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Logo by Max Layne Photography
| Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade |
Anyone that says that videogames are not an art form definitely has not seen “Limbo” on Xbox Live Arcade. “Limbo” is a combination of visuals, sound and game play that are all perfectly craft
together to create something that isn’t just fun to play, but is something amazing to look at and watch as well.
With no text, no dialogue and no real explanation of what is taking place in the game, “Limbo” manages to communicate with gamers the circumstance and causality if a much better way than
most games of the past have been able to. The two dimensional platform game is set in a film noir style, set in black and white and every shade of grey in between, and is surely going to be
one of the best games available through a downloadable service this year.
Players take control of a young boy who wakes up in a forest, giving the player no indication of who this boy is, how he came to be in the forest or where he is supposed to be going. Players
set out into a strange and bizarre world and soon find it to be a very dangerous place. It is at this point in the game that the overall objective becomes quite clear, get out of the strange world
alive and in one piece. There are no cut scenes or loading screens to interrupt the action of the game, which makes it very easy to get caught up in the game’s very immersive and disturbing
world. From the very beginning as the boy wakes up, to the very end of the game, players will never stop being surprised or horrified by what happens in the strange world as the young boy
works his way to the end.
As players progress through the game, some of the pacing seems to drop off. In the first half of the game players will encounter a variety of different creatures and some other children, or
what appear to be other children, and none of them are very happy to see the game’s main character. In the second half of the game players will be working their way through a deserted
industrial area. There is a complete absence of other living creatures makes the game feel a little empty, though this may be what the developers were working towards. However, in the
absence of life forms, the puzzles become much more interesting and involved. This will make players happy that they don’t have to deal with disgruntled life forms on top of solving the much
more difficult puzzles.
When it comes to the ending of the game, many players are going to be surprised at how amazing the finale of this Xbox Live Arcade game is. Some may actually consider this to be one of the
best game endings ever. However, the build up to the final moments in the game could have had a little more action put into them. Players will find themselves working through the second
half of the game attempting to complete puzzles that continually become more and more difficult, and then the game suddenly ends. A little bit more of a climax would have made the ending of
the game that much more enjoyable, though it is still probably one of the most chilling endings anyone has ever seen in a videogame, let alone a downloadable videogame.
Many players may quickly become frustrated with “Limbo” because of the fact that players will die a lot. However, the game tries to take away from that frustration by turning “Limbo” into a trial
and death game. As players make their way through the forest they will come across obstacles that will often kill them immediately in some very graphic and shocking ways. It isn’t very often
that a player sees a little boy get decapitated by a bear trap. However, once the player dies they will be able to restart at a point right before the trap that caused their untimely death. This
allows players to work out how to get around the trap and continue through the game.
Though there are no real instructions for the game, it is very clear what is expected. It is in this way that “Limbo” is probably one of the cleverest and most challenging games to be released in
a long time. Players will be hooked instantly and may find themselves sitting for five or six hours attempting to complete the game in a single sitting. While this may sound like a fairly short
game, it is better for a game to leave players wanting more then to be too long and have players wishing they were done.
The game does have a leaderboard that tracks the player’s completion percentage, but the developer missed an amazing opportunity to build an amazing leaderboard that tracks various
statistics, such as number of deaths, completion time, further distance fallen, etc. The game also offers a variety of achievements that will keep completionists busy as they work towards their
100% goal. One such achievement challenges players to complete the game in a single sitting with five or fewer deaths. This is a challenge even for the most hardcore of gamers.
The sound design of the game is just as astonishing as the graphics are. Many puzzles require players to listen carefully for various sounds that will help players get through the puzzle.
While there isn’t much of a soundtrack, the ambient noise instills a sense of dread and doom in players.
It would be an understatement to say that “Limbo” is an artistic achievement. Very few games offer such original game play and amazing graphics and sound. This is one game everyone will
want to own. Though the game may be short, it is one that will keep gamers entertained to the shocking conclusion.
together to create something that isn’t just fun to play, but is something amazing to look at and watch as well.
With no text, no dialogue and no real explanation of what is taking place in the game, “Limbo” manages to communicate with gamers the circumstance and causality if a much better way than
most games of the past have been able to. The two dimensional platform game is set in a film noir style, set in black and white and every shade of grey in between, and is surely going to be
one of the best games available through a downloadable service this year.
Players take control of a young boy who wakes up in a forest, giving the player no indication of who this boy is, how he came to be in the forest or where he is supposed to be going. Players
set out into a strange and bizarre world and soon find it to be a very dangerous place. It is at this point in the game that the overall objective becomes quite clear, get out of the strange world
alive and in one piece. There are no cut scenes or loading screens to interrupt the action of the game, which makes it very easy to get caught up in the game’s very immersive and disturbing
world. From the very beginning as the boy wakes up, to the very end of the game, players will never stop being surprised or horrified by what happens in the strange world as the young boy
works his way to the end.
As players progress through the game, some of the pacing seems to drop off. In the first half of the game players will encounter a variety of different creatures and some other children, or
what appear to be other children, and none of them are very happy to see the game’s main character. In the second half of the game players will be working their way through a deserted
industrial area. There is a complete absence of other living creatures makes the game feel a little empty, though this may be what the developers were working towards. However, in the
absence of life forms, the puzzles become much more interesting and involved. This will make players happy that they don’t have to deal with disgruntled life forms on top of solving the much
more difficult puzzles.
When it comes to the ending of the game, many players are going to be surprised at how amazing the finale of this Xbox Live Arcade game is. Some may actually consider this to be one of the
best game endings ever. However, the build up to the final moments in the game could have had a little more action put into them. Players will find themselves working through the second
half of the game attempting to complete puzzles that continually become more and more difficult, and then the game suddenly ends. A little bit more of a climax would have made the ending of
the game that much more enjoyable, though it is still probably one of the most chilling endings anyone has ever seen in a videogame, let alone a downloadable videogame.
Many players may quickly become frustrated with “Limbo” because of the fact that players will die a lot. However, the game tries to take away from that frustration by turning “Limbo” into a trial
and death game. As players make their way through the forest they will come across obstacles that will often kill them immediately in some very graphic and shocking ways. It isn’t very often
that a player sees a little boy get decapitated by a bear trap. However, once the player dies they will be able to restart at a point right before the trap that caused their untimely death. This
allows players to work out how to get around the trap and continue through the game.
Though there are no real instructions for the game, it is very clear what is expected. It is in this way that “Limbo” is probably one of the cleverest and most challenging games to be released in
a long time. Players will be hooked instantly and may find themselves sitting for five or six hours attempting to complete the game in a single sitting. While this may sound like a fairly short
game, it is better for a game to leave players wanting more then to be too long and have players wishing they were done.
The game does have a leaderboard that tracks the player’s completion percentage, but the developer missed an amazing opportunity to build an amazing leaderboard that tracks various
statistics, such as number of deaths, completion time, further distance fallen, etc. The game also offers a variety of achievements that will keep completionists busy as they work towards their
100% goal. One such achievement challenges players to complete the game in a single sitting with five or fewer deaths. This is a challenge even for the most hardcore of gamers.
The sound design of the game is just as astonishing as the graphics are. Many puzzles require players to listen carefully for various sounds that will help players get through the puzzle.
While there isn’t much of a soundtrack, the ambient noise instills a sense of dread and doom in players.
It would be an understatement to say that “Limbo” is an artistic achievement. Very few games offer such original game play and amazing graphics and sound. This is one game everyone will
want to own. Though the game may be short, it is one that will keep gamers entertained to the shocking conclusion.
| Genre: Action Developer: Playdead Publisher: Playdead |
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