Nihilumbra

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February 2016

In Nihilumbra you play as an amorphous blob that assumes the shape of a scarecrow for the duration of the game. It's a 2D sidescroller with some emphasis on both platforming and puzzle solving. Throughout the game you gain abilities that can be used to navigate the environment and avoid obstacles. It's not an open world game, meaning that you get the abilities in a set sequence and solve various puzzles only when you are supposed to.

There is a narrator speaking to you in virtually every screen of the game. Most of his remarks center around nihilism and the seeming meaninglessness of existence. I assume a person is supposed to explore these issues as they play the game, but that wasn't really the case for me. However, there were a few lines here and there that got me thinking about things.

The gameplay itself is fairly well done. You use the touch screen to switch between special powers by selecting an icon and then selecting the power, and I found this to be cumbersome. However, part way through the game I discovered you can switch powers simply by pressing the L or R buttons, which was a great alternative to the touch controls. I thought the puzzle difficulty progressed at a reasonable rate and some of the puzzles offered a fun experience.

I can enjoy a good puzzle game but they aren't really my cup of tea. For me this game was mechanically well made but kind of standard overall. I give props to the developers for trying something new and think they could go on the create a more ambitious game once they get more resources.

	Did you ever realize that no one could understand these words at the moment of their birth - the one time it could be accurately said? Man, the universe is so meaningless . . . WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!	In other words, they're checkpoints.
The darkness chases you sometimes, just like crushing depression and isolation chases all of us. I guess.	Pretty cool snow effects.	Early in the game you come across a scarecrow and assume it's form. I thought this was somewhat analogous to how some people believe all people have spirits and assume bodies for the duration of their life, but that their spirit lives on after death. The choice of a scarecrow for a body seems interesting, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
	You are bad. Feel guilty!
		The darkness consumes all!
		That orb in the top right is the currently equipped special power. As an example, brown makes surfaces sticky, so you could slow yourself down or glue an enemy to the ground.
		Death will find you. You will die some day. Feel better?!
An unjumpable wall. Oh! Put brown on the wall to stick to it, and green on the floor to bounce high since you jumped from high up on the wall! It sounds complex, but it isn't really. You can combine different powers for unique results, such as being able to scale any wall.
	Late in the game you can connect various components to activate electronics. I thought this was one of the weaker powers as it could only be used in very specific ways.
Just accept the meaningless of existence, everybody!	A lovely, happy-go-lucky wonderland.