Nomori Xbox Review

Nomori is a game that looks soft, warm, and welcoming on the surface, but underneath the pastel skies and friendly spirit creatures lies a puzzle game that absolutely delights in bending your spatial awareness until you’re not entirely sure which way is up anymore. Developed by Enchanted Works, it’s a physics‑driven portal puzzler wrapped in a Ghibli‑inspired aesthetic. It's a combination that feels immediately charming, occasionally disorienting, and often surprisingly clever.

You play as Kiko, a young girl who wanders into a spirit world made of floating islands, seasonal domains, and creatures that look like they stepped out of a folklore picture book. The world is whimsical, but the puzzle design is anything but gentle. Nomori’s core mechanic revolves around portals that preserve orientation: whatever direction gravity is pulling you when you enter a portal is the direction it will pull you when you exit. This single rule becomes the backbone of increasingly complex spatial challenges, where walls become floors, ceilings become pathways, and your sense of direction becomes a suggestion rather than a fact.

As you progress, Nomori layers on new abilities that deepen the puzzle design. The standout is the Slimebun, it's a gelatinous cube with bunny ears that acts as both a companion and a tool. You can move it telekinetically, use it as a platform, and even rewind its movement through time to create dynamic traversal routes. Later, you gain the ability to rotate portals themselves, turning entire puzzle rooms into shifting, Escher‑like spaces that demand experimentation and a willingness to rethink your approach.

The world itself is split into seasonal domains, each with its own visual identity and puzzle flavour. Autumnal islands drenched in amber light feel cozy and grounded, while night time cherry‑blossom mountains lean more mysterious. The art direction is consistently warm and inviting, even when the puzzles become more demanding. The spirit characters you meet along the way add charm, though the narrative remains pretty light and more a gentle backdrop than a driving force.

Nomori’s biggest strength is how confidently it commits to its spatial mechanics. It wants you to experiment, to fail, to flip your perspective, and to return to earlier areas with new abilities that suddenly make old spaces feel fresh again. It’s clever without being cruel, and while some puzzles can feel obtuse, the game’s tone keeps frustration at bay.

Where it stumbles is in emotional depth and pacing. The story never fully lands, and some players may find the cozy aesthetic at odds with the more demanding puzzle logic. But if you enjoy games that challenge your perception and you’re happy to live inside a world that feels like a dream painted in soft colours, then Nomori offers a memorable, mind‑bending adventure.

Pros

• Inventive spatial puzzle mechanics built around orientation‑preserving portals.

• Slimebun companion adds personality and clever traversal possibilities.

• Warm, Ghibli‑inspired art direction that makes the world feel magical and inviting.

• Seasonal domains provide visual variety and evolving puzzle themes.

• New abilities refresh old areas, encouraging exploration and experimentation.

Cons

• Story is thin, with emotional beats that never fully develop.

• Some puzzles can feel opaque, especially when multiple mechanics overlap.

• Cozy aesthetic may mislead players expecting gentler gameplay.

• Character interactions are charming but shallow, limiting narrative impact.

A beautifully presented, mechanically inventive puzzle adventure that twists your sense of direction in all the right ways, even if its storytelling never quite reaches the same heights.

XPN Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (SILVER)

Nomori is available now!