I try to avoid starting a review by focusing on a game's graphics engine, but it's impossible to experience "Limbo" without stopping to admire the beautiful monochromatic visual style.
Denmark-based developer PlayDead Studios has crafted a hauntingly beautiful world, where danger lurks in the shadows and things are not always what they seem. The environment is dream-like and above all else immersive. The total absence of a musical score also provides a wonderful sense of dread.
Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't quite live up to the aesthetics.
Being a puzzle-platformer available on Xbox Live Arcade, "Limbo" will inevitably find itself compared to titles like "Braid" and "The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom." Though there are some small similarities, it's unfair to judge "Limbo" against those classics. Anyone who does so, will be immediately disappointed.
The biggest flaw in "Limbo" is that it simply relies too heavily on trial-and-error based puzzles to carry the bulk of the gameplay. Considering the rather short duration, it's almost as if the development team ran low on ideas.
You'll immediately recognize a number of options at your disposal, and passing the stage will involve little more than trying them all one by one. As a result, you die a lot. Though "Limbo" manages to avoid being frustrating in the early going, your patience for this gameplay mechanic will start wearing thin as the difficulty level climbs.
The moments where you're forced to stand back and develop a strategy by analyzing the obstacles in front of you are too few and far between. It's bizarre, but "Limbo" plays like a puzzle game where you can shut your brain off most of the time.
However, when it finally presents you with a challenge, "Limbo" displays moments of pure brilliance. There are also some jaw-dropping encounters to be had.
As for the story, well there really isn't much of one.
You play as an unnamed boy who enters limbo in order to save his sister. However, if you simply played the game without reading the plot summary, you'd be hard pressed to pick up on this.
Your character wakes up in the middle of a dark forest. You soon approach a girl, who then disappears into the ether. That's really all the information you're given at the outset and the ending is equally as ambiguous.
It's clear "Limbo" aims to wear the art-gaming label by leaving things open to interpretation, but a lack of story is simply that -- a total absence of narrative for the gamer to connect with.
It's almost like playing a Tim Burton movie: cool to look at, but missing the depth necessary for it to be truly memorable.
The controls are intuitive enough, but your character jumps like a wet sandbag. Though you get used his poor athleticism rather quickly, you will get burned when timing is crucial to passing a stage.
As it stands, "Limbo" is an enjoyable experience despite its flaws. However, the game's short duration and lack of replay value makes it hard to justify spending the 1,200 Microsoft points.
If it weren't for its visual style, "Limbo" could have easily been one of many Xbox Live Arcade releases to be passed over by gamers. There are certainly a few clever puzzles to experience, but overall it's a game that relies too much on filler between the truly inspired moments.
WHAM! Rating: |
7 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
T (Teen) |
Official Web Site: |
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