Limbo

Xbox 360 (Arcade)

Story Rating: 2/5

Environment Rating: 5/5

Game Play Rating: Thumb Buster

Review:

Dark and innovative, Limbo is a very unique game. There is no dialogue, written or heard, throughout the entire game. Instead, you wake up in a dark wood and must find your way as best as you can with no knowledge of WHY (unless you’ve read all of the other reviews out there, as I had). At first, the game seems easy and fun. Even dying (especially dying) becomes a source of amusement, as our hero with no name inevitably meets a gruesome end with every mistake we make. There are no lives, though; no penalty. You just dust yourself off and try again. With autosaving after every puzzle, I’m perfectly happy with this gameplay approach. The puzzles needed to progress become much more challenging, so that towards then end I was almost wholly dependent on pogle’s assistance to finish. Certain puzzles become so frustrating that, the minute you realize you’ve messed up yet again, you’ll find yourself running the hero into the nearest source of death with some satisfaction. Sweet ending, I guess, albeit truncated.

Conclusion:

Fun, in its own way. Unique environment. Little forgiveness in the later puzzles. Morbid. Bleeping sawblades.

Rating: