Limbo exemplifies so much of what I value most in a successful videogame. Fundamentally a puzzle-platformer with really only two possible Limbo exemplifies so much of what I value most in a successful videogame. Fundamentally a puzzle-platformer with really only two possible actions (jump and grab), the game is beautifully uncomplicated and uncluttered by extraneous nonsense.



It's a design philosophy which extends to the plot. Open-ended and shrouded in mystery, the only official backstory given is the single sentence: "Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters LIMBO". Yet, the experience is so much more compelling, memorable and moving than the vast majority of other games with their intricately thought-out and scripted stories. This is partly down to the monochrome art style and ambient sound design which define an atmosphere the likes of which you would never have imagined a 2D platformer would be able to foster, but also because it lets you, the player, fill in the blanks to let the game affect you in whatever way you interpret it. As a result, it's a deeply personal experience.



The puzzles that the boy has to overcome are more cunning than you might expect for those that lie within the parameters of the game's elementary structure, and usually timing is of critical importance. This invariably means numerous deaths as you try to perfect your response to each situation. Far from being a flaw, this is intended design. Indeed, the creators have labelled Limbo as a "trial and death" game. The forgiving frequency of checkpoints and the delightfully gruesome nature of the boy's deaths are testament to this. The ultimate challenge offered is to finish the game without dying, thereby attaining the elusive 111% leaderboard score, and in order to get anywhere near accomplishing this feat you will need repeated playthroughs in a short space of time, reminiscent of the spirit of 2D shoot 'em ups.



The game is short, but of perfect length - if it had been any longer it might have been in danger of outstaying its welcome. However, it concludes on a high, following the thrilling instability of an alternating gravity section, and in ending it at this point Playdead illustrated total mastery over their creation. In almost all aspects, Limbo is the videogame embodiment of "less is more". … Expand