Limbo Is a Must Have Game

So, I finally downloaded the game Limbo. I’ve been on the fence on this one for quite some time, but really haven’t committed to buying it until this morning. This game can be described in two words, visually stimulating.

The premise of the game is pretty basic. You play as a boy and wake up in the middle of a forest to make your journey along and find your lost sister. Along the way, however, you have to complete these little puzzles, or tasks that get in your way during the quest. Some quests are easy, others can be, for some like me, a challenge. For example, to cross a ditch that is filled with water (the boy can’t swim across because you will die in deep water) your character has to climb up a rope that is tied to a tree limb. Jumping from branch to branch, you finally find a cracked part at the top of the tree to knock over and it falls into the ditch so you can walk across safely.

Controlling the boy is pretty simple, as well. You can walk, push, pull, and jump. That’s it. During your quest you’ll also encounter different villains. Case in point, the ominous looking spider. To pass this hairy beast you have to move a spring loaded metal trap to cut off the spider’s legs. If you don’t, the spider will lunge his legs forward like a sword and skewer you like a kabob. Maneuvering this metal trap with teeth, the boy has to be very careful. Walk to far and it snaps your head off, not far enough and you risk getting shanked by the huge arachnid. Eventually completing the task of snapping the spider’s legs off like dead tree branches, you continue your journey of finding your sister and eventually making it to the next obstacle.

The game is eerily spooky and visually intriguing. It’s weird at first because it’s all black and white, but eventually the graphic display becomes natural. The bloodcurdling music in the background keeps you in anticipation as you wonder what comes next, only to find these devious kids shooting arrows at you as you make your way through the environment. Your character has to eventually overcome Satan’s spawn by staying out of their poor archery skills and eventually leading them to their death by way of smashing blocks and a pit of sharp sticks, which one of the kids fall into.

Limbo is scary and sadistic, but in a good way. I could not stop playing the game because I just wanted to see what came next. Each puzzle completed I felt like I was helping this boy find his lost sibling and fulfilling my civic duty. It’s an unusual game. Different from all the others I have played, that is the hook. You will get submerged into the haunted feeling of this story and drawn into the environment that lurks as your character stays in Limbo until he finds his sister.

The game will set you back 1200 Microsoft points, but is worth every penny, so give this arcade title a try, you won’t be disappointed. View the game trailer below.