Game Review: Limbo

Limbo is a very interesting experience that wears its style proudly. Before this game was released, the term ‘indie game’ was never really common-place as it is now, but you can probably argue Limbo helped contribute towards shining a much larger spotlight on the independent development industry going forward.  In a lot of ways Limbo utilised all of its assets to set a major impression, despite being small in scope and function; which I think is a key reflection of its ingenuity. 

Developed by Danish-studio Playdead ApS, Limbo was originally released in 2010 in collaboration with Microsoft through their Xbox Live Arcade platform. It serves as a five-to-six-hour platforming and puzzle-based game in which you play a nameless child who is tasked with navigating a dark and foreboding world. On release the game ended up gaining a ton of traction and praise; becoming the third-best selling title on Xbox Live Arcade that year and gaining a multitude of awards from gaming publications. It’s interesting to note that despite all the praise and acclaim the game had, I never played it until now. I’m not quite sure what put me off from playing it for so long, but I’m thankful that I did finally get around to it. 

The story of Limbo is pretty minimal. There’s no context or written exposition given in this game, as a lot of its cues are visual. You play a nameless boy who wakes up in a dreary forest. No backstory or understanding is given to how you got there but from here you are expected to traverse this eerie world and avoid its dangers. As you progress through this world you face a multitude of threats and dangers, like giant spiders, murderous child tribes, mind slugs and some natural obstacles like water, electricity, heights etc. This world is cold and depressing and has have every intention of seeing you die, so you must brave its dangers and find ways to overcome them, not through brawn but through brains. What you discover at the end of your journey is not for me to spoil, but it’s definitely interesting to say the least.

I think if I’m being truly honest, I find the minimal approach to the story interesting if not a little under-utilised.  I think the idea of this world is the developers wanted you to form your own interpretations of it, but I don’t think enough definition is given to some of these ideas to give a substantial impression. I have my own take-aways of what this world is and how it is relevant to the small-child you play as, but I think the game does away with its most interesting elements after the half-way point. When you’re escaping the giant-spider or the child-tribe, that element of the world felt the most inviting when it came to hinting at some core concepts to think upon; however, the game quickly does away with these set-pieces before moving you into an industrial area which I don’t find nearly as interesting. I think the biggest gripe with the latter half of the world when it comes to story is that I feel it doesn’t have nearly as much to say as the first half, it’s got very little in terms of set-pieces and just gives you more puzzles to overcome. It loses the initial charm somewhat because of this. 

When the story and gameplay tie together, the game really nails that core impression. The earlier parts of the game where you’re traversing the forest and escaping the giant spider is one of the best examples I find. You are only a small boy, with no key strength or skills; your main controls come in the form of moving, jumping and interacting with levers, ropes and boxes. That limited functionality isn’t a bad thing however, as it’s integral for making the puzzles work in their function and giving you the key impression of your place in the scale of this world.  The games puzzles feel naturally put together in a lot of ways and they never feel unfair. There is a clear solution that is cleverly hinted to you throughout each of them and the game unlocks a euphoric reaction in your brain when you finally figure them out. The nice thing about the gameplay is it never lingers on one idea for too long. You will be facing new challenges in each puzzle you face and the sense of repetition is never an issue in this game.

The game wins the most points from me on a visual level. This is a heavily stylised game, using a monochromatic colour palette to layer this setting in an endless darkness. No definition or detail is given to much of the world bar it’s dark silhouettes and shadows. The only things given any key detail are the items you can interact with, which gives a helpful cue when working puzzles of what can be utilised.  The games visual style is dripping with atmosphere and I think it’s what gives the title such a clear impression that made is so memorable for all this time. I honestly feel this game would not have had such a compelling attraction if not for this dark world it presents, so the games ability to be simplistic in function but complex and deep in tone is something I can never draw a negative on. 

I think Limbo is a very interesting game on reflection. Do all of it’s idea work for me? No, as I stated earlier, I think the game loses a lot of its narrative-charm at the half way point. Does that make the game in itself bad though? No, of course not. Limbo knows what it wants to be, it presents the world and its gameplay to you with utmost confidence and asks you as the player to traverse and form an impression on it. It’s one of those games which invites players to think and take away what they want from the game. That core goal is a really admirable aspect of what made this game so big on release, and why I’m interested to see what the developers’ other titles can offer me too.