A memorable, disturbing game that stays with you long after you've played it, and seduces you to come back for more.
There is no story to be told here, nor is there any sort of narrative or character development. You are a nameless young boy set upon a dreary, morose, colorless world. Faced with an uncertain future, the boy takes it upon himself to somehow get from point A to point B, and reach it in one piece. It is never really explained what the end goal is other than a subtle, visual hint of a young girl he is unknowingly seeking. Nor do we have any sense of how or why he suddenly finds himself in this ill-begotten place. But deep inquiries seem rather pointless when you consider how immersive and fun the overall gameplay turns out to be. At best, the experience can grow rather addictive despite its simple nature and, on the outset, LIMBO certainly appears that way. You will control your character using a thoroughly basic three-button arrangement scheme that allows you to perform a myriad of different actions such as walking, running, jumping, climbing ladders, and grabbing objects----no complex algorithms to bog you down. Throughout your journey, you'll come across a variety of cleverly interspersed platform puzzles. None of them are especially frustrating nor mind-numbing to the point of impossibility, but they are not so easy as to insult your intelligence. And many of these puzzles require the utmost effort in harnessing your improvisational skills and taking advantage of various elements of the game environment. Some notable examples include getting past a crushing stone by luring a slew of hapless enemies underneath a plating so you can safely bypass it at their gruesome expense, or using a boat as a ledge to climb high ground elevations. There is even an instance in which you will cross a lake bed by using floating human corpses as stepping stones. Intelligent and clever as these puzzles appear, the manner in how you solve some of them can make your stomach turn, deeming this adventure ill-suited for the faint of heart. But for the keen of mind, LIMBO does not disappoint, and many of the puzzles alone are worth revisiting over and over again---even long after you've ingrained their respective solutions in your memory.
Puzzles are not the only obstacles you will face. The boy must also contend with environmental and man-made hazards as well as a handful of enemies that will do anything and everything to not only discourage his progress, but also snuff him out like a cheap birthday candle. You are not blessed with the safety net of a life meter, so it goes without saying that one screw-up brought on by either a trap, an enemy, or a trap triggered by an enemy will kill you instantly. Unfortunately, death is the common end result of numerous attempts you may endure when trying to negotiate the more dangerous and difficult puzzles, but it is by no means a pure detriment---for you can try again as many times as necessary from a reasonably specific point each and every time you die. Despite the fact that your main character is a seemingly innocent and defenseless child, his deaths are handled in a very gruesome, adult-like manner. He will be impaled by spikes, torn apart by churning gears, crushed by falling stones, electrocuted and even skewered like a shish-kabob by an enormous spider that you meet early on. LIMBO is unapologetically violent; not so much in terms of excessive blood and gore, but the emotional, startling impact of its player demises and their disturbing implications. This sort of stuff is hard to watch at times, and quite noteworthy given that LIMBO is a Teen-rated game. Fortunately, an option to filter the gore and any other offensive content is available from the game's menu screen.
Much has been said about the game's unorthodox visual style and, in many respects, the depressing, colorless environments fit the theme perfectly. Absolutely no color other than black and white (and shades of gray inbetween) can be found, even in areas where you might expect at least a fraction of it, and the grainy presentation emits a peculiar sense of 1940s film-noir. The effect of shadow and darkness is predominant with little to no textures, which deems it more disturbing and even downright suffocating to say the least, and the character you control is barely distinguishable by his glowing eyes. A heightened sense of danger is constantly lurking within the confines of this eerie, bleak environment--- which is made even more apparent by your own mortality. If all of this makes you feel a little uncomfortable and wary, it should; for that is the point of LIMBO's brilliantly unsettling presentation. The game also benefits highly from the absence of loading screens and sectional stages, creating a seamless, transitional environment without interrupting its pacing; forests effortlessly give way to caves, and caves edge towards bleak urban rooftops. Music is also virtually non-existent, replaced by the ambience of the world around you---(i.e., rain, footsteps, water, etc.) If there were any gripes of the sort with a game of this nature, it would be that when you reach the threshold, it all ends rather suddenly---an unnerving conclusion for a story that never really was. However, to its credit, you can always replay the game to seek out hidden items sprawled throughout the world and earn achievements for your trouble. Another area of concern is the rather high $15 asking price. You can complete LIMBO within five hours or less, but in all fairness, the time spent playing never feels like a waste.
LIMBO is one of those rare gaming opportunities that resonates with you long after you've played it. It is emotional in its context, unwavering in its cruel violence and disturbing in its visual presentation. It is a depressing, cruel account of a young boy's journey that finishes abruptly, but leaves you with a sense of personal accomplishment, an unnerving feeling, and a desire to revisit the entire thing all over again. Simply put, this is one of the most enjoyable, hauntingly beautiful and disturbingly surrealistic platformers I've ever played, and one that I invite you to experience for yourself.