What is Limbo? Less a game and more an artistic adventure, Limbo is nothing short of incredible.
Limbo takes place in a hostile and inky-black dreamworld. Your featureless character is at times identifiable only by his glowing eyes—an otherwise shadow-like figure in the world itself. Spiders (GAH!), hostile natives and traps await you on your journey to save your missing sister. The game world, at times, steals the show during your journey as well; dark, eerie, unsettling, creative, entertaining and challenging, it provides you with more “aha” moments than you’ll care to remember. It really is perfect: it’s not over-the-top scary nor underwhelmingly comical. However, it’s as unsettling as the idea of limbo itself. You’re trapped in a neglected and nightmarish, unfamiliar and unfriendly place. All you want to do is get out of the bleak prison you’ve somehow entered—to wake up from this dream.
Giant spider? Nope. Nope, nope, nope.
The art is backed up with atmospheric music and subtle audio cues that do a great job of setting the mood not seen since S.T.A.L.K.E.R. accomplished the same goal. Together, the thumps, crashes, creaks and grainy darkness create an inherent curiosity about what is to come next. It is this curiosity that makes the game so damned good. The desire to answer questions you’ve formulated yourself is what drives you to complete the game. There is no back story, no prompts or characters available for reference—staying alive is your only goal. In a blockbuster gaming world haunted by scripted events and linearity, it’s an enjoyable breath of fresh air, to say the least.
As a puzzle/platformer reference point, it would be easiest to compare Limbo to the likes of Braid. Some may find Limbo a bit simplistic; the puzzles are not overly challenging (not nearly as difficult as Braid). Really, though, they shouldn’t be; the game isn’t meant to be a brain teaser. If it was, the wonderment you experience comes to a screeching halt and Limbo’s adventure loses what makes it unique: its artistic flavor. Since this is the driving force behind the game, frustrating puzzles would do nothing but take away from the enjoyment of the journey.
Limbo on the PC has very simple controls: the arrow keys, spacebar to jump, and CTRL as a use/toggle key. Together, these controls allow you to jump gaps, pull/push platforms, climb, swing and combine these talents to conquer the next obstacle in your path (often times on your first try). Fall from too great a height, attempt to wade in a deep pool, or catch a part of your body on a blade or trap and you’re warped back to the nearest checkpoint.
Thankfully, the checkpoints (chapters in-game) are numerous enough to rarely restart you a few steps beyond where you just previously died. Trial and error certainly come into play as death lurks in the most unexpected of places at times, making this forgiving system a welcome one. While patience and a moment of thought both go a long way in Limbo—providing you with great satisfaction once you’ve solved the barrier in your way—it’s nice knowing that frustration is staved off with frequent checkpoints all the same.
Unfriendly and unfamiliar, the world is a dangerous place.
Plenty of variety between the puzzles provides you with enough to keep you going. Just as you’ve seen enough of a particular solution, the game will add an extra element to keep it interesting. The environments you visit are as numerous as the puzzles you’ll solve. Between climbing trees, wandering through dark forests, crossing large bodies of water and entering abandoned warehouses, you’ll control the elements and bend physics as you progress.
So all that being said, is it worth it? For the sticker price of $9.99, very much so, yes. Once it goes on the inevitable Steam sale, it’s a no-brainer. The only downside to the game is the ~4 hours it’ll take to beat it. Once beaten, though, a replay adds collectibles to your adventure which are just as satisfying to discover as solving the puzzles initially were.
Limbo perfectly plays out as it should: like any dream you’ve already had. There is no real answer as to how you got there, or even if you ever really left, but that’s when you realize it’s not supposed to. Your journey ends once the overreaching goal of your dream has been accomplished—just as abruptly as how it started. You’re left wishing you could fall back asleep and experience that wonderment all over again, but you know it can’t be done. Somehow, though, you’re alright with that.
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