Rating of
3.5/5
LIMBO: Black n White & Dead All Over
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/12/12
It's hard to find a game that has both a unique style and interesting gameplay. Some of the biggest complaints about FPS is how they're all muddy brown and look exactly the same. Yet often when you go too far in the opposite direction, you get a highly stylized game that looks like a million but doesn't deliver in the actual "game" department. I had a gift certificate available (thanks David!) and I bought LIMBO based on the premise. It seemed simple enough - navigate a stark black and white world, avoid traps, solve some puzzles, find your sister - the two things that caught my attention were the graphics and the seemingly endless amount of ways you can die horribly.
Presentation
Easily the high point of this PSN game - the whole game is in black and white (and maybe some grey) - even when you die, there is no sudden spurt of red, it keeps the same style throughout. Now, you may think this makes the game simple in terms of graphics, but I beg to differ. It's sharp and the play of shadows and light are a big part this game. Your character appears to be some kind of young boy lost in a vast world. This is a 2D platformer, so you can go forward and back (and, in some later levels, sideways when things start to rotate). It's kind of creepy when this young-looking, silent character suddenly dies - and there are many, many, many ways to die. A few - drowning, bear traps, impalement, stabbed by a spider leg, crushed by rock, falling from high places, shot by arrows, shot by machine gun, crushed by box, sawed to pieces, electrocution, crushed by tree trunk... well, you get the picture. Sometimes, because I'm a morbid person, I just die for the hell of it to see what awful fate awaits. You start over from the closest point - usually not too far back - there are no "lives" you're apparently already dead.
The sound is as stark as the game - usually the only sounds you here are rocks rolling, electricity arcing and machinery working. I actually think this fits the game, as a soundtrack would only get in the way. For once I'm glad about the lack of music.
I had no problems with the game - it wasn't too easy or too hard. Most problems can be solved with a bit of brain power. Some of the later levels rely more on timing than smarts, but that's okay too. I never felt the urge to throw things, but I also never felt like someone was holding my hand.
Story
It's as straight-forward as it can get: you're looking for your sister, and to get to her, you must get through each level without dying. It's a PSN game, what, you were expecting depth? The game is called LIMBO for a reason, though. It feels kind of depressing - what with the design and seemingly endless ways to die. You have to wonder what the backstory on this poor boy and his sister are: car accident? Fire? Simply neglected by their parents and left to starve? See - it's more fun coming up with your own story anyway.
Gameplay
Nothing earth-shattering here. It's a typical platformer. You have no weapons - it's all about jumping, climbing, pulling and pushing buttons. There are a few collectible glowing "eggs" to find, this is where the majority of the trophies come into play - they are out-of-the-way, but not too hard to find. Mostly, you just have to figure out how to pass the various traps and obstacles that bar your way. Some levels employ interesting mechanics, such as a glowing parasite that lets you move in only one direction until hitting "light" which switches your direction until the glowing bugger gets eaten. There are magnets and gravity buttons, elevators, electrified signs and rails, a giant spider and other fun things to look forward to.
Overall
LIMBO may not rewrite the book on 2D platforming, but it has a visual style that's quite appealing and it manages to make you think while having fun. At $14.99, I thought the game could have been longer (the main reason I didn't rank it higher) but I think you can probably say that about many of the PSN games. I might steer this game away from the clinically depressed, but otherwise it's a dark trip unlike any other.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5
