Limbo

Game developer Playdead's 2010 downloadable platform/puzzle game "Limbo" has quickly joined the ranks along with "Shadow of the Colossus", "Metal Gear Solid" and "Heavy Rain" as a strong contender in the argument of video gaming being a valid form of the arts. The game is a revolution for platform and puzzle gaming, and the visual style pushes it to breathtaking heights. This is one of the finest games available for download on the Microsoft X-Box 360 or Sony Playstation 3.

The story is minimalistic- you play a nameless young boy, pursuing a young girl through a hellish domain of forest and decaying cityscape, forced to solve treacherous and life-threatening puzzles to stay alive and proceed. There is no dialog and music is kept to a bare minimum.

The first thing that attracts most people to this game is the dark, unsettling visual style. Almost the entire game is played in silhouette- your character and his immediate environment is pitch black, save for the young boys paper-white eyes. Fog generally obscures portions of the background, but you will also see layer after layer of gray-scale trees, structures and buildings in the background. The game is easily comparable to old black-and-white film noir, or German expressionism in terms of visual stylings. There is a complete absence of color, leading to elements like fire, sparks and water having an oppressive, blurred white effect that is almost hyper-real, and therefore even more threatening.

As mentioned above, there is absolutely no dialog, and an almost complete lack of music. Instead of music, we are treated to the sounds of the environment- the patter of feet against the ground, the groaning of metal, or the wind whipping through the trees. Only in certain rare cases will there be tones in the background. Not even traditional music, just haunting tones that prophesize coming dangers or triumphs. Again, it has an almost hyper-real quality.

Controls are extremely tight, simple and responsive. Which is a great help for the intricate platforming and puzzles within the game.

This is a game of puzzles, more or less. The entire game is divided into chapters/challenges (although there is no official level system, there is a chapter selection screen through the pause menu), and each one increases in intricacy and difficulty. While your first few puzzles are relatively straight forward (pushing and pulling boxes, etc), over time the evolve into hellish and inhuman heights. By the second half of the game, you will find yourselves in environments that spin and have gravitational shifts, involve the use of magnetism, and involve increasingly deadly booby-traps. Combined with the unsettling visuals and disturbingly low-key audio, the deadly puzzles turn this game into an ultimate experience of horror and mystery. I have not been so frightened of a game in my life since the original "Fatal Frame", which to me is one of the single most frightening experiences of fiction in my life.

I have to give this game a perfect 10. It has something for most gamers. For those looking for a standard platforming adventure, this will deliver. For those seeking a suggestive and provocative mind- bender with an artsy flair, this will astound them. This is the rare perfect game.

This year (in particular quarter 3) has been a very busy one for games but generally the focus increasingly seems to be on graphically detailed, expansive worlds where the playing style is either free-roaming or has an element of freedom of movement within it. So your Red Dead Redemptions give you the ability to ignore the "main" story and do loads of other things if you so desire, while the large levels in some first person shooters mean that, although you are doing the same mission, you have options in terms of how you approach the action and where you go. So perhaps with that in mind it is a surprise to find that one of the biggest hits of the year on Xbox Live Arcade (the online shop for "smaller" games on Xbox) is a 2D platform game where each level has to be completed in a very specific way in order to progress.

The "story" of Limbo is vague but essentially you play a boy who awakens in a dark world and moves sideways through it in a hunt for his sister – although it must be said that narrative is not really a huge part of the game and indeed the nature of the ending is part of that. The point of the game is that every step of the game is a puzzle to solve. Not a riddle but rather the ability to progress requires you to cross some sort of obstacle by using the tools available to you in that specific area. It sounds simple and, in hindsight it is, but yet it is also challenging and rewarding. The "tools" can be physical objects (mostly boxes to climb onto) or dynamic forces within the area (eg magnets that you can switch on/off). Some "areas" are larger than others (some are wholly visible on one screen) but with all of them the principle is the same – everything you need to progress is there, all you need to do is work out how to use them. Once you understand the "rules" of the area then it is a matter of logic. In some areas me "playing" Limbo involved the controller sitting by my side while I stared at the screen muttering to myself, deep in thought about the puzzle.

This is not the case for all of them (some are pretty straightforward) but some of them are wonderfully clever in their design – one puzzle in particular I thought was wonderful as I realised that momentum of an object in combination with opposing magnetic forces was the solution. It is a great feeling to progress whether it is working out the logic or making it across an electric "hotel" sign with a series of perfectly timed jumps and movements. Speaking of timing there are plenty of puzzles where you have to get things just right and are jumping towards electrocution knowing that (if you got it right) it will switch off just before you hit it, giving you time to run along it and jump off before it switches on again – there are loads of "ohhhh, just made it" moments here.

The design of the puzzles are not the only great part of this game. Visually the game is simple and stunning. Entirely in black & white with lots of shading and atmosphere the game is beautiful to look at – it is like playing some Eastern European cartoon from the 1930's. The sound design is equally impressive. There is no (or very little) music but instead the game is populated by silence, footsteps, wind and noises associated with actions (metallic noises etc). It is very effective and adds a lot to the atmosphere.

So, the downside. Well simply put the game is very short – very short. I was loving it and it was disappointing to finish it. Given the length it was probably a bit overpriced at £10 (although it is still 4 hours of play, so not too bad) but it does also have limited replay value because, once you solve the puzzles half the fun is gone from the game. I would therefore advise anyone playing to not look for solutions on the internet – if you are stuck then be stuck, think about it, if you watch someone else do it on a video then what is the point? The only exception would be those hunting the hidden eggs for the achievements – most are so impossible to find that using a guide is the only way to do it.

Limbo is painfully short and feels even moreso because of how much fun it is. However it is beautifully designed in all regards. The simple gameplay/controls and rewarding puzzles make for great simple play where thought and logic are your weapons. Visually and aurally it is stunning – although for some reason it attracts my cats to the TV in a way no other game does – the noises and the visuals have them enthralled. It is short but it does leave you wanting more and I will be first in the line if they make Limbo 2 (which I really hope they do).

This game is a dark game in which you complete puzzles to go to the next stage.

It is very rewarding and it is great black and white game.

"Limbo" is a 2-D game in black and white and gray tones that might sound retro, but it uses modern game physics. (Please note that not all aspects of modern game physics are utilized in this game. It is not "Portal") It is a series of puzzles that become more complex as the game proceeds.

When you move the controls, you find that you are animating a small boy in silhouette. You are in a very atmospheric world, where the creepiness and tension are achieved by a combination of excellent art design and sound. There are also elements of humor to keep it light. It never devolves into horror. The focus is on the puzzle challenges, which must be solved before you can proceed on your (linear) way.

Sometimes simplicity is sophisticated. Less is more, they say. "Limbo" is thus attractive. And few puzzle games are as reliably entertaining and engaging.

I recommend it for puzzle gamers and anyone who might want to try a different twist on the puzzle experience.

I'm not a fan of old school 2d platformers. That's why I didn't play Limbo when it was first released. But I bought it on sale on PSN, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. The dark, colorless atmosphere is creepy and engaging. But the puzzle solving is what had me staying up late playing. I doubt I'll be playing it much in the future, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.