Published: 28 Aug 2024
Last updated: 1 Sep 2024
- Developed and Published by: Playdead
- Released on: 2011
- Genres: 2D Puzzle Platformer, Psychological Horror
- Rating: 2/5
- Originally written: 3rd February 2024
Lots of style, not all that much substance to complement said style, mainly consisting of average platforming and simple puzzles. Said puzzles are not all too bad, but rely heavily on trial-and-error and death (I’d conjecture this is an artistic choice, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating) to determine what is actually required. The variety also works against it, I’d occasionally get stuck due to not grasping a puzzle mechanic that was introduced seemingly at random.
That criticism actually applies to a lot of Limbo, its general inconsistency. The first half starts by exploring the unfriendly, wooded outside world, and at the second half you end up in an abandoned, functioning factory. The first half has you avoiding spike pits and pools of water by climbing trees or moving wooden boxes, the second half has you using a myriad of switches to manipulate electricity and gravity - and given how wonkily the game handles this, there’s a sense of the game having “jumped the shark”.
I’m glad that the “indie game explosion” happened, and perhaps Limbo contributed towards it (?), but detached from that context I don’t see the hype.
