Throwback Thursday - Limbo

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20.  While this game is only rated T for Teen, there are many gruesome variances of death sequences to be found in this somber world.  This blog is rated E for everyone's safe and enjoyable viewing, but I'd advise some parental discretion for playing this game.

Speaking of which, taking a stab this week: The game of brutal deaths and fun with physics that is Limbo.

Released on July 21st, 2010, Limbo starred as the eye-catching new indie game of Xbox's "Summer of Arcade" promotion.  And boy did it turn some heads, with its simplistic and yet incredibly gripping art style and gameplay mechanics.  By stripping down the components of its design, this is a game that manages to be both surprisingly accessible and deeply engaging.  As a puzzle-platformer, players explore this entrancing world filled with all sorts of interesting puzzles, either comprised of new ideas or familiar elements with new layers of complexity.  The main basis of most of these puzzles and the game centers around a trial by error system (or "trial by death" as the creators put it).  This may sound frustrating dying over and over again, but such is kept from feeling grinding thanks to generous checkpoints and the many varied horrific, yet strangely captivating deaths.  The deeper you dive into this haunting world, the more you develop a sense for anticipating these devious traps and a satisfaction for overcoming such.

The main drive of this game comes from the pull of its curious, but minimal plot, all conveyed through means of gameplay, environment, and little else context.  As such, much is left to the imagination of the player, and in that way, the player is more personally invested and immersed into this world.  What was this boy doing in the middle of the woods?  Where is he going?  Who is he looking for?  These questions drive the player ever forward, leading from one memorable moment to the next.  Repeated encounters with a terrifying spider.  The electrifying sign of a neglected hotel.  The threatening saw blades of a turning complex.  Part of what makes many of these moments so memorable aside from the striking art style is the wonderful use of anticipation and dread.  There's that initial surprise and conveyance of danger, and then the knowing agony the player will initiate and/or face this threat head on.

Continuing forward seems like a bad idea...

The game averages 3-4 hours to play through for most players, making it the perfect game to sit down and plow through in one or two sessions.  The ending may come a bit abruptly and more sudden than you'd anticipate, and leaves much open to interpretation.  But I encourage players to wait until after the credits and look closely at what follows.  I found this entire game and experience to be haunting, mesmerizing, depressing, and strikingly beautiful all at the same time.  Limbo is an experience that will stick with the player long after you put down the controller.