Limbo (video game)
A monochromatic puzzle-platformer with horror elements and trial-and-death gameplay.
Limbo is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer with horror elements, created by the independent studio Playdead and first released for the Xbox 360 in July 2010 through Xbox Live Arcade. Playdead later handled ports to other platforms like the PlayStation 3, Windows, Linux, and Android. The game uses a physics system that affects both the environment and the player character, a nameless boy searching for his sister through hazardous areas filled with traps. The developer designed the puzzles so that players would typically fail before figuring out the correct solution, a style they called "trial and death," using graphic depictions of the boy’s death to discourage wrong approaches. The game is entirely monochrome, relying on lighting, film grain, and sparse ambient sound to build a creepy, horror-like atmosphere. Critics praised this dark look, comparing it to film noir and German Expressionism, and many considered Limbo an example of video games as art. While the game earned widespread critical praise, its thin story divided reviewers—some found deeper meaning that fit the gameplay, while others felt the lack of a clear plot and sudden ending hurt the experience. A common complaint was that the game’s high price compared to its short length might put off buyers, though some argued the length was just right. Limbo has been ranked among the greatest games ever made. In 2010, it was the third best-selling title on Xbox Live Arcade, bringing in about $7.5 million. It won several industry awards and was named a top game of 2010 by multiple outlets. Playdead’s next game, Inside, released in 2016, revisited many of the same themes.
The player controls the boy, who can run, jump, climb ledges, ladders, and ropes, and push or pull objects, as in most 2D platformers. The dark, grayscale graphics and minimal audio create an eerie setting, and the low visibility hides many lethal surprises, such as bear traps on the forest floor or monsters in the shadows. One hazard is glowing worms that attach to the boy’s head, forcing him to move in one direction until they are killed. The second half of the game introduces mechanical puzzles with machinery, electromagnets, and gravity. Many traps are invisible until triggered, often killing the boy, but the player can restart from the last checkpoint with no limit.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Limbo
- Developer
- Playdead
- Publisher
- Microsoft Game Studios · Playdead
- Platforms
- Xbox 360 · PlayStation 3 · Windows · OS X · Linux · Xbox One · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation Vita · Nintendo Switch · iOS · Android
- Genre
- Puzzle-platform
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Arnt Jensen
- Producer
- Dino Patti · Mads Wibroe
- Designer
- Jeppe Carlsen
- Programmer
- Thomas Krog
- Artist
- Morten Christian Bramsen · Stine Sørensen
- Composer
- Martin Stig Andersen
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's primary character is a nameless boy in search of his sister, who awakens in the middle of a forest on the 'edge of hell'. He encounters a humongous spider, a colony of hostile boys, and various environmental hazards. The forest eventually gives way to a crumbling city, industrial, and flooded environments. After completing the final puzzle, the boy is thrown through a pane of glass back into the starting forest, where he again encounters the girl, and the screen cuts to black, abruptly ending the game.
Playdead co-founder Dino Patti and lead designer Jeppe Carlsen stated that game director Arnt Jensen conceived Limbo around 2004. Jensen initially tried to program the game in Visual Basic but needed help, creating an art style trailer by 2006 that attracted substantial interest and led to the founding of Playdead. Initial development was funded personally by Jensen and Patti, along with Danish government grants. Playdead ignored outside advice from investors and critics, such as adding multiplayer or adjustable difficulty, to preserve Jensen's original vision. The core development team size was about 8 developers, expanding to 16 with freelancers.
From the game's inception, Jensen set three goals: create a specific mood and art style, use a minimalistic aesthetic to focus on gameplay, and require only two additional controls (jumping and grabbing) beyond left-and-right movement. The game is presented in monochromatic tones, using lighting, film grain effects, and minimal ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere. Journalists praised the dark presentation, comparing it to film noir and German Expressionism, and reviewers classified Limbo as an example of video games as an art form.
Reader's Guide
Limbo is notable for its 'trial and death' gameplay style, where the developer built puzzles expecting the player to fail before finding the correct solution, using gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from unworkable solutions. The game's dark, greyscale graphics and minimalist ambient sounds create an eerie, haunting environment that conceals lethal surprises. The game's second half features mechanical puzzles and traps using machinery, electromagnets, and gravity. Some traps can be avoided and used later, such as a bear trap used to clamp onto an animal's carcass to allow the boy to climb to a ledge. The game includes an optional gore filter on the Xbox 360 that blacks out the screen instead of showing dismemberment or beheading, and game achievements include finding hidden insect eggs and completing the game with five or fewer deaths.
Limbo won several awards from industry groups after its release and was named as one of the top games for 2010 by several publications. A common point of criticism from reviewers was the high cost relative to its short length, though some reviews proposed it had an ideal length. Playdead's next title, Inside, released in 2016, revisited many of the same themes. The game's legacy includes being listed among the greatest games of all time and being recognized for its artistic merit.
Did You Know?
- The game's title is taken from the Latin 'limbus', meaning 'edge'.
- Playdead called the style of play 'trial and death' and used gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths.
- Playdead trashed 70% of the content they had developed because it did not fit well with the context of the game.
More in Platform Games of the 2010s, Part 1 1-24
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