gaming_help (original) (raw)

Game Name: Limbo
Type: Puzzle/Platform
Game Rating: T
Release Date: July 2010 (XBox Arcade) / July 2011 (PS3)

This game. Oh my. This game is phenomenal. It's been a long while since I've been impressed by a 2-D platform game with so much depth and intriguing puzzles. From giant man-eating spiders (hello, I'm terrified of spiders, so obviously this part made me squirm), to brain eating slugs, to riding mine carts through dark tunnels, to giant saws that will split you in half, this game has everything.

The puzzles start of fairly simple, and once you have a full understanding of the controls, you'll figure out how far you can push your character. The controls are simple. You can move left, or right. Pressing A (the controls I'll be using in this review/reaction post will be for the XBox, since I have not been able to play it on the PS3 as of yet) will allow your character to jump, and pressing or holding X will allow you to interact with objects - if they are able to be interacted with. That's it! Oh, and start, to pause the game, which I used several times to take a quick cig break and collect myself.

The storyline is confusing, but then again, the game is called LIMBO, so it's fairly safe to say that the land in which your character is in, isn't real. But from what I've gathered, you're looking for SOMEONE. As I stated before the puzzles start of simple, but this game is fairly tricky as well, in that once you think you've figured it out, it pulls the rug right out from under your feet, and you've landed hard on your bum, looking up at the sky saying, "why didn't I see that coming!?".

The achievements (for the XBox, again, I haven't gotten to play it on the PS3 yet but hope to soon), are just like the puzzles themselves. Start off easy (in fact, the very first one Wrong Way should give you a hint as to what you should be doing), but then lose you as the game progresses. The descriptions provided with the achievement titles do not exactly point out what you have to do, but you know what? I love that. Games that are straightforward in telling you how to get that 20G aren't really providing a challenge other than what you have to do or overcome to get said achievement. The achievements with LIMBO are like an outside puzzle waiting to be solved, and once you solve them, you're amazed that you had even gone down that path, or fallen at the right spot.

The one achievement that makes it obvious what you have to do is No Point In Dying - the description? Play through the entire game and beat it without exceeding 5 deaths. This achievement is a toughie, and I've been constantly trying every other day to get further and further into the game every time I play to see how many times I die at certain puzzles. I bring this achievement up, because a friend of mine said, and I quote, "I won't buy this game because of that achievement." When asked why, he said that any game that has an achievement like that is bound to be pointless and easy to beat. HAH. A game like THIS, with THAT achievement, makes me wish I still had a Game Genie! I kid, I kid. In all seriousness though, this is the only achievement I haven't been able to get, and I've had the game for about 2 months now. Once the puzzles are figured out, that's all well and good. But, a lot of the later puzzles rely HEAVILY on perfect timing, and if you're a second too early, or a second too late, you'll be dead.

So, if you're like my friend, don't let that last achievement get the better of you before you've even tried the game. The graphics are Stunning, with a capital S. I know, it's 2-D, black, white and gray scale, but the small details, the simplicity of the game is one of the big big selling points for me. Don't let the cartoon/comic book look fool you. With the gore turned on, you see your boy character die in some pretty awful and gruesome ways, so this is not a game recommend for young children. There is no dialogue or text, which I find pleasantly not distracting. This game relies heavily on the progression of the plot and the puzzles, so no dialogue is a plus.

All in all, a wonderful addition to my Arcade games, and a game that I've been telling friends (and some family) about.

Rating: 9/10 (would like to know what exactly The Point of the game was)