Limbo

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.

LIMBO (2010) was an extremely well done, minimalistic horror game. I was surprised by the absolute creepiness of this little game, and by the dark and disturbing content. Being such a simple game, I had been unprepared when initially delving in. I was pleasantly surprised.

While this game may seem lacking in some regards, such as expansive worlds and story, complex characters, quests and detail, it certainly makes up for it in its macabre puzzles and eerie, stark monochrome design. Don't be fooled. This game truly packs a punch. The world of Limbo is a severely grim one, no matter how subtle it may seem.

Developed and published by Playdead, this Indie game is a true masterpiece and I can't wait to see more from Playdead. I highly recommend this dark little gem to puzzle fans. Not for the faint of heart.

STORY: 7/10 GAMEPLAY: 9/10 GRAPHICS: 9/10 ART DESIGN: 9/10 MUSIC/SOUND: 7/10 OVERALL RATING: 8.5.

Take a game with no color, no dialogue, no 3D, and a musical score so subtle it might as well be ambient noise. In most cases that sounds like a terrible game, but Limbo pulls it off incredibly well. This indie release has received much deserved praise for its simplicity, yet very effective gameplay. I think this game masters one aspect incredibly well, and that is the sound of the environment. Heavy footsteps, loud electrical crackles, and scurrying spider steps all are done to perfection to a point where no background noise is necessary at all. 2-D sidescrollers have been done to death, but Limbo feels almost entirely original because of how it is presented. The plot is very simple and almost doesn't need to exist for this game to work. It is more about the tension, and players will be on edge the first time they play this game. The platforming, with some exceptions, is satisfactory. The game is a bit short, but much like Portal, this game is better because it is shorter, not overstaying its welcome. I did have a few gripes about some of the ludicrous amount of precision required for certain platforming sections, and some false paths will lead you to nowhere except certain death, but all in all it is a unique little platformer that I am glad is in my collection.

It's worth your time, really. Limbo was exactly the first game ever made by PLAYDEAD. And guess what: the art, music, sound effects and puzzles astonished me more than ever. It's worth your time, just like I said. The reason I didn't add a 9/10 or a 10/10 is because it was too black and white and colorless. But the art is good. So why not give it a try, then?

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.