Review: Limbo

Very few games nowadays completely suck you into the experience to the point in which nothing else in the real world tends to matter that much. That is the case with Limbo, a puzzle platformer unlike any other in terms of style, presentation, and overall gameplay experience. Creative thinking, problem solving, and strategic planning will put even the most experienced players skills to the test here. Get those thinking caps ready, cause it’s time to jump into a world unlike any other.

Developer/Publisher: Playdead
Genre: Puzzle Platformer
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
If you like: To die alot, use your brain, games with a black and white art style

The story is simple and straightforward, your sister is lost in this bizarre and strange world, and you have to find her, that’s it. My first thought here was “Oh god, another mario rescuing princess peach story” , but the way the developers suck you into the world makes this experience much more engaging than annoying. Moving left to right in almost total darkness without knowing what’s going to happen next keeps the player on his, or her, toes every step of the way. Now that the stage has been set, let’s get to work.

Just because the visuals were in black and white doesn’t mean that Limbo scores an A for presentation at all. It’s the subtle things, like the grass moving in the wind, the steam coming off a compressor, or the glow of an utterly destroyed hotel sign that really shows that flashy colors, explosions, and detailed character models are not the bread and butter of great game design. There is no music to speak of, but the sound design is absolutely fantastic, and adds a more strategic element to some of the more challenging puzzles later on.



Let me get something out of the way right now, you are going to die, A LOT!. Don’t get discouraged though, because nothing is ever too impossible to do. Every obstacle has an obvious solution, and has a certain amount of things that need to be done in order to complete it. Sometimes a crate may have to be moved in order to reach a high platform, a switch might need to be pulled to trap an adversary, a gun turret may need to be triggered to release an object, a fly’s leg could be involved in helping the player reach a higher platform, and so on.

The game itself can take about 5 to 6 hours to complete, depending on your skill level, and there is some replay value to be had here as well. There are twelve achievements and avatar awards that can be unlocked. A leaderboard system has also been included so that people can show off their game completion percentage to others. If there is a sequel in the works( and there very well should be), the addition of a time trial mode is something that the developers should consider. Still, 1200 MS space bucks for something this unique is well worth the price of admission.

Limbo is one of the best Xbox Live Arcade games to date, and is something that everybody should check out. Feeling completely connected and responsible for every decision made in a video game world is an awesome thing. Solid gameplay and art design choices are nothing to sniff at either. These are the types of games that only appear once in a lifetime, so show some love to the indie developers out there, and download it right now. (A+)

 - Matt H.