Limbo (video game)

Limbo

Windows - World - Digital cover.

Developer Playdead Publisher Playdead Published 2010-07-21 Platforms Android, iOS, Linux, Macintosh, Switch PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One Genres Active puzzle, Atmospheric, Platformer, Puzzle Themes Adventure, Horror, Surreal Distribution Commercial

Limbo is a platformer puzzle horror video game developed and published by Playdead on the Xbox 360 on 2010-07-21, and then to various other platforms.

In the game, you control a little boy in a bleak gray and black world as he avoids monsters, traps, and violent other children in search of his little sister.

Personal

Own?	Yes. On Steam.
Won?	Yes. With 8/13 achievements.
Finished	2012‎-06-14.

I bought Limbo as part of the Humble Indie Bundle V. I had seen the trailer for it, and the game looked right up my alley, so I installed it, played it, and beat it shortly after purchasing it. I had my wife play the game and she thought it was all cute and silly, until she stepped on a bear trap!

Review

8	6	8	4	4

Best Version: Windows

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The graphic style is really eerie; perfectly fitting the game's theme. Despite controlling a little boy, a lot of the imagery is pretty horrific. The bright white glow on eyes and important objects is very helpful, and the blurred foreground objects give a nice sense of depth for the 2D world.
• The music is nicely atmospheric and adds a lot to the quality of the game.
• A lot of the puzzles are disturbing, but in a good way. Not only is the environment deadly, but the other children have a Lord of the Flies attitude.
• I don't usually care for games where they player is expected to die a lot to learn what to do, but Limbo can be forgiven since this is essentially the plot of the game.
• The puzzles are introduced carefully so that you can learn how to get past the more devious ones by the time you reach them.

Bad

• The look of the game is a bit too homogeneous. I would have liked to see a color here and there, or perhaps something that didn't follow the grayscale theme.
• The ending is a bit too ambiguous for my taste. Sure, I can put my own slant on it, but I would prefer more closure.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Videos

Review - Horror Game Theories.

Review - What's So Great About Gaming?

Review - Video Game Animation Study.

Longplay.

Representation

Strong female character?	Fail	The only female is a damsel in distress.
Bechdel test?	Fail	There is no dialogue.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	There is no clear race.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Links