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LIMBO
PC (Steam)
Purgatory in 3 Hours
2.5/5 stars
“LIMBO” is an Indie 2D platformer created by Danish developer PLAYDEAD. Initially, “LIMBO” was released as an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, before receiving ports to the PlayStation Network and Steam a year later. Despite its resemblance to the Wii-exclusive “Lost in Shadow,” “LIMBO” is an entirely original game. To be honest, I had little interest in “LIMBO” and the only reason I decided to give it a shot is because Steam had it on sale for $2.50. I have come to regret my impulse buy.
Presentation
The artistic look of the game is really the only thing “LIMBO” has going for it. Everything in the game is black and white, with objects, people, and enemies represented by silhouettes. Light sources in the game have a grainy texture, making them look reminiscent of old film. It’s a striking effect, and contributes to the arguments that games can be art… but it doesn’t really do a lot to make the game fun. I found far too many instances where I couldn’t tell what an object was or that there was even an interactive object present at all, based solely on the silhouette.
The sound in “LIMBO” complements the dark and spooky environs created through the unique artistic design by being almost entirely ambient. There is incredibly little music in the game, and what there is isn’t memorable. What is memorable, however, is the use of sound effects in certain puzzles to indicate the proper timing for movement.
Story
I really have no idea what is going on in “LIMBO.” A silhouette of a boy with glowing, white eyes awakens in a forest. He sets out to the left through a world of shadows where everything seems to be trying to kill him. As some point it appears as if he is trying to meet up with a silhouette of a girl, but who she is isn’t explained in the game. Glowing-Eyes Boy eventually leaves the forest for a cave, then leaves the cave for a cityscape as he travels across the ruins of a hotel, before eventually ending his adventure in some sort of bizarre industrial area populated with electro-magnets, anti-gravity switches, conveyor belts, buzzsaws, and automated sentry machineguns (wat?). None of the stage progression makes any sense. Very few of the things trying to kill Glowing-Eyes Boy make any sense. Why the world is as it is makes no sense. Who is the girl? I haven’t a clue. As a narrative, “LIMBO” is far too close to pretentious modern art that hides the artist’s true intentions behind nonsensical symbolism and relies on individual artistic interpretations from the viewer. If there is a point to be made, it needs to be made. In playing through “LIMBO,” I felt like I was wasting my time.
Gameplay
“LIMBO” is a puzzle platformer that loves to kill its main character. While the entire game can be completed in one sitting and is scarcely 3 hours long, a first-time playthrough will result in dozens of deaths both due to semi-clunky controls and the unintuitiveness of some of the puzzles. At least the game supports an Xbox 360 controller by default (as only makes sense for a game ported from the Xbox 360).
The most out-in-front thing I dislike about “LIMBO” is that it’s an original “Prince of Persia” inspired 2D platformer, much like its look-alike, “Lost in Shadow.” Glowing-Eyes Boy can barely jump and he dies if he falls too far or gets lightly tapped on the head by a falling object. Indeed, there are dozens of painful and horrific ways for Glowing-Eyes Boy to die: Impalement, incineration, drowning, electrocution, dismemberment, gunshots, blow-darts, crushing, parasitic brain maggots… “LIMBO” is a world of pure hatred it seems. Each of the puzzles has one correct solution, and sometimes the solutions are hidden in barely-noticeable visual cues that all but disappear in the shadowy art style. Many of the puzzles are well-executed and clever, but I found most of the game to be an uninteresting chore of memorization.
Overall
“LIMBO” is an incredibly short, incredibly artistic, incredibly non-fun game. Anyone looking for an artistic experience or any old fans of the ancient “Prince of Persia” games might find “LIMBO” enjoyable, but with so many other good Indie 2D platformers out there, I don’t really see a reason to bother with this one. At least the short length means the suffering doesn’t have to last too long.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Story: 1/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 2.5/5
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