Limbo's sophisticated puzzles, shockingly violent content and moody visual design make for a very unsettling adventure
Contains: Very Strong Disturbing Images
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Limbo is a 2D puzzle Platformer that follows a nameless boy who awakens in the middle of a forest, and seeks his sister. The boy you play as is a mere silhouette against the atmospheric backdrop. He is shadowed completely in black apart from his eyes - those white, innocent eyes that are the only sign of life, the only sign of hope for this little boy's journey into a nightmare, into limbo…
It's an adventure, a puzzle, and a riddle all at the same time, as no speech or text is ever heard or seen and no tutorial to give you a hint to what is happening or what your objective is. Does it interpret biblical references to life after death? Or have some kind of metaphorical meaning of some kind? The final scene will leave you able to perceive your own belief as to what the title and the overall theme means, and while the game could have been better with a story of some sort, and ends rather abruptly, it's a game that is based around innovative gameplay and striking aesthetics to torment you just as much as entice you in. The puzzles are clever, imaginative and intelligent, and to complete many of them you'll have to think very carefully, before proceeding with your primary instinct which could ultimately get you killed and force you endure the fate you created because of the lack of perception to the environment and obstacles in your path. Precarious platforming is a core aspect of Limbo, constantly providing you with uninviting levels that demand skill and timing, and get more challenging and thought provoking the further you journey into this boy's uncertain fate. Observing the surroundings is a key point throughout this 2D sidescroller, and so just because the solution seems obvious or a bit too simple, you'll often find yourself on the wrong end of spikes for your instinctive reactions where the means to succeed were staring right at you but you were oblivious to it. The second half of the game features puzzles and traps involving more mechanical aspects, such as machinery, electromagnetism, and gravity, and is more difficult as opposed to the puzzles in the woods level which feature more scripted events. Some of the most memorable scenes in the game come about with the introduction of a giant black spider that pursues you relentlessly, making you partake in vicious acts of violence to halt it's progress to allow you to continue on your own; Or from another strange creature that digs into your brain and forces you in one direction until you step into light in which it reverses direction, which ultimately makes for some tense, quick-thinking puzzle solving.
You cautiously move forwards past the gloomy trees and background fog, pondering what clever puzzle will await you next, and whether failure will cause a horrific demise that is amplified extremely because it's so unexpected and depicted explicitly by all kinds of gruesome things within the environment. And dying produces such a shocking impact, that you'll do your utmost best to avoid it where possible, and whether its falling victim to a vicious bear trap on the ground that snaps shut and crushes your little fragile structure, or accidentally slipping into deep water and watching as you are submerged and painlessly drown on your way down to the murky depths before resting against the bottom lifelessly, the disturbing images that accompany such a death will no doubt steer you away from unworkable solutions. Trial and error is a big part, but it's rarely frustrating and only makes you more aware of the foreboding danger and peril ahead. In fact, this was the intention of the developer's who named this "trial and death" who included gruesome death sequences to highlight incorrect solutions and discourage you from repeating the same mistakes. If drowning seems a cruel punishment for a mistimed jump, then being mutilated by a rotating saw blade or squashed by a large industrial compressor will be nothing short of shocking. When you jump across large gaps with spikes awaiting your mistiming, you'll be relieved as you cling on and subsequently pull yourself up, as desperation filled your senses to not fall into the gory consequences below but to push forward confidently despite the neglect you may feel from the eerie environment.
The game is presented primarily in monochromatic black-and-white tones, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere often associated with the horror genre. The shadows cast upon the surroundings hide numerous environmental and physical traps, and sometimes it may be too late before you realise you are just one step away from savage dismemberment. It feels and looks very moody and atmospheric, with constantly disturbing themes and a dark presentation that will be more than enough to suppress your feelings until you know you are momentarily safe and able to vent the fear and panic you felt as you were pursued by a gigantic spider which, if not defeated in some way, would violently dispatch you. The beautifully haunting art style that depicts this woeful realm of horrifying imagery and deadly foes is a work of art, and it's unique not just for the sense of dread that accompanies such a creepy atmosphere, but for the way it incorporates such smart puzzles and strings them together perfectly. Lengths of time can go past with very little sound, but the faint chirping of crickets within the forest levels, or the creaking of machinery within the industrial-like setting contribute enormously to the atmosphere, the visuals, aswell as the gameplay, making you feel uncomfortable, anxious and unsettled to what monster could approach you next or what deviously concocted puzzle is waiting to lure you in to a false sense of security.
Limbo isn't a sweet little Platformer with happy emotions or good spirit, it's a violent puzzle platformer that manipulates this innocent looking child into preparing to do anything to survive by committing some unexpectedly grisly acts to save himself and to fulfil his goal that only he knows the full extent about. Smart, challenging puzzles with plenty of variety keep you on your toes within environments that envelope you under the dark spell of a hostile atmosphere thick with the smell of death that looms large every time a puzzle is displayed to you, and the graphics and art design are simply outstanding and admirably suited to the tone of this horror-themed adventure. Overall, Limbo leaves an impression on you that few games do, proving both shocking and sophisticated in the mysterious events that unfold without reason and without pause, and is a work of art that simply must be experienced.
Gameplay - 5/5
Graphics - 5/5
Sound - 5/5
Controls - 5/5
Atmosphere - 5/5
Length - 1/5
Replay Value - 3/5
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OVERALL SUMMARY - 9/10
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Good Points: Moody black and white visual design that embodies you within an incredibly thick and hostile atmosphere, Very clever puzzles that reward you more frequently for careful observations of your surroundings as opposed to instinctive reactions, Violent deaths make you desperate to avoid failure for this little boy and the quest he strives to complete, Perfect sound design that is so subtle and so effective, Disturbing content does an amazing job at creating a sense of dread for what will happen next, Frequent checkpoints, Scenes involving a giant spider are both memorable and shocking.
Bad Points: Your actions could have felt more purposeful if you had just a slight narrative to follow, Doesn't take long to reach the abrupt ending.