Review: Limbo

In video game terms, “Limbo” is fairly simple. You play as a young boy searching for his sister in a 2D landscape where your only abilities are jumping and interacting with objects in the world. But to only view Limbo in those terms would be completely missing what makes it one of the most engaging, thought provoking games since “Braid.”

Limbo is unique in how little information it offers. It starts without any sort of exposition, cut scene or explanation – once you hit start, Limbo simply begins. The boy will continue to lie motionless on the forest floor until you press a button and he opens his white glowing eyes – the only identifiable feature of the young protagonist. You are given no instructions on what to do, where you are or why are you should proceed. The plot point “you are looking for your sister” isn’t even brought up in the game (I only saw that in the various articles and reviews about Limbo on the internet).

Immediately, you’ll notice Limbo’s striking art style. Colored in a hazy black-and-white, the world of Limbo is as eerie as it is enchanting. The world of Limbo is ever changing and once you feel you have a grip on your surroundings, the backdrop to this surreal adventure transforms into something unexpected. As you proceed, the world becomes deadlier and the obstacles in your path become more difficult to solve. What seems at first to be a representation of the real world shifts and changes so naturally you will hardly even notice that the area you’re currently exploring is completely different from where you were minutes earlier.

While the visuals of Limbo immediately catch your eye, you’ll also be taken by the relative silence of Limbo. As you venture through the world, often times the only noise you will hear is the muffled pit-pat of the boy’s footsteps. The relative silence of some sections works well in contrast with the booming noise of other sections. Though it is hard to say what exactly the world of Limbo is, the creepy sound design helps pull the gamer into its dangerous world.

Though Limbo may seem like a simple yet mysterious adventure, make no mistake about the danger the boy faces on his journey. Many obstacles stand in the boy’s way that he must solve to advance where the slightest mistake will often result in a horrific death. Limbo features an achievement to finish the game in one sitting with less than five deaths but considering how often you’ll die just through simple trial-and-error when trying to solve puzzles, it’s a fairly difficult achievement to attain.

Limbo offers players an experience that will stay with them long after they’ve completed the journey. The eerie shadowy world offers far more questions than it answers and will have you eager for multiple playthroughs to find all the hidden achievements or perhaps more understanding about the meaning behind Limbo.