Limbo (stylised as
LIMBO) is a
puzzle-
platform video game and the premiere title of independent
Danish game developer
Playdead. The game was released in July 2010 as a platform exclusive title on
Xbox Live Arcade, and was later re-released as part of a retail game pack along with
Trials HD and
'Splosion Man in April 2011. Ports of the game to the
PlayStation Network and
Microsoft Windows via
Steam and
GamersGate were created by Playdead, released after the year-long Xbox 360 exclusivity period was completed. A
Mac OS X version was released in December 2011, while a Linux port was available in May 2012.
Limbo is a
2D sidescroller, incorporating the
physics system Box2D to govern environmental objects and the
player character.
The player guides an unnamed boy through dangerous environments and
traps as he searches for his sister. The developer built the game's
puzzles expecting the player to fail before finding the correct
solution. Playdead called the style of play "trial and death", and used
gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from
unworkable solutions.
The game is presented in
monochromatic
black-and-white tones, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal
ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere often associated with the
horror genre. Journalists praised the dark presentation, describing the
work as comparable to
film noir and
German Expressionism. Based on its aesthetics, reviewers classified
Limbo as an example of "
video games as art".
Limbo
received positive reviews, but its minimal story polarised critics;
some critics found the open-ended work to have deeper meaning that tied
well with the game's mechanics, while others believed the lack of
significant plot and abrupt ending detracted from the game. A common
point of criticism from reviewers was that the high cost of the game
relative to its short length might deter players from purchasing the
title, but some reviews proposed that
Limbo had an ideal length.
The title was the third-highest selling game on the Xbox Live Arcade
service in 2010, generating around $7.5 million in revenue. The title
won several awards from industry groups after its release, and was named
as one of the top games for 2010 by several publications.
Download : http://limbo.en.softonic.com/