Originally posted September 6th 2015 on the Seafoam Gaming forums

Thanks to Beautifun games for the review code.

Title: Nihilumbra

System: Wii U (eShop)

Price: $9.99

Release date:

The main game/story

In this puzzle-platformer game, you take control of a dark entity known only as Born. On a quest to escape the mysterious darkness of the void, you must go through five worlds in order to solve the mystery and prove your existence!

Graphics

Nihilumbra uses a nice hand-drawn art style, along with a clean and simple interface on the gamepad, since the game is meant to be primarily played using the touch-screen controller. Each world feels unique thanks to this art style so it’s definitely a treat on a HD television.

Music and Sound:

There’s not much to the music in this game, but there is a lot in terms of voice acting. The Narrator has this ominous voice, warning your character of the dangers ahead in a superb fashion for this kind of story. You can choose to turn him off if you’d prefer to read his text, however.

Gameplay

The main focus of this game is using the Wii U Gamepad screen to change your surroundings in order to help Born reach the end of the level. With five options to choose from depending on the world you are in, it leads to a fun puzzle-solving mechanic, as you may have to focus on making the floor bouncy in one stage only to use the power of ice for a longer jump in the next. It’s a simple idea that’s executed incredibly well in this game, thanks to the atmosphere giving the player the desperation to escape the void, meaning that you can’t just sit and carefully think about the current situation or rush through the adventure. You have to plan out every move while trying hard to escape at the same time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nihilumbra is a rather simple concept with a lot of depth to it, thanks to the different ways you can interact with the environment throughout the game’s many levels. With a decent amount of content for the price tag, along with extra unlockables to find and an engaging story, Nihilumbra is worth a look if you are a fan of puzzle games, as it’s a perfect fit for the Wii U system. I give Nihilumbra an 8 out of 10, and recommend it to any fan of puzzle platformers.