Pax Preview: Limbo

The next game that I wanted to talk to you guys about was quite possibly one of the most unique XBLA titles that I played at Pax East, Limbo. It combines the simple elements of a platformer and puzzler, but sets itself apart from the mold by how the audio and visual aesthetics of it really engross the player into the overall experience. The 6 years that it took the people over at PlayDead studios to finish this game seems well worth the wait.

The idea here is simple, get to the end of the level in order to complete it, sounds easy right, well, there is more to it than that. There are times in which you will have to use some creative thinking in order to get from one area to the other. For example, I came up to a vine attached to a branch, and figured that climbing up it and jumping over to the other side was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t.

After trying over and over again, it dawned on me, the weight of the vine was keeping me from reaching the platform, so in order to move on, I had to get rid of it. Jumping on the vine from a far distance didn’t work, but there was a bear trap located next to it, and what do you know, the vine snapped at the bottom and flung me upward, making it easier than ever to continue on with the level. Now you might be thinking damn, all of that work for just five more seconds of gameplay just doesn’t seem worth it, trust me, your hard work pays off in the end.

Other than the challenging puzzle elements that the game will throw at you, the stars of the show here are the level design and immersive sound effects. Even though these are cosmetic components of every game, Limbo takes a different approach with what you can do with them. For example, instead of just pushing a tree branch down to create a bridge, listening for a splash of water after you push it off the edge might make the difference between life and death, so be sure to always look before you leap.

That’s all I can give you for now, but be sure to check out Limbo on the Xbox Live Arcade when it releases this summer.

Keep on the lookout for a review of it right here at rejectedgamer.com.

If you can’t wait for that, then check out this video of the game in action.

Be sure to also check out their website for more info on this, as well as other projects that they have in the works.