempts at philosophical questions. It tackles topics like emptiness, hopelessness, and every persons hunt for a purpose and to feel something inside of them. All potentially compelling themes, but the way they are presented makes it all just feel cheesy. I can still say that I was interested to see how it was all going to play out as the set up of the story was pretty cool. The idea of being chased by an endless void that destroys every place you've been to could have been very symbolic. However here it just kind of feels like pandering to an emo audience. Some of this stuff could have been ripped straight from a "misunderstood" 13 year old's journal.
As far as the gameplay goes, it's a decent ride, but one I didn't find myself wanting to take more than once. It's a breezy experience that makes the standard platforming a little more interesting with it's use of color based powers. Making great use of the Vita's touch-screen capabilities, the game allows you to paint the walls and ground around you with colors that have different abilities. For instance blue will place ice of the ground to help give you momentum, while green acts as a trampoline. There are some nifty puzzles made around the use of these colors that make the short campaign a little more entertaining.
The short length isn't really too much of a problem here as it means the game ends just as the monotony and frustration start to set in. The story mode isn't a difficult at all. It's a breezy experience that you will get through in no time at all. It just serves as a way to tell it's story while introducing you to the mechanics in preparation for the game's real challenge; "Void Mode."
Void mode is all about the gameplay. Twitch puzzles and some actual challenge await you here. This mode actually requires you to use more than one color at a time for it's puzzles. Something the story mode never really does. It's a nice way to extend the length of the package and offer a challenge for those looking for it.
Personally I was done with the game as soon as I completed the story. The gameplay is solid, but not not entertaining enough to make me want to stick around and put myself through some actual challenge. You get an amusing reward for doing so, but I just wasn't up for it. I has seen everything I wanted to by that point. However I do imagine there are plenty of people who will be more than happy to tackle the challenges ahead. The only issues they'll find are that it's still short and swapping colors on the fly isn't as fast as it needs to be.
"Nihilumbra" is a decent experience. One that's short in length and won't bring everyone the bang for their buck that their looking for, but those interested in unique and artsy experiences are likely to find something special with this game. Even if it's far from the deepest story out there. It's worth a look for the right audience and I have to give it credit for making genuinely good use of some of the Vita's unique features.… Expand
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