Capsule Review: Nihilumbra
An atmospheric 2D puzzle platformer where you paint surfaces different colors to give them different properties - blue makes them slippery, green makes them bouncy, brown makes them sticky, etc. You use these properties to navigate the levels and get past enemies and other obstacles. The puzzles never get that deep (at least in the main story mode) and there’s some learn-by-dying, but the art is beautiful and the player character’s wonder at experiencing the world for the first time is charming. There’s also a challenge mode for those who want harder puzzles; I was satisfied after the normal story mode.
I Stopped Playing When: I finished the story mode. Since I found the atmosphere more appealing than the puzzles, I had little interest in the challenge mode and didn’t bother with it.
Three Stars: Good. I liked the game enough to finish it (or just play it a bunch, for games that don't end). I recommend it to most genre fans.