Limbo
Brought to you by the minds at Playdead, LIMBO is a bleak puzzle-platforming title that follows the bizarre trials of an unnamed adolescent as he journeys through perilous territories. Though the boy is simplistically presented, portraying no characteristics of audio cues, and the puzzles require much experimentation to achieve completion, the story it has to tell is engaging, as the protagonist perils through increasingly difficult struggles that occur subsequent to each other in a search for his lost sister.
Here are a few items that I enjoyed about LIMBO:
Gameplay - LIMBO holds a striking comparison to other Indie titles when it comes to the control layout: it is entirely straightforward. As you may or may not have experienced in prior games, this title utilizes the directional keys for basic movement-with down allowing your character to drop down and grab onto a ledge-, the Space Bar to jump, and the Control key to interact with objects and the environment itself; others have stated that this is much more fluid while playing with a plug-in controller. This painless layout aides the player in not forcing them to have to remember too many needless actions; if the controls could be remapped, a player could even be able to play it with one hand. In summary, the controls are of simple design for a simple game. As described previously-without revealing too much in terms of story progression-the player directs the young boy through treacherous territories, which prompts the solving of intricate puzzles. These stages-numbering twenty-four in total-generally require the player to test the mechanics in a ‘truth and error’ approach, unless applied thought is given to the situation for a considerable amount of time prior to action. A decent reaction time is necessary for certain portions since platforming is included into the general mechanics, which can be somewhat frustrating and rewarding due to the intense precision specific stages necessitate.
Atmosphere - LIMBO is very black and white in terms of its color palette in that it is literally variants of black and white (if you have read my previous reviews, you know that I am not permitted to make jokes due to the overall lack of comedy involved, hence this current display.) This helps to depict the grim depth of this title’s occurrences, as well as developing tone that is not distracting from the gameplay. Even the game’s playstyle is murky since the protagonist’s death is intended to remind the player what they had done wrong in a specific segment and as an indication of how the level’s mechanics are set. The game shifts seamlessly between transition periods with minimal loading and intractable events. Throughout, however, you may just become attached to said protagonist as though his struggles become your very own. The protagonist portrays no vocal characteristics, though the background effects add enough ambience to compensate for this.
TL:DR - For those with keen senses in regards to game mechanics, you will find LIMBO to be trivial yet enjoyable. This title is a deep, brooding tale with no words and only atmosphere to speak its demented thoughts. It is a relatively short title that can be frustrating at times but is worth its cost as an experience. Though the protagonist does not and cannot outwardly portray his ideals, you will surely fight for him to learn of his sister’s fate. You will learn much as a player and an adventurer, but do not lose hope in LIMBO. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted September 22, 2015. Last edited May 1, 2018.
Here are a few items that I enjoyed about LIMBO:
Gameplay - LIMBO holds a striking comparison to other Indie titles when it comes to the control layout: it is entirely straightforward. As you may or may not have experienced in prior games, this title utilizes the directional keys for basic movement-with down allowing your character to drop down and grab onto a ledge-, the Space Bar to jump, and the Control key to interact with objects and the environment itself; others have stated that this is much more fluid while playing with a plug-in controller. This painless layout aides the player in not forcing them to have to remember too many needless actions; if the controls could be remapped, a player could even be able to play it with one hand. In summary, the controls are of simple design for a simple game. As described previously-without revealing too much in terms of story progression-the player directs the young boy through treacherous territories, which prompts the solving of intricate puzzles. These stages-numbering twenty-four in total-generally require the player to test the mechanics in a ‘truth and error’ approach, unless applied thought is given to the situation for a considerable amount of time prior to action. A decent reaction time is necessary for certain portions since platforming is included into the general mechanics, which can be somewhat frustrating and rewarding due to the intense precision specific stages necessitate.
Atmosphere - LIMBO is very black and white in terms of its color palette in that it is literally variants of black and white (if you have read my previous reviews, you know that I am not permitted to make jokes due to the overall lack of comedy involved, hence this current display.) This helps to depict the grim depth of this title’s occurrences, as well as developing tone that is not distracting from the gameplay. Even the game’s playstyle is murky since the protagonist’s death is intended to remind the player what they had done wrong in a specific segment and as an indication of how the level’s mechanics are set. The game shifts seamlessly between transition periods with minimal loading and intractable events. Throughout, however, you may just become attached to said protagonist as though his struggles become your very own. The protagonist portrays no vocal characteristics, though the background effects add enough ambience to compensate for this.
TL:DR - For those with keen senses in regards to game mechanics, you will find LIMBO to be trivial yet enjoyable. This title is a deep, brooding tale with no words and only atmosphere to speak its demented thoughts. It is a relatively short title that can be frustrating at times but is worth its cost as an experience. Though the protagonist does not and cannot outwardly portray his ideals, you will surely fight for him to learn of his sister’s fate. You will learn much as a player and an adventurer, but do not lose hope in LIMBO. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted September 22, 2015. Last edited May 1, 2018.
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