Comparison

Nihilumbra vs Playdead's LIMBO

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

*** 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.

About

Playdead's LIMBO

Embark on a captivating puzzle adventure in a dark, misty world. This award-winning indie game is renowned for its immersive atmosphere, haunting narrative, and ingenious puzzle design that will challenge and enthrall you.

Highlights
  • Captivating puzzle design
  • Immersive sound and visuals
  • Dark, misty environments
  • Haunting narrative
  • Critically acclaimed
  • Award-winning indie adventure
Features
Read full description

Limbo is an award-winning indie adventure, critically acclaimed for its captivating puzzle design and immersive sound and visuals. Its dark, misty spaces and haunting narrative will stay with you forever. Apple Design Award Winner. What the press said: "Limbo is as close to perfect at what it does as a game can get." Destructoid – 10/10 "The game is a masterpiece." Giant Bomb – 5/5 "Limbo is genius. Freaky, weird genius. Disturbing, uncomfortable genius." The Escapist – 5/5 "Dark, disturbing, yet eerily beautiful, Limbo is a world that deserves to be explored." Joystiq – 5/5 Winner of more than 100 awards, including: - Best Downloadable (Gameinformer) - Best Puzzle Game (Gamespot) - The Best Indie Game (Kotaku) - Digital Game of the Year (GameReactor) - Best Horror Game (IGN) - Best Visual Arts (Game Developers Choice Awards) - Technical Excellence (Independent Games Festival) - Adventure Game of the Year (D.I.C.E. Awards) - Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (D.I.C.E. Awards)

Screenshots

Nihilumbra4 screens
Playdead's LIMBO4 screens

Verdict

The call

Nihilumbra and Playdead's LIMBO both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 88% of Nihilumbra's written reviews are positive against 69% of Playdead's LIMBO's. Nihilumbra also leads on price ($2.99 vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 13.0). Playdead's LIMBO's advantage is ratings volume (2.7K vs 108) and chart position (#39 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Nihilumbra costs $2.99 and Playdead's LIMBO $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nihilumbra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Playdead's LIMBO has 2.7K ratings behind it against 108, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Nihilumbra's written reviews are positive against 69% of Playdead's LIMBO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihilumbra ships an update every 2 months, Playdead's LIMBO every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Nihilumbra versus Playdead's LIMBO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihilumbraPlaydead's LIMBO
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (108 ratings) — better4.6 (2.7K ratings)
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better69.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1082.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#39 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS5.1.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size665 MB135 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperBEAUTIFUN GAMES SLPlaydead

Customer experience

Nihilumbra

All ratings104 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews430 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative7.9%

Playdead's LIMBO

All ratings2,656 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews435 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral9.7%
Negative20.9%

User reviews

Nihilumbra

From 108 App Store ratings

What 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

Playdead's LIMBO

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent game
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and atmosphere
  • 🧠 Challenging puzzles
  • 🤖 Unique and immersive gameplay
  • 💰 Worth the money

Room to improve

  • 🕹️ Frustrating controls
  • 🕷️ Disturbing/creepy content
  • 🕰️ Puzzles too difficult at times
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🧭 Unsatisfying ending

Bugs and requests

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

Playdead's LIMBO

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Sound issues or missing audio
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels or a sequel
  • Improved controls and responsiveness
  • Difficulty options or hints
  • Cloud save support across devices

In-app purchases

None

Nihilumbra

No in-app purchases

None

Playdead's LIMBO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nihilumbra free?
Nihilumbra costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Playdead's LIMBO free?
Playdead's LIMBO costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nihilumbra or Playdead's LIMBO?
Nihilumbra is rated higher. Nihilumbra averages 4.7 out of 5 from 108 ratings, while Playdead's LIMBO averages 4.6 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Nihilumbra or Playdead's LIMBO have ads?
Neither Nihilumbra nor Playdead's LIMBO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nihilumbra or Playdead's LIMBO?
Nihilumbra ships an update every 2 months, and Playdead's LIMBO every 3 months. Most recently, Nihilumbra was updated on November 10, 2026 and Playdead's LIMBO on November 11, 2026.

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