Excellent game design makes this downloadable gem a must buy.
The core of Limbo is a 2D platformer, but one in which the challenge comes from puzzle-solving rather than precise platforming. The first thing that will strike you about the game, however, is its unique visual design. A stylised aesthetic is common place in gaming, but Limbo does a great job of not coming off as art for art's sake. This is due to a lack of superfluous elements, as a game Limbo is very focused, and this is its greatest strength. All the parts come together to make one cohesive whole and every small element contributes to the greater picture. The simple black and white design of Limbo is not put in place purely for spectacle; it is integral to the experience. The design here may be overt, but it is certainly elegant. Limbo is the place between heaven and hell; a place between darkness and light, white is of course synonymous with light and black with darkness. The great disparity between the two shades once more harkens back to the core design philosophy, the creation of a middle ground. This is truly very impressive; every part of the game seems to pit one thing against a polar opposite and creates a fascinating disparity very reminiscent of Limbo itself. This is once more shown in the art style in terms of character design and world design.
The main protagonist of Limbo is a young boy; his character model is completely black apart from his white eyes. It is a simple design choice, but a very effective one, seeing as a child- associated with being innocent and harmless- is juxtaposed against a brutal and dangerous world. Put plainly, the design of Limbo is incredibly creepy. It is full of dangerous creatures, murderous natives and numerous death-traps. Limbo is an incredibly brutal game; it is unflinchingly violent and disturbing. The beautiful art and youthful protagonist may fool you into thinking Limbo is a peaceful game, but the reality is far from it. In fact, it is the innocent look that makes the violence so effective. The brutal imagery in Limbo is not meant to be enjoyable; this is not a God of War style game where you take glee in the violence around you. The violence here is truly shocking, and it is so by design. Making the protagonist a child was the key design choice here, there are many brutal death animations in Limbo, and seeing these horrific things happen to a child is more than slightly off-putting. The somewhat cartoony graphics and the silhouetted aesthetic make the violence appear more subtle. Once more, this is a show of how important the artistic design is to the overall product. If it were not in place, the game would be something else entirely and it could have been quite repulsive. The game is not glorifying violence, however, nor is it a sick and twisted child murder simulator. The game simply wants to make death have an impact, it wants to dissuade you, and this adds to the atmosphere.
The atmosphere of Limbo is incredible; it is brilliantly created by a synthesis of sublime sound design, cleverly implemented gameplay and shocking visuals. The previously mentioned visuals and brutality set the tone for the game, and everything else builds upon it. Death is common place in Limbo; the graphical style is unclear and mysterious, which makes it perfect for hiding the game's many lethal encounters. This is echoed in the gameplay also, Limbo doesn't hold your hand, it doesn't tell you what will kill you, you have to find out for yourself. There are numerous occasions when a lethal object will come out of nowhere and just kill you. This sounds very frustrating, but clever design stops it from being so. These encounters hammer home the overlying theme of a helpless boy in a deadly world. You are very aware that you could just die at any moment, and you know from past experience with the brutal deaths that it is very unsettling. You do not want to die but are aware that it is very likely, and this is very powerful. It adds incredible tension to the game, and there you have your incredible atmosphere. Several elements come together to make one superb element. It is easy to be put off by this overbearing tension, and this is where more great design comes into place: Limbo has very forgiving checkpoints. It is almost impossible to get through many areas the first time without dying, and this is thematically important but quite off-putting. However, liberal checkpointing before these deadly encounters mean that you learn from your mistakes and can now carry on with ease. This makes sure you can experience the great atmosphere without wanting to put the game down in frustration.
Despite its oppressive atmosphere, Limbo manages to be very compelling, partly due to a constant sense of progression and expertly designed puzzles. The progression comes from Limbo taking place on one 2D plane, you are always making progress to one eventual goal and every part links fluently to the next. There are no stopping points in the level design, which makes it hard to stop playing. This is also due to the core gameplay, in other words, the puzzles. The puzzle design in Limbo is just brilliant, and manages to once more secure the perfect middle ground. They are challenging enough to make you think, but easy enough to avoid frustration. It is perfect puzzle design, it ensures that each puzzle is satisfying to complete but never so obscure as to be off putting, it keeps the game compelling and keeps you eager to see the next one. Limbo's puzzles are primarily physics based, they mostly rely on you interacting with certain objects to manipulate the environment so that you can create a safe path for you to continue on your way or just knowing when to avoid objects and how to follow correct path. The puzzles are also extremely diverse, there is a small set of key mechanics but these are utilised in very varied and clever ways. There is a consistent tone to all of the puzzles but they are varied in terms of design, and this keeps them interesting.
Everything in Limbo just adds up together to make one complete package, the design all blends together to create a sinister atmosphere that is supported by utterly compelling gameplay. However, not everything is quite so perfect; Limbo is a short game and this may put off people. It weighs in at about four hours on your first playthrough, but there are a good number of secrets that reward playing it a second time. On top of that the experience is so great and so well designed that it is rewarding in and of itself; the journey may not be a long one, but it is one worth taking. The only inexcusable downside to Limbo is its abrupt ending. The experience of Limbo is so amazing, but the conclusion is very disappointing. It feels more like the designers ran out of puzzles than brought the game to a worthy conclusion. However, the journey is more important than the destination in this case. An unsatisfying finale can't sully an otherwise sublime game.
It's rare for a game to be quite as focused as Limbo, and that is its brilliance. Every part of the game comes together like a piece in a puzzle and adds to the overall experience. The design is incredibly consistent, with hugely effective minimalist sound design and graphical design juxtaposed against satisfyingly complex yet accessible gameplay to great effect. Everything just makes sense and it makes for a game that is truly excellent. You may feel like a four hour puzzle game is not worthy of the fifteen dollar price tag, but Limbo really is something special. If you have an interest in a game that does something different, something more mature and thought-provoking than your average game, you owe it to yourself to buy Limbo.