Limbo was released July 21st as the first part of this year’s Summer of Arcade. I must say, hell of a way to kick it off! Limbo isn’t a long game. In fact, you can finish it in one sitting if you really want to (which you probably will). Even though the game is only a few hours, it will leave you with an experience you will not forget. There are a few things that help Limbo stand out in presentation.
First of all, there is no HUD. Really, you don’t need one since there are only three buttons you need to use. The lack of HUD helps to fully engross you in the game to make it feel like more of a cinematic experience. The world is dark, cold, and unwelcoming. Everything is in black and white. The game is filled with lots of shocking imagery. Deaths are surprising and often gruesome. Ever see someone get their head chopped off by a bear trap? In Limbo you will. You will see dead children hanging from ropes, and bodies of other children lying around. That cold feeling you get is actually less from the look and more from the sounds of the game. There is no music, just ambient noises. Wind, gears churning in the back ground, and a few other items depending on where you are. One thing I thought was pretty creepy was the lack of screaming or yelling when you are killed. If you get caught by the giant spider it impales you but you’re still alive. You see your character flailing in agony, but you don’t hear anything.
Limbo is a game of puzzles and traps. Traps are sometimes hard to recognize until it is too late. Honestly, I have to tell you most traps will kill you immediately without you ever expecting it, and after you’re killed by your first trap you will be extremely cautious throughout the rest of the game. Some of the traps are activated by doing something that seems harmless like pushing or pulling an item out of the way. Also, some areas have multiple traps so if one doesn’t get you the other will. The puzzles aren’t terribly difficult, but they do require you to think and be aware of what is around you. At first puzzles and traps are separate, but after the game warms you up a little, traps will be present in puzzles. Naturally the difficulty increases throughout the game and not only do you need to figure out the puzzles, but you need to do it in a timely manner. Sometimes you will not be able to control the direction you’re walking in thanks to parasites that attach themselves to you. The closer you get to the end the more the puzzles become about speed, timing, perfect movements, and perfect jumps.
Traps aren’t the only thing that can kill you in Limbo. You come across a few hostile life forms. Two you come across early in the game are a giant spider and some not so friendly neighborhood kids. You have no weapons so you need to use traps against these enemies. That is, if you can get through these traps alive without dying while the enemy is chasing you down.
In Limbo you will die… a lot. For each trial you face, you will respond with lots of error. Usually this really annoys me in a game, but not in Limbo. Most of the time, when you fail a puzzle you will start in a location relatively close to the beginning of that puzzle, if not right in front of it. After you successfully complete a puzzle the game auto saves. Because the game auto saves so frequently it makes Limbo a really easy game to get a 10-15 minute session in and then turn off the system. That’s if you want to do that. My guess is once you start playing you really won’t want to put it down. I know my first session turned into 3 hours without me even noticing it because of how smoothly the game flows from one area to another.
There is no doubt in my mind that Limbo is one of the best games that comes out this year. Even with no dialog, music, of explanation of what’s happening, the game manages to engross you in its world allowing you to create the story yourself by drawing your conclusions. The game is only about 4 or 5 hours, but you will enjoy every moment. It’s only 1200 points ($15) so it’s a small price for an experience you won’t forget.
