With the summer gaming drought in full swing, we turn to the digital download scene headlined by Limbo, the debut 2D platforming effort from PlayDead Studios. We can't deny the title looks fantastic, but does the gameplay live up to the hype?
Jeff:Limbo represents something in games we haven't seen in far too long of a time period. It's challenging, atmospheric, gorgeous, and, most importantly, totally original.
Perhaps it's the game's overwhelmingly simplistic presentation we fell in love with. Limbo is straightforward enough, a 2D side-scrolling quest that leads our young hero through a decaying and dreary world. There are only two control buttons, so anyone can pick the game up and start playing. Its artistic styling screams noir, with its two-tone grayscale, film grain, and blurry fore and backgrounds.
The sentiment during gameplay is almost always unsettling, with the title's fantastic sound design giving us the ominous feeling that something terrible could happen at any moment. It's true, a lot of the puzzles must be solved by trial and error, and you'll positively witness a fair share of brutal deaths that had us occasionally jumping out of our seat.
Limbo hits the Xbox Live Arcade at a perfect time during the industry's typical summer drought and needs to be experienced by anyone longing for an ultimately satisfying title that can be played in drips and drabs, rather than for hours at a time. Though it's bit on the short side, the campaign is meticulously crafted to such a high standard that we're not sure we'll see a better digital-only game this entire year.… Read more
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