Machinarium vs Nihilumbra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Machinarium
Embark on an adventure as a robot named Josef to rescue his girlfriend, Berta, who has been kidnapped by a criminal gang. Explore a unique robot city and solve puzzles to achieve your goal.
- Robot protagonist
- Story-driven adventure
- Puzzle solving
- Unique robot city setting
- Award-winning visuals
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Machinarium is the award-winning independent adventure game developed by the makers of Samorost series, Botanicula and CHUCHEL. Help Josef the robot to save his girlfriend Berta kidnapped by the Black Cap Brotherhood gang. "Absolutely Fantastic" - TouchArcade 4/4 - USA TODAY 4/4 - SlideToPlay 9/10 - Pocket Gamer Awards: - IGF, Excellence in Visual Art Award - Gamasutra, Best Indie Game Of The Year - VGChartz.com, Best Indie Game Of The Year
Nihilumbra
Embark on an adventure to discover a beautiful world and escape an inevitable curse. Learn to use colors to gain abilities and transform your surroundings while being pursued by an ancient force. This game offers over 10 hours of gameplay with a unique story and challenging mechanics.
- Over 10 hours of gameplay
- Classic gameplay redesigned for touch devices
- Change ground physics with five colors
- Transform five unique worlds
- Two control schemes: buttons or tilt
- Original soundtrack
- Unlockable surprise and replayability
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*** Apple's Best of 2012 Hidden Gems *** Has to be be downloaded over a Wi-Fi connection. Discover the beautiful world of Nihilumbra and join Born on his adventure to find himself whilst trying to escape from his inevitable curse. Born was created from the absolute nothingness: The Void. But somehow he separates himself from the black emptiness and appears in the world. This is where his long odyssey begins, in which he will learn how to use the colors around him to gain powerful abilities and transform the world. However, his experiences come at a high price. The Void must be one. It seeks to reclaim him and will never stop chasing him, destroying everything in its path along the way. To survive, Born will have to condemn the earth he walks to its inevitable obliteration by The Void... FEATURES: - More than 10 hours of gameplay. - “Old school” playability inspired by classic games but redesigned for tactile devices. - The ability to change ground physics using five different colors. - Use five worlds as your canvas and transform them at your will. - Two different control schemes: Classic buttons or tilting sensor. - Original soundtrack composed by Álvaro Lafuente. Headphones recommended. - Unlockable surprise on completion of the game. Replayability assured.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Nihilumbra at $2.99 against Machinarium's $9.99. Nihilumbra also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (88% vs 69%). Machinarium's advantage is ratings volume (992 vs 104) and chart position (#88 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Machinarium costs $9.99 and Nihilumbra $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Nihilumbra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Machinarium has 992 ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Machinarium's written reviews are positive against 88% of Nihilumbra's.
Machinarium ships an update every 5 weeks, Nihilumbra every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Machinarium | Nihilumbra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (992 ratings) | 4.7 (104 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.3% of reviews | 87.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 992 — better | 104 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #88 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 5.1.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 302 MB | 665 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Amanita Design s.r.o. | BEAUTIFUN GAMES SL |
Customer experience
Machinarium
Nihilumbra
User reviews
Machinarium
From 992 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful artwork and graphics
- 🎶 Excellent soundtrack and sound design
- 🤖 Cute and engaging main character
- 🧠 Challenging and rewarding puzzles
- 👍 Immersive and atmospheric game world
Room to improve
- 🔍 Difficulty in seeing small details on mobile screens
- 🕹️ Clunky or unresponsive touch controls
- 🤔 Puzzles can be overly obscure or unintuitive
- 🕰️ Repetitive gameplay in some areas
- 💤 Slow pacing can feel tedious at times
Nihilumbra
From 104 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Beautiful game
- 👍 Engaging story
- 👍 Innovative gameplay
- 👍 Challenging puzzles
- 👍 Atmospheric music
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Controls issues
- 🐛 Lack of iPhone 5/X support
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Bugs and requests
Machinarium
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes or freezes on certain devices
- Glitches preventing progress in key areas
- Inconsistent responsiveness of interactive elements
Requested features
4 requests- Difficulty settings or customization options
- Ability to skip or bypass certain mini-games
- Improved save/resume functionality
- Expanded story or sequel content
Nihilumbra
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on certain levels
- Unresponsive controls in intense moments
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
3 requests- Update with more levels and content
- Sequel or additional games from the developer
- Improved controls and customization options
In-app purchases
Machinarium
No in-app purchases
Nihilumbra
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Machinarium free?
Is Nihilumbra free?
Which has better reviews, Machinarium or Nihilumbra?
Do Machinarium or Nihilumbra have ads?
Which is updated more often, Machinarium or Nihilumbra?
Other comparisons
