Limbo Review

By BatRastered — October 4, 2010
Tags: playdead-studios review summer-of-arcade xbla

Limbo is a platformer, but it's more complex than that...

The games released during XBOX Live's Summer of Arcade promotion are almost always winners. They really do try to get the best of the exclusive games for that promotion, so it should come as no big surprise that Limbo is a good game. What was surprising to me is that someone managed to take the platformer concept and make it seem fresh. The graphics are mostly a back-lit black-and-white effect and adds to the overall atmosphere of this game... which is dark.

Limbo is a pure platformer; your character can't jump very high or far, has no weapons or special powers or anything of the sort. You will have to use your brain to figure out the puzzles and avoid the creatures of this world. Much of the mechanics and puzzles within Limbo are quite original and yet they also easy to grasp as they are mostly physics-based. For instance pushing a block up a hill so that it slides down and lands on button that activates a timed event while you are waiting for that event to trigger in another part of the room.

Almost all the puzzles involve either deadly creatures or guesome traps that need deactivating (giant buzzsaws and gatling turrets) and you will die. A lot. Luckily, the varied ways in which you die will have you laughing and coming back for more. (I just need to solve one more puzzle before I turn it off!)

For 1200 MSP ($15) this is a pretty good deal even though there are no online modes or challenges to bring you back after you beat it.

Verdict: Buy it

Limbo

Limbo Review

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