Limbo Review. This is a dark, grim, and beautiful game
Limbo is a place found in the afterlife. A young boy finds himself waking up in a forest all by himself. The initial setting of the environment, while mysterious suggests a sense of calmness. However it doesn't take too long to realize that there is a lot of danger in Limbo. There are two settings in Limbo, which includes the forest and an industrial area. There are obstacles, creatures, and unwelcoming inhabitants that make the world of Limbo a hostile place. There is no actual story telling in this game, nor is there a sound track. The only glimpse the player gets to why the boy is in this world are short snippets of him seeing his sister.
At its core Limbo is a simple side scrolling platformer. Almost everything in the game seems minimal. From the lack of storytelling, music, character development, and game play. Even though the game lacks many elements that video games have, it still does an effective job of creating a world that seems real. A main reason for this is the art direction that PLAYDEAD chose. The game is in black and white, and gives off an eerie atmosphere. There is also a grain filter, which creates an old film noir look. The presentation of the game is very solid. The world of Limbo is depressing and haunting. For example players will yearn to find some sort of human connection in this game, and when you finally encounter another child for the first time you find out that he has hung himself.
Limbo wants to have the players experience what the boy is going through. Having music in this game wouldn't make sense. How often do you hear music when exploring a forest or an abandoned industrial location? Instead the sound of the wind, dripping water, insects, and footsteps creates more of a natural atmosphere.
Another part of the game that is missing is the story. Without having a structured story the player can feel misguided at times. What I mean by this is that a lot of the time I was wondering why was I doing all of this? At the same time by not having the story told to me made me create my own adventure. I was filling in all of the blank spaces that the game never talks about. I was asking myself who this boy was, where did he come from, and how he was trapped in this place?
In this game players will find themselves running, jumping, pulling, climbing and dying a lot. This game is disturbing. Limbo throws you along with the young boy into this world that tries very hard to kill you. There is a real sense that you have to keep moving, and the game does a decent job of this. There are no loading screens or cut scenes, so the transitions of levels are smooth, but like I mentioned this game is brutal and violent. Bear traps, insects, and saws will rip, stab, and cut you apart leaving the young boy as a pile of limbs. This is a challenging game with unique and smart puzzles. Even though you will die a lot, the developers were kind enough to make the checkpoint right before the obstacle, which makes dying less irritating.
While I enjoyed this game, I still had a few problems with it. First of all the game is short. It is about a six hour long game, which is not that big of a deal, but to pay $10 seems a little steep for a short game. Another issue was the inconsistency that I experienced playing throughout the game. Limbo does an effective job of creating a harsh and sad place, but at the same time I felt like I was going in and out of Limbo. If I got really stuck on a puzzle I would stop playing for a few days, and then come back to try the puzzle again. Dying all the time made me think too much about how to solve a certain problem, which ultimately sucked me out of the moody environment.
These few problems that I had with the game should not deter players from trying it out. Limbo is a unique and powerful game, and the ending of it is outstanding. The game may end abruptly, leaving more questions unanswered than answered, but it gives an uncertain sense of accomplishment, and hope for the young boy, which I loved.