Nix Umbra review: 2021’s scariest and most enigmatic game

You can see a sword floating in the distance, calling from the blackness of the void. The sword sings as a hymn when you approach it; its radiant light is like a sun. In thick, gothic typeface the game tells you, “Light is my Sword, Darkness shall perish.” You collect the blade and there’s a blinding flash of white light as you’re thrown directly into Nix Umbra’s monochromatic hellscape.

In the very first seconds of your new life, you will feel it. Nix Umbra run are all too quiet. Your sword’s faint melodies are instantly overpowered by the dreadful hum of a cursed wood. The faint aura around your weapon allows you to see a little further ahead of you, even though you are unable to read the darkness. A flashing beam of light is created by raising the sword, which illuminates all night creatures. This action drains your energy, and you will see the solar icon in the lower right corner of the screen. Once the sword is exhausted, so are you — the game ends. “Memento Mori,” the death screen tells you. This is the end of life. There is only one question: Can you live for this long? And are you ready to make another attempt?

You will be able to run the first couple of runs. Nix Umbra They are likely to be gone for less than one minute. The death process is swift and sometimes unexpected. Your goal is to live as long and as comfortably as possible while crawling along the streets, avoiding attackers who seek to take you down. The typical rhythm of any one run is bouncy — a minute or so of relative solitude, fumbling in the inky darkness, and then suddenly an overwhelming sensory onslaught that’s likely to end things then and there. After dying, you’re given a score and a position on the online leaderboard based on how long you lasted. You can also, once you’ve played enough, unlock other monochrome color schemes (changing things from default black and white to eerie green or ghostly blue).

Image: ilzard via Polygon

While many horror games are set in the dark, few remain so for long. Most games, no matter how opaque, will slowly bring you into the light, introducing mechanics, and providing context and other information. There’ll be tutorials, tooltips, codexes, and an easily accessible wiki page. However, Nix UmbraIt thrives even in darkness. As in the beginning stages of life. FromSoftware, the game feels completely unintelligible. Are you there? What are your responsibilities? What does it take to make this all work? This is how it works. Nix UmbraThings never get any easier.

Description Nix Umbra feels a bit like trying to capture the essence of horror itself — tricky, if not altogether impossible. Its closest cousin in terms of mechanics and genre is probably 2014’s cult classic Devil DaggersThe second lo-fi, endlessly-running, first-person shooter game is titled “The Other One”. It features demonic sensibilities, a blood-curdling soundtrack, and another, unfinished, open-world, single-player mode. It also feels reminiscent of several cult horror films — Häxan, The Seventh SealYou can even get it! An English FieldAll three are monochromatic and all deal with witchcraft and death.

It is important to be aware of the following: Nix UmbraIt is often quite frightening and eerie. My hair stands on end when I play it, and my bones feel tingly. It also makes my skin turn into goose pimples. Its mysterious forest hides dangers that are primordial. You will see aporous forms flitting at your eyes, darting among indistinct rocks and trees. It’s a game of sensory deprivation. Limited vision means you’re literally unable to see the forest for the trees. It’s so dark that you’ll often back up into a trunk, setting the tree ablaze, which drains a chunk of your hit points, but also offers a temporary safe haven.

Image: ilzard

Extreme darkness forces you to hone in on the woods’ distinctly cursed sounds. The forest’s primal thuds and rumbling white noise gives way to various stalking presences. Floating skulls shriek, birds dive bomb, and spindly spiders — beady eyes tracking you from the tree line — eventually scuttle forward accompanied by the sound of nails on chalkboard. As you age, these sounds will intensify until they reach a frightening crescendo.

In keeping with the game’s opaque nature, the function of most items is a complete mystery. Look for a floating rose among the wooded trees. If you stare at it enough, your vision changes into a multicolored pattern. Picking mushrooms from the forest floor will not only make the screen look bad, but it also increases your speed. You’ll be able to beat the shadows. You can find little crystals that will power up your sun icon and allow you to upgrade it: boots, ring, fairy, or frog. Don’t expect to be told what any of these do beforehand. Sometimes, for reasons still unknown, you’ll be caught in the gravity of some horrific presence, and lifted up toward the sky, ascending through a ring of praying skeletons. In another strange moment, the entire world can be turned upside down in a bizarre out-of-body experience — suddenly you’re forced to play the rest of the game staring up at the ground and down at the sky.

After fourteen minutes, the whole forest shakes. I still don’t know what any of this really means, or what many of the game’s constituent parts do. Despite the fact it features high scores and online leaderboards, the idea of any mechanical efficiency or an “optimal” run seems like an alien concept. I’m not sure if anyone but Nix Umbra’s solo developer really knows how all of it works. In this respect, it’s as close as a game can get to being a genuine occult artifact.

Image: ilzard

There’s a powerful allure to this kind of obfuscation. My fondest gaming memories are those that involve trying to comprehend systems and worlds. Nix Umbra isn’t difficult — combat is won via a swift, singular button press. It is difficult because its world and monsters are confusing. The ultimate meaning of the game, if any, is hidden behind thick veils. We often see games that focus on strange and dark places. All the mystery and weirdness is quickly erased by overexplained structures. The enigma is often just an attractive wrapper. This is what it feels like Nix UmbraThis spirit refuses being pinned down and overly structured in any way. Its occult abilities are not allowed to fade under harsh lighting, but they can thrive in darkness.

Nix UmbraIt is clear that horror can only be understood when it remains elusive. It is like cosmic horror in that it can be as vague as a dream and nearly impossible to pinpoint. It is a game you can play. Nix UmbraIt’s as close to being numinous as you can get with video games. You just have to survive for a few moments at a stretch and try to solve its mysteries. It feels as though there’s some deep, phantasmal truth lying just out of reach, perhaps at the edge of the tree line, or somewhere in the forest’s shadowy margins. One more run and surely I’ll be able to reach out and touch whatever that is?

Nix Umbra Windows PC was made available for download on November 19. The pre-release download code from ilzard was used to review the game on Windows PC. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions for products bought via affiliate links. Here are some links to help you find. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.