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Limbo

Developer: Playdead Publisher: Playdead
02 August 2011
Limbo - cover art
Glitchwave rating
3.42 / 5.0
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228 Ratings / 2 Reviews
#1,415 All-time
#56 for 2010
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Limbo Special Edition
2012 Playdead Headup  
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Title
While I enjoyed segments of this game on my one and only play, I was immensely bored at certain points, and I think it speaks strongly that a game with aesthetics and atmosphere this nice has such lulls in between the good of it all. It also genuinely doesn't do enough to either convey basic gameplay facets you'll never use again, or repeat the same gimmicks it's already used, or other games have. Not really something you'd expect from a couple of hour indie game, though it did come out in 2010, so I expect that they spent most of the time on non-gameplay aspects considering the state of the game. Also, maybe only my gripe, but the ending comes out of nowhere. Glitchwave (as of this review), has this for a game description: "Searching for his sister, a boy enters Limbo." Did I miss something, or was that never conveyed? Regardless, it's not a terrible experience, I just wish it didn't feel like an alpha for the game.
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petmyfurrykitten 2021-07-22T14:01:42Z
2021-07-22T14:01:42Z
2.5
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indie diarrhea #9120381290471826512512

this one kind of had a cute art style, but was overwhelmingly simplistic and felt a chore to beat. I was just glad it's over. every one of these fucking indie games has some stupid gimmick and after the initial impression it always wears out because: WHERE IS THE GAMEPLAY. you just walk to the right and overcome some simplistic obsticles and then the games over. fuck it.

5/10
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darkrecollections 2020-09-03T20:51:19Z
2020-09-03T20:51:19Z
2.5
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I feel good that I finally sat down and played this game. I first got it in the Humble Indie Bundle 5 back in 2012, which included this game along with Psychonauts, Bastion, Lone Survivor, Braid, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, AND Super Meat Boy. It was nothing short of a phenomenon and I personally attribute it to unlocking my perception of how much more games could be than generic AAA affairs. That makes this blurb I'm writing something like 7 years in the making, which is a stupid amount of time to sit on a game that is 3 hours long.

My first impressions are my only impressions as I beat the entire thing in a single sitting, to my own surprise. I have a lot of respect for what it's trying to do but I can't help but feel like it didn't succeed in its goals very much. The big striking selling point of Limbo is its dark, monochromatic color scheme and oppressive world, making it look lovely in stills and videos but when playing, your mind sort of filters out the art into the functional visuals of what is and is not a threat, usable object, and possible to do. The animations are also goofy, making it very difficult to see this as an actual horror experience or even tense, and in some ways I'd say the high-contrast art is also a utility by the devs to hide somewhat sloppy movement.

The other selling point is that the game is somewhat challenging and you will die often because of it. I disagree with this two times over, as not only was I only stuck on how to progress logically for a handful of times, but almost all of the deaths are from trial and error platforming sequences or escape-the-room "puzzles" that are more about memorization and execution than actually solving anything. Occasionally, in the latest stages, progressing feels a lot like work, as very little perceptive ability is needed to progress, only patience and consistency with your inputs. With a game that's already plateaued tonally, this frequent tedium adds up to an experience that is way less fun than it should be.

I have a few other gripes, namely the horrifically bad arthouse ending, the all-too-sudden end to the spider saga that feels unsatisfying, and the overuse of the brainworm sequences which turn an already mechanically unsatisfying platformer into one that's also an endless runner game. But in the interest of fairness, I am still happy this game exists. It's one of the few linear, non-segmented attempts at something akin to the "cinematic platformer" titles from the 90s, where jumps are weighty and supposed to be done with purpose to help you progress in puzzles. While it's incredibly simple and lacks variety, depth, content, and overall polish, it's cool that someone decided to emulate that era, at least, especially in a package that looks relatively unique. I certainly don't recommend this for most people, but for those who don't care if games aren't fun, this is a decent recommendation for its novelty alone.
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the_lockpick 2017-12-31T19:58:57Z
2017-12-31T19:58:57Z
2.0
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So I had a very interesting experience with this game. I sort of went in expecting to dislike Limbo, because I feel like video game critics tend to over exaggerate a lot when it comes to indie games, and Limbo is like, one of the very first "big" indie games to drop with universally smashing reviews (other than maybe Braid...). People were giving this thing GOTY for 2010 and I was a bit sceptical considering that it was the same year that Nintendo had dropped a bombshell of platformers onto the world like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Kirby's Epic Yarn! :O How could a small indie game like Limbo get so much good press??? Now that I've finally played the game I kinda get it now... Limbo is an incredibly unique experience even if it isn't the most grandiose by platforming standards.

To be a bit more accurate here Limbo is a puzzle-platformer, you essentially wake up in a forest as a nameless little boy, with this beautiful black and white art style, with no sense of direction or story. Your only objective appears to be just: GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!! Along your short journey you encounter and giant hostile spider that you must deal with multiple times until you finally defeat it in a very brutal and satisfying way. There are other children who aren't so happy to see you; launching booby traps and blow darts at you. And then there're countless saws, gears, and electrical hazards in the game's industrial area. Mechanically this game is pretty simple, your boy can pretty much only jump, flip switches, and move stuff around (he can't even swim...), but I liked how it makes your little boy feel more vulnerable and it made me feel more like s*** when I'd screw up and get him killed!

The game really banks on shock value here, because the death cinematics are quite gruesome especially considering that it's a little child being decapitated, impaled by spikes, and crushed by giant steel blocks! You'll stumble upon dead bodies of other children, and the world is just full of so much misery and desolation visually. I think the audio in this game is absolutely brilliant and immersive, the ambient drones and sound effects in this game really set up a sense of tension and even fear, I would legitimately get startled when I'd screw up and set off a loud death trap! I highly recommend playing this game with the volume maxed out!

Let's talk about the puzzles. Limbo has some of the most impressive and head scratching puzzles I've faced in a 2D platformer. What makes many of these puzzles so smart are there use of physics, like momentum, magnetic fields, and weight. It's a pretty cognitive game and requires some trial and error, but no matter how ambiguous this puzzles seemed I was always able to find the solution on my own. And solving some of these devious puzzles, especially the really challenging ones later in the game gave me a huge sense of gratification! One complaint people have with this game is it's dramatic shift from the first half being very cinematic and horror driven to the second half being very puzzle driven. This didn't really bother me because the puzzles were so great and there were those nerve racking sections where the whole world would start rotating! :S

The game is pretty short, clocking in at about 2-3 hours if you're seasoned at platformers. That doesn't seem like much, but I won't complain too much because I only paid 10 bucks for this and I do like to factor in price proposition for my game ratings. Besides, the bite sized nature of this game actually compels me to go back and replay it often. The game's story and ending is fairly ambiguous and leaves it up to your own imagination. Who is this boy? Who's the little girl? Are you dead? How did you die? It's literally all up to you! Limbo is a great game, I'd say that the critic circle jerking was warranted for this game even if it's clearly not the most innovative or impressive platform game ever made. It has enough personality and uniqueness to be outstanding in it's own right.
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PaperbagWriter93 2016-07-01T04:12:48Z
2016-07-01T04:12:48Z
4.0
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Catalog

adg3 Limbo 2024-03-07T05:16:15Z
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2024-03-07T05:16:15Z
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LOVE_ME_FOREVER_FOREVER Limbo 2024-02-25T14:15:28Z
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2024-02-25T14:15:28Z
4.5
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bedworms Limbo 2024-02-17T06:04:17Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
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edgar_marrybell Limbo 2024-02-11T15:47:42Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2024-02-11T15:47:42Z
4.0
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steam
hunterskull1234 Limbo 2024-02-08T14:39:20Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2024-02-08T14:39:20Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
LordofSushi Limbo 2024-01-26T05:43:55Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2024-01-26T05:43:55Z
3.25
1
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mightysparks Limbo 2024-01-08T03:05:52Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2024-01-08T03:05:52Z
1
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steam
mickilennial Limbo 2024-01-04T15:31:45Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2024-01-04T15:31:45Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
burny Limbo 2023-11-29T04:45:22Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2023-11-29T04:45:22Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Sanagami Limbo 2023-11-25T01:09:50Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2023-11-25T01:09:50Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Zargoth Limbo 2023-11-08T03:01:01Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2023-11-08T03:01:01Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
freeziez Limbo 2023-11-07T05:51:23Z
Windows / Mac / Linux/Unix
2023-11-07T05:51:23Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
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  • Previous comments (5) Loading...
  • twee_pop 2021-05-17 18:10:20.513748+00
    the video game equivalent of tim hecker's radio amor
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  • lowplacelikehome 2021-07-13 13:40:42.588835+00
    Hauntingly beautiful.
    reply
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  • ... 2021-09-11 23:04:05.513544+00
    i see a lot of negative trial and error criticism for those kind of games but im pretty sure its an intentional game design choice thats only here to add to the "oo anything can fuck you up at anytime" vibe,, personally it never bothered me because i always accepted it as such at least
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  • DavidthePearce 2021-09-26 01:35:11.33994+00
    The gameplay loop of dying to something completely unpredictable and then easily getting past the hazard because you can now predict it is not fun. Limbo hit at a boom for indie games and it feels like a few games of that era got disproportionate praise.
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    • Jaxijin 2022-08-08 20:55:30.742944+00
      I'm playing this for the first time and completely agree. The aesthetics and atmosphere are great, but I found the gameplay loop a chore by the end (which is saying something when it's like a four hour game). I think cinematic platformers just aren't for me, but I'll still play Inside to see if I feel the same.

      Also the parts near the end with the gravity flipping just had me wishing I was playing VVVVVV, a far better game lol.
    • Jaxijin 2023-04-28 20:35:35.952815+00
      Finally played Inside and found it a million times more enjoyable than this. So if this game turned you off, you should still give that game a chance.
    • Marmalade88 2023-07-01 18:03:59.05319+00
      This is so true. This gameplay style originated as a scam to waste money in arcades, and now it just feels like a waste of time.
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  • Miry 2021-11-15 21:30:14.82095+00
    the ending broke me.
    reply
    • ... 2021-12-02 01:35:15.07838+00
      ba dum tss
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  • phoenix5511 2022-07-09 17:26:36.185109+00
    Its funny someone mentioned Tim Hecker in these comments, my favourite artist of all time and this game is also a 10/10. But I don't think it's like Radio Amor.. It's more Industrial/ Dark Ambient for me. Maybe Deathprod the game? loll
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  • eratic_specialist 2023-07-26 15:25:11.858334+00
    aesthetically pleasing with simple mechanics and gameplay that got overhyped as an artistic masterpiece just cuz it looks good and its an indie
    ...entertaining enough to play
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