Limbo is an engrossing game that will truly leave you wanting more.

User Rating: 9 | LIMBO X360
By standarddamage | Review Date:
It's hard to approach games like Limbo without trepidation, because it's not just a game, it's art. And every time you see you see a game that's touted as a piece of art all kinds of alarms immediately go off in your head, mostly because the developers of said games usually do a lousy job of putting the game together. The Path was a perfect example of this, trying to excuse lousy and sloppy game design by saying things like "It's not a game, it's an experience." This is, of course, total crap because if you play it, it's a game.

Thankfully, Limbo successfully combines both worlds by combining creative level design and puzzles with a unique look and a minimal approach to sound design and controls. And while any one of these aspects is strong on its own, it's in the way it all comes together that shows not only the genius of the game's design, but also how much love and expert crafting went into its execution. Playdead (Limbo's developer) really took their time with this, and it shows.

What will truly leave you marveling is how you'll establish an emotional connection to both the game's story and main character without any dialog or explanation whatsoever. When the game starts, you wake up as a young boy in a forest and have absolutely no idea why you're there or what's happening; you simply have to go to the right and see where the world takes you. You know there has to be an end goal in mind (and there is an end goal), but you have no clue as to what that prize is. Still, the games very stark attitude towards death, which you will experience first-hand many times throughout the game, along with some very well placed sound effects will make you truly feel it every time he's crushed, smashed, or impaled. His life and death struggle literally becomes your own, and it sucks you in from start to finish.

If there was one genuine complaint that could made about the game, it's just too short. Three to four hours of gameplay, no matter how you slice it, just isn't enough for a game with little replay value short of some treasure and achievement hunting. Some of this is to the game's credit, as the game is wholly satisfying by the time you reach the ending and also leaves you wanting more of it's engrossing world, but it still would have been nice to see at least another hour or so of playtime for the $15.00 price tag.

Thanks to Limbo's ability to wrap you into it's world, simple controls, and balanced puzzles, it's easy to recommend this game to wide variety of gamers. Only those who truly despise art house-style games or will feel ripped-off by the short length should stay away. Otherwise, this is one Xbox Live Arcade game that every 360 owner should have in their collection.

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