PlayDead’s Limbo is the opening act of the 2010 Xbox 360 Summer of Arcade, and boy is it going to be a tough act to follow. 2008’s Braid showed us that side scrollers can still pull weight on modern consoles, and Limbo does the same. It is creative, challenging, and very well designed. Actually, it’s such a unique experience that it’s very difficult to describe. I’ll try to keep this review short.
Limbo is entirely done in black and white. It’s a bold choice that pays off. The atmosphere is fantastic, and I absolutely could not get enough. The game even plays with shadow and light in some of its puzzles. At one point you navigate a slowly tumbling room when all you can see is the small area illuminated by a swinging light. During a less frantic sequence you follow a faintly glowing butterfly into an otherwise pitch-black cave.
Although there is no text or dialogue in the game, the sound effects and very subtle ambient music set a really fantastic mood.
