Have you ever seen one of those movie advertisements on television that sound like the marketer just raided a thesaurus for the biggest words of praise he or she could find? “Astounding.” “Audacious.” “Astonishing.” You know the type of ad I’m talking about, where one of each kind of word is all that is quoted from the critics in an attempt to make the movie as appealing as possible. While I’m not quoting any other critics here, though, I do apologize in advance if this review sounds like one of those ads…however, the Xbox LIVE Arcade title Limbo – the first of the Summer of Arcade lineup – deserves every word of praise. It is a game so sublimely executed, so perfectly crafted that if you enjoy video games on any level, be it casual, hardcore, or anywhere in-between, you simply owe it to yourself to check out Limbo. Limbo is a game that renders the question of whether or not games are art irrelevant, for Limbo is, either way, a masterpiece…even though it is the first work ever to come out of Denmark-based developer Playdead. To better get an idea as to why Limbo is so amazing, a proper context must be established. Picture if you will classic puzzle platformers of the 16-bit era, games such as Flashback, Out of This World, Blackthorne, and similar. In case you don’t know, games of this type are referred to in Wikipedia as “cinematic platformers,” for lack of a better term; they are not played by jumping ridiculous heights and bopping bad guys on the head, but rather in a more realistic fashion, with more lifelike movements and an emphasis on puzzle-solving.
Now, if you remember those games at all, you probably remember their flaws as well as their moments of brilliance. Even though those games had plots that stirred emotion as well as puzzles that stirred the intellect, they were often very difficult to the point of frustration, often relying on the player committing to a seemingly endless cycle of trial and error in some cases. However, one definite positive of these games was that they pushed the technology of their time to the limit, creating graphics that some may have never thought possible on 16-bit systems. With this context established, now picture Limbo as being the following: a cinematic platformer with all of the positives, without any of the bull crap. Limbo is a game that carries this classic genre of video game to its logical conclusion, correcting all of the flaws of its predecessors and creating an experience that must be played to be believed. To start with, the graphical style of Limbo is unlike anything seen in a video game to date – for one thing, it’s all black and white with shades of gray. That may sound bland at first, but the style is actually reminiscent of sketch drawings, and it has a Tim Burton feel to it (think the Nightmare Before Christmas). The game’s visuals paint a very haunting picture, perfect to tell the game’s equally haunting yet simple storyline: a boy trying to find his sister, who has been lost in the world bordering Hell, known as Limbo. The minimalist visuals paint a sense of mystery about the world as you explore it, providing just enough of a hint to tell what’s going on in the story and the game without spelling it all out for you.
I must add that at points the graphics are downright scary in their tone, rivaling anything you may see in Dead Space or Alan Wake, without any reliance on cheap cat scares. The sound is of equal significance, also being minimalist, but no less important in establishing the ambiance and atmosphere of Limbo. No annoying music or unnecessary sound effects here – you have just what you need to establish what’s going on, and it is beautiful. The way Limbo is played is just as compelling as the graphics, and for starters it has an incredibly simple control scheme – use the left stick to move, A to jump, and B as a context sensitive action button. These simple controls are all that you need to explore and investigate the fascinating world of Limbo, as it’s often fairly obvious what the B button does at certain junctures: grab objects, throw switches, etc. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself doing a myriad of things to get around the mind-altering world of Limbo, such as positioning bear traps to snatch the legs of a giant spider, luring enemies into their own traps, climbing to highs and descending to lows that would make superheroes nervous, and much more. The puzzles you will need to solve to proceed in the world of Limbo are brilliantly planned and executed, and are shining examples of puzzle platforming done right. The solutions are obscure enough that it’s not clear what to do right away, but intuitive enough that it’s easy to figure out what to do if you put yourself in the right mindset. Every puzzle feels like an accomplishment to solve, and not once did I find myself frustrated or feel like I was caught in an endless cycle of trial and error.
To add to the replay value, there are certain collectibles scattered throughout Limbo that count as Achievements once found, and the Achievement descriptions give just enough of a hint that if you’ve played through the game once, you can probably figure them out. Probably the only flaws that I can think of with Limbo are that the game is sadly shorter than it should be (if you dedicate about five or six hours of playtime you can probably play through the entire game in one sitting), and that the price may be a bit steep for some, at 1200 MS points (or $15). Still, the game is worth every penny. With a puzzle platformer this good, doubtless comparisons will be made between this game and Braid, but I must stress that Braid and Limbo are two different beasts that both exemplify what good games should be. While Braid is an attempt to subvert the normal conventions of game design and play, Limbo is a game that is designed to suck you into its world and not let go until you’ve played for five hours straight and not even realized it (like I have). In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here (no pun intended) and say that Limbo is even better than Braid in certain areas, such as sheer atmosphere, telling an ambiguous story of which players can construct their own experiences, and delightful play. Don’t be caught in limbo making a decision – buy this game as soon as it comes out on Xbox Live Arcade, and support this kind of creativity in the game industry. No matter what kind of gamer you are, you won’t be disappointed.
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