Limbo

• Concept
• Graphics
• Sound
• Gameplay
• Replay Value

Quick Snippet: Simple yet tantalizing level design, immersive gameplay, and satisfying platforming but lacks replay value, is rather short, and death isn’t escapable, so try try again!

Some games like to twist our mind and play with our imagination, digging deep into brain muscles we forgot we even had and sometimes, we find little gems. Limbo seems to have been one of these games, down in a mostly black and white type scheme (with the obvious gray-scale in between) this game doesn’t require massive amount of graphics engine to process it, instead its the brainpower that will be overheating if you’re not too careful

Recently this game came onto my PS3 screen, and that is what this review is based on.

The game is about a rather sorrowful world called “Limbo”, and how one boy navigates it in order to find his sister. With simple controls the boy is not required a wide variety of moves, though the game really doesn’t require any horribly complex actions in order for us to find ourselves involved in the game. The world around you is hostile with many terrors lurking in the darkness before, above, and bellow you. This can become quite difficult to discern and to boldly strut ahead, but instead caution and paranoia might strike you in a world like this. Traps at your feet, and spiders at your head, you will find yourself in quite a pickle while solving puzzles without getting captured yourself, or die in a horrible way.

However the gore isn’t done in such a manner where red blood splatters across the screen, and yet you can still watch him die in some pretty horrific ways, touching on your conscience for letting him die in the first place, you evil jerk. His death can be as swift as being crushed by a boulder or even by being snapped in half by a giant bear trap, and your going to encounter a lot of trial and error in order to complete the game, there’s no real avoiding it. If you didn’t die, you probably cheated. For shame. Though don’t feel silly if you die a lot for this reason, finding out ways to die is one of the many experiences in game, as sad as it might make your girlfriends, it’s the game. Forcing you to concentrate more and question every step you take you will need to reach your final destination.

Though when it comes to ambiance in the audio or very many sound effects, there aren’t a lot and yet the few there are really help to set the mood for each encounter you just happen to be encountering.

 

The itsy bitsy spider…

This game progresses as you go further, getting harder and more difficult with different puzzles and questions you will have to answer as you strike through this world of torment for this poor boy, but the end will be more than worth it once you reach it. When it comes to the differences between the systems the controls are pretty similar to the Xbox 360 version, not that there are many buttons that are used anyways, and there is no real arguing graphic power since the graphics aren’t something that matches Crysis, but are done in an artistic way that is pleasing to look at.

 

I can’t help but feel something is horribly wrong.

Limbo may not be the most high tech game but its more with less, giving gamers new hope for the development of stories in games and to show that you won’t need the best engine to make a good game. This game doesn’t really have hug replay value unless you like it that much, but the first playthrough is worth the purchase. Sadly, unless you are looking to find all the hidden achievements you won’t find a large replay value in this game, though if you are looking for those achievements… Good luck!