Limbo creates an exciting dreamlike experience, but this dream is over too quickly.
Limbo uses an art style that makes it look like an old horror movie-- everything is done in black and white. The places you'll be walking through include an abandoned factory and a creepy looking forest. Evidently, something has gone very wrong in the world of Limbo because you'll see a lot of flickering lights, broken trees and nooses hanging from branches. During the first few minutes of the game, you'll see children in the forest who will attack on sight. This adds a sense of panic and it contributes to the feeling that Limbo is set in a very gritty world. You play as a little boy, but there are some surprisingly graphic deaths to be seen in Limbo. If you mess up, you can see your little guy get decapitated by a bear trap, impaled through spikes, be electrocuted to death and more. The graphic deaths nicely compliment the dark look of the environments. It's a gorgeous looking game from top to bottom.
The sound is perhaps too minimalistic. There is some tense music that'll play during some of the more nail biting moments, but there is no ambient music to be heard. Limbo would have benefited from some ambient music playing during the puzzle solving sections. There are times where there it feels like something is missing. Even for a minimalistic game, there should not be long stretches of time where the sound is almost nonexistent.
Without question, the action in Limbo is outstanding. The game makes wonderful use of its physics engine by introducing platforming sections where the room slowly fills up with water, which causes objects on the ground to float upwards (so that you can use those objects to jump to the exit). The first few minutes of Limbo work very well in introducing the player to the mechanics of the game by setting up clever booby traps and even a spider chase.
When it comes to structure, the game sports a "no frills" approach. All you have to worry about is getting from one puzzle to the next and then solving whatever it is that's put in front of you. There's never a long stretch of time in between the puzzles/platforming sections; and this linear approach works very well for the game. Putting in some combat or boss fights in between the puzzles would've just diluted the experience.
Limbo is currently selling for 1200 Micosoft points, which is a bit of a stretch when you consider that Limbo is only three hours long. There are some hidden eggs that you can find throughout the journey, but unless you're an achievement junkie, the game provides little motivation to want to finish Limbo a second time. The quality of the experience is worth the price, but the short length and lack of unlockables hurt the value of the game. On top of that, the game provides no closure; when you solve that last puzzle, the credits roll. It's weird to see it end so abruptly like that. Limbo is a game that's definitely worth playing; provided you're willing to pony up $16 for it. Thanks for reading.