It’s been a long time since I’ve got my hands on a good mecha game, but luckily for me, Project Nimbus Complete made its way to the Nintendo Switch. We also looked at different versions of the game, or episodes, on other platforms.
Project Nimbus is a 3D action game that puts players in the cockpit of a giant mech and lets them duke it out against other giant mechs. This includes battling through a story mode, as well as a few other options that are available.
Let’s start off with that story mode. The game begins with the player controlling a new recruit that goes by the call name Skull-1. However, the game will switch to multiple other characters throughout the story. None of them are all that memorable, which is a bit of a disappointment.
The actual story of Project Nimbus Complete isn’t all that interesting either. It has to do with escalating conflicts between various countries in a post-World War III world. There’s a few minor twists and turns along the way and some interesting scenarios, but not much else.
Let’s be honest. The story probably isn’t what most people are looking for in a mech game. Instead, it’s all about that sweet, sweet giant robo action. So does Project Nimbus Complete deliver in this front?
Sort of.
The core gameplay of Project Nimbus Complete is solid. It’s easy enough to pick up an enjoy, but there are definitely some more complex maneuvers that players can pull off once they get the hang of the controls. There’s also a wide array of weapons for players to make use of in the game. These are all tied to a weapon wheel that makes switching between them easy. Plus, accessing this wheel slows time, which makes it easier to make use of all the weapons in hectic firefights.
The biggest problem that Project Nimbus Complete has is that all of the mecha feel the same. The weapons they carry will vary slightly, but will each fall into the same basic categories. There were easily times while I was playing through the story mode that I just plainly forgot which character and mech I was in control of due to this.
This isn’t to say that Project Nimbus Complete doesn’t have its moments. Some of the dogfights are incredibly fun and full of fast-paced action. It also handles funnels in the best way I’ve ever seen a mech game so far. This includes letting the player target enemies with them, or not to have them stay on standby and protect the player from incoming missiles. Players can even switch between these two uses on the fly. This works so dang well that I couldn’t help but think of Amuro piloting the Nu Gundam in Char’s Counterattack.
Speaking of Char’s Counterattack, Project Nimbus Complete does love some pop culture references. This includes one of the enemy mechs being red and three times faster than all the others. I also can’t help but wonder if the Skull-1 call name is a callback to Robotech/Macross’ Roy Fokker/Focker. I’m a big mecha fan myself (seriously, you should see my gunpla collection) and these weren’t lost on me.
The visuals in Project Nimbus Complete are great. This is an smaller studio, so don’t go in expecting some AAA graphics. However, what is here looks dang good. It helps that the game is full of high-speed action that helps it cover up some of its graphical weaknesses. The only major complaint I have is that all levels typically take place over lakes or in the air. There’s just not much in the way of terrain and that leaves it feeling a little bare at times. The few levels that do take place in facilities or above cities show off some incredibly lackluster textures for those objects.
The audio in Project Nimbus Complete is a bit mixed. On one hand, the game has some dang good voice acting for a smaller studio. Actually, it’s just plainly good in general. There’s also some solid sound effects that fit the action on screen well. One the other hand, the music in the game is lacking. I can’t remember a single track, ambient or otherwise, that plays in the game. That’s not a good sign.
Overall, Project Nimbus Complete is a good game. While the core gameplay is solid, it really lacks any kind of variety to its suits. This has it feeling worse off than older mech games, such as the Armored Core series or the Gundam Battle series (that last one is Japan exclusive, but is still worth importing to this day). It’s not great by any means, but I would advise mecha fans to check it out. If you aren’t a lover of piloting giant robots, then I have to recommend skipping this one.
Project Nimbus Complete earns 3 GiN Gems out of 5!