I am not sure what it is about mech games that fascinate me so much. Is it the large robots, the fast action, the slow action, the dystopian worlds most are set in, What?! Regardless I love them in all sorts of variations from the hardcore sim to arcade fast-paced action. To my surprise, a mech game went completely under my nose with the release of Project Nimbus on PC back in 2017. Now a new Version of Project Nimbus is available on the Nintendo Switch titled Project Nimbus Complete Edition. Now I can make up for missing it the first time around and get the added bonus of playing it on the go!
Story
It is the late 21st century and a great war has ravaged the surface of the Earth making it unsuitable for habitation. To survive, humanity has fled to a number of space elevators that power a number of floating cities. Each of the 3 elevators is controlled by a different faction who are at odds with each other. As a BattleFrame pilot, it is your duty to help protect your faction against hostilities!
Gameplay
Project Nimbus is about as arcadey as it gets when it comes to mech sims! Action is fast paced and built around quick missions. Missions begin with a briefing outlining what is going on and what your objectives are. I loved how the briefings felt like a cross between the ones you see in Call of Duty and Ace Combat! Now to be fair the story here is pretty hard to follow and might get confusing for some. Anyways, you assume the role of either a US lead CFN pilot or a Russian led UCN pilot and are taked with defeated the terrorist organization The Children Of Fallen Nations.
Missions range from eliminating targets, escort and defend types each of which being enjoyable to play (never thought I would call an escort mission enjoyable). Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of variety so things might start to feel monotonous after a while. Thankfully the story was enough to keep me coming back for more with the optional audio logs and in mission dialog. This story is seriously confusing at first so but I have come to really like it!
Piloting your BattleFrame feels great with full 360-degree movement with Z-axis movement implemented into the controls. At any point, if you BattleFrame supports it, you can thrust in any direction to evade or approach enemies. Some BattleFrames even come equipped with swords that allow you to launch yourself at enemies when locked on to deal heavy damage. This close proximity attack also leaves you more vulnerable to attack so use it cautiously. Certain BattleFrames change the movement options up a bit by including a flight mode that allows for faster movement at the cost of the full 360-degree control.
Combat in Project Nimbus Complete Edition is fairly simplistic but this isn’t a bad thing. You maneuver your BattleFrame into the range of targets and lock on to attack. You have a variety of different weapons at your disposal depending on which BattleFrame you pilot from standard machine guns to long-range rail guns. Each weapon has a specific strong suit so adjusting to the situation on hand is crucial. Due to the fast-paced nature of the game combat feels frantic and highly enjoyable. If you are a mech game purist a full cockpit mode is also available to play the full game in and it makes things even more insane!
Aside from the campaign, a survival mode and mission-based Warfront mode are also included with Project Nimbus Complete Edition. Both modes provide more gameplay but can get boring rather quickly. Survival, like its name suggests, pits players to survive a never-ending supply of enemies with boss waves added in every set number of rounds. Warfront is a little more interesting with gameplay that gives players money for the completion of missions. This money is then used to upgrade unlocked BattleFrames. As you level up your pilot more advanced BattleFrames are also unlocked.
Visuals
Project Nimbus is a fairly simple game graphically with not many high detailed textures or effects. Due to the visual style, this low key art detail really fits the game well. The action also stays very fast with no noticeable slowdowns during any of my playthroughs.
Audio
Audio work in Project Nimbus is handled very well with great sound effects and music. The voice work is also well done with lines being delivered clearly and clearly during gameplay and missions.
Replayability
If you enjoy what Project Nimbus Complete Edition has to offer there is quite a bit of replayability in the package. The campaign can be played through on 4 different difficulties, which helps get a better grasp on the story. Warfront also can keep players constantly playing to get there BattleFrames leveled up. Survival also provides a great challenge to overcome if you are up for the time it will require.
What Could It Have Done Better
My biggest complaint in Project Nimbus Complete Edition comes down to the lack of customization. Outside of choosing what to upgrade in Warfront there really is nothing else you can customize besides controls. The lack of an online multiplayer mode also feels like a missed opportunity. There is also the possibility players might find the game monotonous after a while.
Verdict
For $20 Project Nimbus Complete Edition is an enjoyable time waster and game most mech fans will enjoy! It lacks customization that many mech games have come to be known for but it offers up fast-paced fun combat. Thanks to the low cost of entry any fan of the genre should check out Project Nimbus Complete Edition on the Switch!
