Limbo

He wakes to find no one. The forest does not grant him a warm welcome. It is quiet, dark, and scary, the very epitome of a nightmare. Unaware of the danger ahead, he stands up, ready to begin his search.

At it’s core, Limbo is a simple puzzle platformer in terms of it’s game-play, but that’s not the focus of what you will take away from this game. The dark and unforgiving atmosphere, and the journey to escape will draw you in from start to finish, making it one of the most immersive games out there.  

The story in Limbo can have many different meanings, but the focus is on a boy’s search for his sister. Throughout the journey, you will encounter many different obstacles in your way that will test your mind and reflexes. Puzzles fill up most of the game-play in Limbo, and increasingly get difficult over time. Failure to successfully figure them out, will usually grant you an unwelcome end.

Death in Limbo is a constant element, as any mistakes you make will usually find the boy meeting a terrible end in many violent and brutal ways. We die often in games, but when it is a child being impaled or decapitated, it makes you want to avoid them more than usual.  

The moment you wake up in the forest, you are on your own. There are no hints, notifications, and any elements of a usual videogame would probably just take you out of the experience anyway. There is barely any music as well, instead ambient sound effects and the footsteps of the boy compose most of what you will hear, but this is what makes the game great to play.

 
Limbo kicked off the 2010 Summer of Arcade in a great way, and the $15 asking price isn’t meaty enough to hold you over for long, but the experience is what Limbo is all about, and one that will stay with you long after the credits. 5/5