Info about Project Nimbus: Complete Edition:

Official game description:
  
Project Nimbus is a high-speed mech action game set on a devastated future Earth, where the player maneuvers a weaponized humanoid general-purpose Battle Frame.  
Engage enemy units with various weapons and defeat huge bosses and unique ace pilots!  
Fly the skies with 360 degrees of freedom, and battle enemies with a variety of weapons and techniques, from smart missiles to the blade charge.  
Experience the battle as a young ace pilot destined for legendary status.  
▷ High-speed battle action, piloting heavily armored Battle Frames through the war torn skies.  
▷ Twenty-six missions in a variety of locations, including floating cities, ocean fortresses, mountain bases, futuristic prisons, and battles in space.  
▷ Over a dozen playable Battle Frames with weapons including smart missiles, energy blades, particle cannons, floating energy shields, railguns and autonomous psychodrones.  
▷ A sprawling storyline with battles between three different factions over a war-torn futuristic planet: the US-lead CFN, the Russia-led UCN, and the shadowy terrorist Children of Fallen Nations.  
▷ Complex bosses each with a unique fighting style, including orbiting nuclear battle mechs, bands of deadly pilots, and weaponized flying ships.  
▷ Missiles, rail guns and cannons for long range combat...energy blades and blade rushes for melee!  
▷ Bonus Survival Mode lets you choose from an entire hangar of Battle Frames, and then you must battle endless waves of enemies with increasing power.  
▷ WARFRONT mode includes massive replayability with six unlimited mission modes including Base Defense, Interception, and Assassination. Six levels of pilot (including Legendary) and Battle Frame customization will keep you playing for hours more.  
▷ 21:9 / 32:9 Ultra-wide, 4K and high-end resolution support  
▷ 60, 90, 144 and uncapped frame rate support  
▷ Detailed visual settings. Bloom, reflection, shadow, vignette, and chromatic aberration you can increase or decrease intensity as you like

Release date: Sep 26, 2017

Categories: Third-Person Shooter, Mech Customization, Boss Rush, Wave-based Survival, Combat Flight Simulation, Fast-paced Gameplay, Single-player

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 85; verdict: Broken; summary: The game suffers from significant compatibility issues on Steam Deck, including a non-functional Complete Edition, broken Linux cutscenes, and no official support from developers. Although a few users can play with tinkering, the overall experience is unstable and frustrating for most.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $7.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that the current full price of $6.99 is widely regarded as very fair and reasonable. Some reviewers affirm that the game is worth its full price and that buyers cannot feel ripped off. However, many also recommend purchasing on sale, with prices as low as $1 being considered excellent value. This suggests that while $6.99 is acceptable for the base game, the community’s perception of fair value for the gameplay content also includes sale prices around $5–$6. Therefore, the fair base-game price range is estimated between $5 (a common sale price seen as good value) and $7 (the full price deemed extremely fair).
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: 4.5h
  - Session length: 1.3h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The first quote gives a 2-3 hour range for completing only the first two acts of the story, implying full story completion might be roughly double that (4-6 hours), but the exact full completion time is not directly stated. The second quote reports a single play session lasting 1 hour 18 minutes, which is used for typical session length. The third quote suggests the whole story can be finished in a single sitting, but without a precise hour count, it supports the idea that story completion is relatively short. No explicit endgame hours are provided; the only endgame mention is a 20-minute survival mode encounter, which is too specific and not typical. Game completion (including side content or replays) is not quantified either. Confidence is moderate because the evidence is partial and lacks explicit full-game or endgame metrics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game's early hours are marred by a steep learning curve and problematic controls, but the core fast-paced combat becomes genuinely fun after practice, and the experience improves further in the end game with better mech options.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Mastering controls and reaching end-game mech selection
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: steep learning curve for mech/flight combat; complex controls that are hard to master; control weirdness even in tutorial; enemies frequently evade attacks causing a slog; game-breaking bugs early on; repetitive mission design (kill all enemies, time limits)
  - Unlock drivers: practice and mastery of movement and weapon switching; access to the protagonists' strong mechs in the end game; persistence through the initial learning phase
  - Conditions: being experienced with mech or flight combat games reduces early friction; co-op or free roam modes are desired but absent; using controller improves control feel; playing survival or warfront modes adds variety after campaign
- Player Archetypes:
  - Armored Core Veteran (sale)
    - Motivation: To recapture the gameplay feel of Armored Core, especially after the release of AC6.
    - Playstyle: Fast-paced, evasive maneuvering, boosting, and dogfighting; they enjoy challenging combat and invest time to master controls.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Armored Core fan; AC veteran; mech combat enthusiast
    - Reference games: Armored Core series (AC4 Answer, AC6 Fires of Rubicon); Zone of the Enders
  - Mecha Anime Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience a game that pays homage to their favorite mecha anime and includes familiar references.
    - Playstyle: Story-focused, appreciative of characters and cameos; may play on normal difficulty and enjoy the cinematic elements.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Gundam fan; mecha anime enthusiast; UC purist; ZOE fan
    - Reference games: Gundam series; Zone of the Enders; Full Metal Panic; Zegapain; Votoms
  - Budget-Conscious Casual (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To get a good value game that provides fun without requiring a large financial investment.
    - Playstyle: Casual playthrough, likely on easier difficulty, not focused on completion or high challenge; they play to pass time.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: indie game supporter; bargain hunter; casual gamer
    - Reference games: Other cheap indie mech games (not explicitly named)


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging High-Speed Mecha Combat (weight 0.99): Players consistently praise the fast-paced, exhilarating mecha combat, with fluid controls, satisfying weapons, and intense aerial dogfights. The combat is described as a mix of Ace Combat and Gundam, providing a unique and thrilling experience.
- Homage to Classic Mecha Games (weight 0.43): The game is often compared favorably to Armored Core, Ace Combat, Gundam, and Zone of the Enders. For fans of these franchises, it scratches a specific itch and fills a niche for high-quality mecha action on PC.
- Engaging Story with Multiple Perspectives (weight 0.36): The story is described as engaging, with multiple perspectives and themes reminiscent of Gundam and Ace Combat. Players appreciate the anti-war themes, character development, and faithful homage to classic mecha anime.
- Smooth Controls and Accessibility (weight 0.35): Controls are described as smooth, intuitive, and easy to learn, with options for both keyboard/mouse and controller. The auto-aim feature helps accessibility, while the responsive controls allow for skilled maneuvers.
- Exceptional Value for Price (weight 0.3): The game is frequently described as a steal for its low price, often costing just a few euros or dollars. Players feel they get a surprising amount of content and quality for the cost, making it a highly recommended purchase.
- Great Mech Design and Customization (weight 0.3): The variety of mech models with distinct capabilities and aesthetics is highly appreciated. Players enjoy the extensive customization system for weapons, armor, and special equipment, making each mech feel unique.
- Good Graphics and Visual Effects (weight 0.29): The game's graphics are impressive for its budget, with beautiful skyboxes, weather effects, and detailed mech designs. Players enjoy the visual spectacle of high-speed combat and destructible environments.
- Passionate Developer Support and Updates (weight 0.23): The developers are praised for their passion, responsiveness to community feedback, and frequent updates. Players note that the game has improved significantly since early access and that the team genuinely cares about the product.
- Full Voice Acting (English/Japanese) (weight 0.23): The game features full voice acting in both English and Japanese, with many players praising the quality. The Japanese cast includes famous seiyuu, and the English dub is also well-executed, adding to the immersive experience.
- Excellent Soundtrack and Music (weight 0.22): The game features a highly praised soundtrack with energetic electronic compositions and standout tracks. Many reviewers highlighted the music as surprisingly good for an indie game, enhancing immersion during combat.
- Balanced Difficulty Options (weight 0.21): Players appreciate the adjustable difficulty, which ranges from easy to challenging. The game introduces mechanics gradually and offers relief measures for less skilled players, while still providing a satisfying challenge for veterans.
- Immersive Cockpit View (weight 0.18): The first-person cockpit view is a standout feature, praised for adding immersion and a unique perspective. Many reviewers consider it a strong selling point and a rare element in mecha games.
- Rich Extra Game Modes (weight 0.16): Beyond the campaign, the game includes survival and warfront modes that add replayability. These modes are well-received for providing additional challenges and progression systems.
- Runs on Low-End Hardware (weight 0.06): The game is optimized to run on low-end PCs, with some players reporting smooth performance on systems with as little as 2GB RAM. This broadens its accessibility to a wider audience.

Common complaints:
- Story poorly told and cliché (weight 0.64): The story is widely criticized for being confusing, tropey, and lacking depth. Constant faction switches, too many characters, rushed pacing, and derivative elements from Ace Combat/Gundam make it hard to follow or care about.
- Unfair difficulty and spikes (weight 0.39): Many missions and bosses have one-hit kills, extreme damage, or impossible timers. The difficulty curve is erratic, with easy missions followed by brutally hard fights that require guesswork or feel unfair.
- Graphics and animations dated (weight 0.36): The game looks cheap with low-quality textures, stiff animations, poor mech designs, and an overall budget feel. Many note that it doesn't even match Unreal Engine 3 expectations and has uninspired environments.
- Weapon and combat system lacks impact (weight 0.36): Weapons feel redundant, homing missiles often miss or self-destruct, melee is nearly useless, and hit detection is inconsistent. There is little feedback on hits, and combat boils down to spamming cooldown-based tools.
- Controls clunky and unintuitive (weight 0.31): Controls are described as unresponsive, slippery, and hard to manage—especially keyboard/mouse and controller mappings. Issues include missing roll, bad camera, claw grip necessity, and no double binding.
- Technical bugs and performance issues (weight 0.26): The game suffers from launch failures, cutscene glitches (rainbow error on Linux), resolution problems, frequent frame drops, stutters, and other bugs like invisible walls or enemies stuck in geometry.
- No mech customization or progression (weight 0.24): The campaign forces specific mechs per mission with no customization or upgrade system. Players cannot buy new weapons or modify their frame, leading to a linear, unrewarding experience with no sense of progression.
- Mission repetitiveness and lack of content (weight 0.24): Missions are repetitive (kill all, time limits) with little variety. Survival mode and Warfront are boring, the campaign is short (2-6 hours), and there is no incentive to replay.
- Voice acting quality poor (weight 0.18): Voice acting is widely criticized as amateurish, with mispronunciations like 'Mithril' and inconsistent quality between characters. Many reviewers noted the English dub feels stiff or like a school project.
- Lock-on system problematic (weight 0.17): Lock-on is frequently lost when enemies move or line of sight is interrupted, toggling with L1 causes misoperations, and the range feels too limited or zoomed in. This makes combat frustrating and disorienting.
- Audio design and mixing poor (weight 0.16): Sound effects are weak, with bullets sounding like pebbles and explosions lacking impact. Dialogue sync issues, sudden loud audio, and grating menu noises further detract from immersion.
- Language and localization lacking (weight 0.12): No Chinese, Spanish, or proper English localization. Multiple players noted the lack of subtitles or poor translations, making the story even harder to follow for non-native speakers.
- Not the Armored Core experience expected (weight 0.11): Gameplay is more like a fighter jet or Zone of the Enders than a heavy mech game. Those expecting deep mech customization and weighty combat will be disappointed.
- Cockpit view nearly unplayable (weight 0.11): Cockpit mode suffers from stuttering, poor FOV, 2D radar, and disorienting camera. While a fun gimmick, it is not viable for serious play.

Gameplay feedback:
- Fast-paced aerial mecha combat (weight 0.33): The game features high-speed aerial combat with mechs, emphasizing fast movement, boosting, and dogfighting. It combines elements of third-person shooting with flight mechanics, offering a sense of speed and agility.
- Diverse weapon systems with lock-on (weight 0.33): Players have access to a wide array of weapons including missiles, machine guns, railguns, blades, and funnels. The lock-on mechanic simplifies targeting, allowing players to focus on maneuvering and switching weapons.
- Multiple game modes including campaign and survival (weight 0.3): The game offers a story-driven campaign with numerous missions, a survival mode with wave-based enemies, and a Warfront mode with progression and upgrades. These modes provide variety in objectives and replayability.
- Heavily inspired by Ace Combat and Armored Core (weight 0.26): The gameplay is frequently compared to Ace Combat for its aerial combat and mission structure, and to Armored Core for its mecha action and weapon systems. It also draws from Zone of the Enders and Gundam, blending these influences into a unique experience.
- Responsive controls with movement nuances (weight 0.24): The controls are designed for high-speed action, with boosting in all directions, evasive maneuvers like flares, and weapon switching. Some players find the controls initially clunky or sluggish, but they become smoother with practice. The flight model includes 6DOF and inertia, though some dislike the lack of roll.
- Limited mech customization (weight 0.22): The campaign features fixed Battle Frames with predetermined loadouts, and there is no overall mech customization. However, players can choose between different frames for missions, and the Warfront mode offers some upgrades and frame selection.
- Adjustable difficulty and accessibility features (weight 0.22): The game offers multiple difficulty settings, from easy for casual play to hardcore for experienced players. Additional features like a slow-motion cheater mode and bullet time during melee make the game more accessible, while higher difficulties demand precise timing and evasion.
- Narrative with changing perspectives (weight 0.19): The story unfolds through a campaign with missions told from the viewpoints of different factions (US and Russia), switching periodically. The narrative is delivered via briefings, audio logs, and cutscenes, reminiscent of Ace Combat.
- Special mechanics: funnels, boost, and evasive tools (weight 0.15): The game includes special mechanics such as funnel drones that distract enemies, a booster gauge for evasive maneuvers, flares to dodge missiles, and a bullet time effect during melee. These add depth to the combat.
- Multiple camera perspectives (weight 0.12): Players can switch between third-person and first-person cockpit views. The cockpit view includes a fighter jet-style HUD with radar, enhancing immersion for those who prefer it.
- Indie title with two editions and frequent discounts (weight 0.07): The game is an indie mecha shooter available in two editions (Original on UE3 and Complete Edition on UE4). It is often on sale, making it accessible at a low price. The Original Edition has Thai audio only.

Performance notes:
- Performance Problems and Stuttering (weight 0.14): Many users report lag spikes, frame drops, and stuttering during missions or boss fights, even on good PCs. Some mention high fan usage, poor optimization, and trouble running at max settings on older hardware.
- Various Bugs and Crashes (weight 0.08): Reviewers mention general bugs, crashes, mouse control issues, screen visibility problems at start, and a problematic camera. These issues are reported across different play sessions.
- Launch Issues (weight 0.07): Multiple users report problems starting the game, especially the Complete Edition, requiring workarounds like changing Steam launch options or setting environment variables. Some players cannot launch on Windows 10 at all.
- Missing Graphics Options (weight 0.06): Players note the absence of detailed graphic settings, no V-Sync option leading to screen tearing, and limited display resolution support (only 1080p ultrawide, not 1440p). This reduces customization for different setups.
- Cutscene and Audio Glitches (weight 0.05): Several players experience cutscene problems: video fails on Linux with rainbow artifacts, audio sync issues, and missing sound effects. Subtitles and audio sometimes work, but the visual component is broken.
- Fast Loading Screens (weight 0.02): One user highlights that loading screens are almost nonexistent, contributing to a smooth experience. This is a positive note but mentioned by only a single cluster.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for mecha fans (weight 0.43): The game is strongly recommended for fans of mecha anime and games, especially Gundam and Armored Core series. Many players praise its fast-paced action and mecha customization.
- Best value on sale (weight 0.3): Many reviewers recommend purchasing the game during sales, especially at deep discounts. It is considered worth the low price but not at full price for most players.
- Better alternatives exist (weight 0.21): Several players suggest playing other mecha or flight games instead, such as Armored Core 6, Ace Combat 7, Daemon X Machina, or Zone of the Enders. The game may not meet expectations set by these titles.
- Positive with caveats (weight 0.15): Many reviewers give a positive recommendation but with reservations, such as pointing out flaws or not fully endorsing. The game is seen as decent but not outstanding.
- Only for hardcore mecha fans (weight 0.1): The game is considered highly niche and only recommended for hardcore mecha enthusiasts or players starved for mecha content. Casual players may find it frustrating or lacking.
- Specific features and hopes (weight 0.08): Some reviews mention specific positive features like English dub recommendation, optimization, or hopes for co-op and sequels. These are notable but less common.

Other player notes:
- Kickstarter project origin (weight 0.04): The game was funded via Kickstarter, and one reviewer followed its development as a backer. This indicates community support and expectations from the crowdfunding campaign.
- 5-6 hours of gameplay (weight 0.02): The game offers about 5-6 hours of gameplay, providing a short but potentially focused experience.
- Language barrier hinders story (weight 0.02): One player could not evaluate the story due to a language barrier, highlighting localization issues or lack of translation options.
- Demand for OST release (weight 0.02): A reviewer expressed a desire for an official soundtrack release, indicating appreciation for the game's music.
- Steam Deck compatibility mentioned (weight 0.02): A review notes that the game's compatibility with Steam Deck was discussed, suggesting relevance for handheld gaming users.
- Publisher different from developer (weight 0.02): The complete version was developed by publisher GameTomo, not the original developer. This clarifies the game's development history.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.26): Players expressed frustration due to clunky controls, unfair difficulty spikes, technical bugs (audio, resolution, stutters), and poor design choices like lack of checkpoints and one-shot kills. The combat system and lock-on mechanics were also major pain points.
- Disappointment (weight 0.14): Disappointment stemmed from the game failing to deliver on its promise as an Armored Core alternative, with shallow gameplay, poor story execution, lack of customization, and technical issues. Many felt it was a cheap imitation with unoriginal content.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Satisfaction was driven by the game fulfilling the desire for mecha action, offering good value for the price, enjoyable controls and cockpit view, and meeting or exceeding expectations for a budget title.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Excitement came from exhilarating high-speed combat, cool mech designs, satisfying gameplay mechanics like auto-aim, and the overall feeling of piloting a powerful mecha with intense action.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Enjoyment was reported due to engaging gameplay, good sound design, Japanese voice acting, and the overall mecha experience, despite some flaws. The game appealed to mecha fans and provided a fun experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation was for the developers' passion, surprisingly good music, high-quality voice acting, and beautiful visuals like flying through clouds. The game's effort and polish were recognized.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Nostalgia was evoked as the game reminded players of classic mecha titles from the PS1 era, such as Armored Core and Zone of the Enders, as well as nostalgic anime references.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger arose from specific grievances like the developer not providing allies in encounters, bad controls, lack of mech customization, and poor character treatment.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion was due to all UI elements being the same red color, a difficult-to-follow story with many characters and pacing issues, and disconnected scenarios.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement came from the game's over-the-top anime tropes, quotes from other games, and self-aware cringe in cutscenes and story references.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance was caused by rough translations, poor English voice acting, missing sound effects, and forced Japanese tropes that felt unnecessary.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope was expressed for future updates adding multiplayer and sandbox mode, as the core gameplay is fun and the game has potential.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude was for the developer providing a free UE4 update and the game offering immersive war reflection.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret came from considering the game one of the worst purchases, inability to justify the cost, and disappointment from supporting it on Kickstarter.
- Pleasure (weight 0.01): Pleasure was derived from enjoyable gameplay and storyline, the high-speed feeling, and graphics.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom resulted from a lack of incentive to continue playing, repetitive gameplay, and insufficient weapon variety.
- Resentment (weight 0.01): Resentment stemmed from the game's exclusivity to PS4, which was seen as a betrayal to PC backers, and from missing features and poor design.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Approval was given simply for being a great deal at a low price.
- Inspiration (weight 0.01): Inspiration came from the game motivating the player to create their own games.
- Motion sickness (weight 0.01): Motion sickness was caused by slippery camera and controls, leading to disorientation.}