Limbo is a Puzzle-Platformer for the Xbox Live Arcade released under the Summer of Arcade promotion. Developed by Playdead Studios this title uses physics based puzzles and a striking art style to pull the player in. Upon it's release Limbo received a huge amount of critical acclaim, but with over 5 weeks passed since release how does it stand now that the hype clouds have passed?
Limbo puts you in the shoes of an unnamed boy who is apparently searching for his sister. The gameplay requires you to move between area to area solving physics based puzzles. Keeping things extremely simple you'll only be required to move, jump, and grab/use objects. The mechanics all work smoothly and the experience feels extremely polished. As you progress through the game the puzzles will progressively get more intricate, however still all follow a very similar 'trial-and-death' format of solving them. When failing these puzzles you'll usually be met with some form of gruesome death for the small boy, quite a shocking sight initially. However it isn't long before you keep seeing the same kind of death repeat - getting squashed, drowning, or being impaled on spikes.
In the first third or so of the game you'll come across an extremely creepy giant spider along with other boys who appear to be setting traps to see your demise. The game does a fantastic job early on of making the player wonder what exactly is going on, and why other humans seem to want you dead. However it isn't long before you'll venture into a factory style environment - this is where the game really takes a turn for the worst. That creepy feeling of wonder is completely lost. Instead it feels as if your simply going from room to room solving puzzles, as opposed to exploring this world. Smart puzzles turn into repetitive block based challenges which really start to quickly drag.
The game uses a black and white style to catch your eye and set the eerie tone. There is no real music in Limbo, and instead the game uses atmospheric sounds to fantastic effect. It sets a fantastically striking theme early on with a dark murky world, along with some particularly gruesome tasks you must undertake, which most certainly don't feel like a place that's appropriate for a young boy. It's presentation is absolutely superb and stays consistent throughout.
Limbo is a tough game to score. On one end you have a visually stunning experience which is almost worth the recommendation alone. The game sets it's tone brilliantly throughout, particularly at the start, and offers a mind boggling ambigious ending to keep you thinking even after the credits have rolled, despite any kind of strict narrative. But it's impossible to ignore the fact that the core gameplay really starts to drag, especially upon entering the factory area. The game only clocks in it around 2 hours and a half, depending on the speed at which you solve the puzzles, which makes it extremely difficult to justify. The second half of the game soon starts to drag, and at that rate any longer could cause an even stronger sense of negativity. Should one simply just check out some video footage of the game, or experience it for themselves? It's difficult to reach a true conclusion, however considering I only particularly enjoyed the first half of the game, at 1200MSP ($15.00/£10.28), it makes Limbo extremely difficult to recommend.
Limbo gets an official Game-Pad 7.5/10
Comments
Nice review tho dude.
Its a toughie to score.
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