Nimbatus – The Space Drone Constructor is a sandbox game for people who don’t usually like sandbox games. People like me.
This genre just isn’t my thing. Sure, building a fancy thingamabob is fun… but then what? I guess I need more than the intrinsic reward of “this weird contraption that I built has not caught fire yet.” Maybe this makes me a simple person but hey, it is what it is, okay? Consequently, I did not have high hopes for Nimbatus – The Space Drone Constructor. I did, however, enjoy Stray Fawn Studio’s last game Niche a whole lot, so I was willing to give Nimbatus a chance. And I’m glad I did!
The basic gameplay loop is just what you’d expect. Using all kinds of parts, you try to build a functioning drone. Assigning different keys to the drone parts allows you to activate them and steer your fancy space vehicle. Ideally, this unholy creation of yours can shoot really well, gather resources, or fly very fast.
But you can take this further, using advanced concepts like automation, sensors, and logic parts. The variety of things you can build with these is mind-boggling. I may not enjoy the sandbox aspect as such, but I cannot help to be in awe of the possibilities here. In fact, I spent the better part of an hour checking out other people’s creations.
If that was all there is to Nimbatus, I would have probably stopped right there. However, the game feels positively generous, offering several multiplayer game modes and a campaign mode. The latter has you taking control of the eponymous drone-building spacecraft, exploring new reaches of space. Your little drones are used for exploration, for mining… and for defending against the attack ships your competitor throws at you. This space race is not always fair, and every move you make risks detection by the enemy.
I really enjoyed how the campaign slowly builds. It hands you a bunch of new parts after completing every mission and then ramps up the difficulty some more. In addition to that, you can choose between different captains at the beginning of your campaign. These give you different skills and starting equipment, which in turn really changes how you have to approach your missions. Your main ship can also be upgraded with the resources you mine or find during drone flights in order to gain passive bonuses.
Nimbatus‘ campaign offers the best of both worlds for players like me: sandboxy gameplay that has you building and experimenting with drones, as well as a clear sense of progression. If you want to try building an awesome drone before committing to the whole thing, Stray Fawn also released a handy Drone Creator that you can tinker around with for free.
Nimbatus – The Space Drone Constructor is available now on The Humble Store and Steam.
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