A indie game in 2011. The first 80% or so, mostly the earlier levels, you can kinda figure out on your own. But the later ones? No chance without a guide. They're brutal with both timing and precision.
That anti-gravity box level, though... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I almost rage-quit so many times, but I push through just to see the ending. Later I looked up a walkthrough and found out there's a hidden achievement where you have to navigate entirely by sound. And get this…there's an even more TERRIFYING one where you have to clear the whole game with fewer than 5 deaths in one sitting. And somehow 2.4% of players actually did it!! Awwww, they are amazing👍. Limbo really doesn't mess around with achievement hunters.
Limbo is a solid gem. It's a pioneer of early platform-puzzle games, and you can totally see its DNA in later titles. With nothing but sound effects and monochrome visuals, it crafts this suffocating, danger-lurking-everywhere world. The boy, just a kid, helpless and out of his depth, comes looking for his sister, only to get ambushed by traps, predators, creepy crawlies, and ruthless humans. One wrong move and you're dead. The dark, oppressive atmosphere is spot-on. Even though the puzzles sometimes drove me up the wall, I was completely immersed from start to finish.
And there's not a single line of dialogue, no narration, not even a tutorial. So what's the story really about? Totally up to your imagination. People have all sorts of theories, some straightforward, some out there, and they all kinda work.
The devs also know exactly how to mess with your head. Near the end, the boy follows a glowing white butterfly and spots his sister's silhouette. He gets closer, closer, just one step away, and then a bug drops from above, takes control of his brain, and forces him to turn around. By the time you shake it off and go back, she's gone. All that's left is a tide of steel and rumbling machinery. Ha. Nice try, right? Little do you know, what's waiting ahead is a gravity-defying nightmare that'll make you wish you could die, but you can't😂. The game gives you a glimpse of hope, then drags you even deeper into despair. That's "Limbo" for you.
Limbo is a fantastic game.
