Lateral Investigation into the Memories of a Boy's Obambulation.
LIMBO is a very simplistic game. The controls (on PC) consist of the arrow keys and the control key. That's all there is to it, but you're still going to die a hundred times on your first playthrough. LIMBO isn't levels, but instead it's one big 2D adventure where you have to go all the way from the left-side of the game to the right-side of the game. It's not as simple as it sounds though, as you'll face enemies that you will be running from 95% of the time, which will drag you back further, and traps that will trip you up along the way.
Unfortunately, the set difficulty in LIMBO is very easy. Every time you die, you spawn right before the trap or enemy, instead of having to go back a long way. It makes it a lot less frustrating, but it also makes the game a complete cakewalk. That doesn't mean it's not going to be hard to beat some of the enemies or get past some of the traps, but it means that the game is a lot shorter than it could be, and there's really no reason to come back to beat it a second time due to lack of collectables or secret areas, which would have been easy for them to add in.
Graphics
LIMBO isn't so much a game as it is an art-piece. The entire game is in a grainy black and white, but even if you aren't a fan of black and white films or games (the very few black and white games that there are, anyways), that doesn't mean this game isn't for you. The game absorbs you into its world while you're playing, and most of the time you don't even notice that it's black and white. The game gives you the power to color the game's world how you want.
The game takes place in an amazingly big forest, with a film-noire (as described by others) feel. It begins as a very confusing game, because you, nor the boy you play as, know what is going on or where you are. It soon turns into a dark, gloomy, creepy game that gives most 3D survival horror games a run for their money.
2D platformers are staying alive because of Nintendo and Indie developers, and LIMBO is one of the best new platformers, and it's another reason why we need to support Indie developers even more, because this just shows that they're more capable of producing amazing games than companies with hundreds of people working on a single game. If each person in a game company was capable of making LIMBO, Super Meat Boy or Minecraft, the standards for games would be upped by a lot. I'm not saying games these days aren't great, because they're amazing, but I'm saying that people need to support the developers of games like LIMBO more. There are Easter Eggs, but they aren't really worth going back for if you miss them the first time around.
Sound
LIMBO has a very fitting sound-track that helps make the game very creepy. At one point earlier in on in the game, you will meet a visitor (or resident of the forest, I suppose) who is situated in a tree who will probably make you jump, because you won't notice him the first time if you've got the sound up high. The sounds are what help make LIMBO creepier than the majority of the 3D survival-horror games out there today.
There isn't any voice-acting, partly because it's a 2D platformer, but also because it helps make the game mysterious. There's no text or subtitles either, so you have to to figure out the mysteries of the boy, his enemies and the forest he wakes up in by yourself.
Story
In LIMBO, you play as a small boy who wakes up in a mysterious forest, not knowing how he got there or how he can escape. At first, it's a very cheery forest, despite being black and white and kind of gloomy, but you soon discover that there are other children in the forest who aren't as happy to see you as you are to see them. You eventually stumble upon a large being with eight legs who is quite happy to see you, solely for eating purposes, though.
One of the things that may seem puzzling upon entering LIMBO is that the game's name is all in capital letters, meaning it should stand for something. It doesn't stand for anything at all, it's just the way they put the letters in, but in my opinion it stands for: Lateral Investigation into the Memories of a Boy's Obambulation. The reason I chose such words is because one of the meanings of "lateral" is "Of, relating to, or situated at or on the side.", which represents the game being a 2D adventure. I figure the rest is self-explanatory, as the game is about investigating how the boy got into the forest in LIMBO, and how to get out. Obambulation means "to wander about (aimlessly)".
LIMBO's story can be interpreted however you want. If you have watched Inception, you'll probably relate this game to the term "limbo" from Inception, which is the layer between dreaming and a reality inside dreaming (a.k.a. you're stuck inside the dream forever). LIMBO is definitely as confusing as Inception, especially the end. Both Inception and LIMBO end without warning and have a very confusing end that is interpreted differently by every person.
Longevity
LIMBO is not a very long game. It shouldn't take anyone more than 4-7 hours to complete on their first try, unless they're really lagging or having trouble with the traps. The traps and puzzles in LIMBO are difficult enough to keep you busy for the entire cakewalk without getting bored, which is a lot better than a 15-20 hour game that drags on forever. For 10$, that really isn't that bad of a value for this game, if you think back to arcades costing 25 cents for a minute or two of gaming.
There are achievements in LIMBO, the hardest one requiring you to beat the game in one sitting with less than five deaths. This should be easily doable if you play through the game right after your first playthrough, with all of the traps still fresh in your mind.
The Verdict
Pros:
• Graphics really work
• Great sound-track
• Spectacular premise
Cons:
• Short
• Confusing story and ending
Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 8.5
Story: 9.0
Multiplayer: N/A
Longevity: 7.0
9.0/10