Limbo is a one-of-a-kind puzzle platformer that successfully succeeds on every level.
+ Unique black-and-white visuals
+ Unexplained story and development keeps you guessing
+ Astonishing amount of superbly thought out puzzles
+ Ambient and eerie noises fit perfectly
Negative
- Short, very short
When in gaming there are some of the most visually stunning and richly detailed, most compelling story and fantastic gameplay, a game named Limbo came along. It features those three things in a different sense. Limbo puts you in a different world unlike any you've seen, challenges you with deviously challenging puzzles and keeps you guessing all the way through this short journey. You probably have never played a game like Limbo before, on any platform.
Limbo is a mysterious game from beginning to end. A young boy finds himself in a mysterious forest home to strange creatures and deadly traps. In Limbo there is no story, no dialogue, no cutscene, and no explanation. While that would seem like a deadly sin for a game, it's not in Limbo's case. Unlike any other game, Limbo creates a unique relation between you and the young boy whom is completely featureless, black like a silhouette all but his two small yellow eyes. The game is incredibly atmospheric that pulls you in and keeps you guessing for all the way; who is this boy, why is he here, what is this place, who are the other children, and a million more questions as you come face to face with a 'cruel' game that constantly challenges you with some of the most brilliant puzzles around that keep the game challenging till the very end.
Limbo is a 2D platformer where the unnamed boy has to run and jump fatal traps and pitfalls in order to survive. This is a black and white game combined with ambient music that makes for a compellingly scary atmosphere everytime. The characters, the creatures, the objects; they're all black making deadly traps difficult to see without a watchful eye. The far objects appear grayish while the closer ones become blacker for example items like boxes and creates that you can interact. Everything is kept 'in the dark' to help you focus on your character as he journeys through lying traps and puzzles set up to kill the innocent boy.
The game consists of platforming and puzzle solving; both of which are superb. Aside from the merely imperfect controls, there are very few flaws in Limbo. The puzzles are some of the best and most fun I've ever found in a game and almost each one of them was not straightforward but fun to solve. Puzzles are laid out in a way that they make you stop to think rather than rush through and even some of the platforming section involving jump have more to them than what they seem. For example there is a puzzle there you need to make a giant spider stomp its foot on the ground to drop a bear trap stuck on a tree branch just off screen. Another requires you balancing two tanks of water differently to allow a heavy object to raise the water level of one tank to allow you to cross. Some of them require you to pull a level, but it's never just that. Normally there is more than one sequence before the game automatically save your progress.
Death is a part of Limbo. According to the Catholic Church "limbo" is the place where those who die with the original sin go to so it's no surprise that death is somewhat related. Limbo's trial-and-error gameplay will challenge the player to think and sometimes think and act fast. Failing a jumping section will have the boy fall into a pit. Failing to jump a bear trap shows a terrifying image of the boy being crushed by it. Failing to escape from a boulder squashes the boy. Drowning, stabbed by a giant spider, cut down by a factory saw; it's a frightening image of this boy's fate. These are the consequences you meet when you don't figure out a specific timed puzzle or sequence. But dying isn't a punishment since the game puts you a few meters before the puzzle and there is an unlimited amount of tries for each one. Loadings are quick as well so there is no need to wait long to try again. The only problem comes when there are multiple traps. For example you passed two deadly traps and immediately after you find a part you can't beat on one try. It's a bit frustrating to have deal with the same section again, but this is an extremely rare occasion. For an up, the puzzles are all different, all imaginative and will win you over with a little patience and solving them is extremely satisfying.
The level of challenge in Limbo varies from person to person. But Limbo is a puzzle platforming that is smart enough to give a small twist to increase difficulty and creativity in some puzzles. A weird, white worm may fall on the boy's head in some puzzle where this thing controls the boy, forcing him to go in one direction only which often leads him to his death. These puzzles are even more expertly designed, conveniently providing penetrating sunlight that forces the worm to change direction. These puzzles are slightly more complex than the other puzzles. This part ends when the worm is killed by stranger ceiling sharp-teeth creatures. Near the end of the game, the difficulty can scale on a bit on frustration. Complex puzzles involving gravity and timed section can be very difficult to handle and there are some puzzles that aren't logical enough even after numerous attempts to figuring out the puzzle. But the vast majority of the puzzles offer you something to start with like a box to carry to go higher or a higher platform unreachable for the boy and such.
As you walk some short stretches undisturbed by puzzles or death traps, moody sounds like the rain and wind take place that give the game a lonely feel. In the first part the boy will see other children carrying weapons and run away from you. Without any explanation, the game subconsciously makes you think and ask questions even after the strange ending of the story. Sounds like sliding boulders, the sound of the giant spider getting closer in the first part of the game and the sound of factory machinery will instantly alarm you. That's how powerful the sound is. The sound effects play a vital role in Limbo's atmosphere. But even so the presentation of the game. The boy is completely black without any features whatsoever besides his two yellow eyes that help you keep track on the boy in complete darkness. Close environments and objects to interact with as dark as night removing everything but needed detail to identify that everything is. It manages to immerse you into the puzzle you're solving without being distracted with what lies in the background. Frankly, I can't imagine Limbo with colors and I've never seen such a game before.
Limbo is something special. It's something original, unique and superb. Its visuals and music, the fact that the game has no story, no explanation, no cutscenes, no narration, or something to hint what really happened already and how the game makes a unique emotional connection with the player make Limbo different. Even without words, Limbo makes you think what message Limbo is trying to deliver as you solve fantastic puzzles and avoid deadly traps. Limbo is a one-of-a-kind game that shouldn't be missed.
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Graphics = 9.1
Black and white visuals are really unique, covering every environmental and character detail creating something unseen before.
Sound = 9.0
Composed only of ambient music and background noises, the sound is superb.
Presentation = 9.2
No cutscenes, no dialogue/text or explanation. The game just tosses you in this mysterious world which will make you think. And it works.
Gameplay = 9.1
The platforming is excellent and the puzzles are terrific. Minimal non-frustrating trial-and-error.
Story = 8.7
The non-explained story approach works successfully creating a unique work the sucks the player in. It's short though, really short unfortunately.
OVERALL = 91 / 100
Limbo is a one-of-a-kind puzzle platformer that successfully delivers an outstanding game.