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If you’ve somehow missed this puzzle-platformer gem, go play it now | Full Review - LIMBO+

778 View2023-05-08

LIMBO+

9.8

Psychological HorrorAdventurePuzzle

Get

LIMBO is a puzzle-platformer game with simple controls, minimalistic visuals, and a depressing tone. Developed by Playdead that was first released in 2010. It has since been ported to various platforms, such as iOS back in 2021.

🟩Pros

+minimalistic platformer gameplay experience.

+depressing monochromatic visuals

+haunting soundtrack equally as depressing as the visuals

🟥Cons

-controls is hard to control sometimes

LIMBO+ is the Apple Arcade version of LIMBO and was released for it recently this year, offering players an immersive, depressing, and challenging minimalistic experience.

LIMBO features monochromatic visuals and a haunting soundtrack that creates a sense of unease and tension throughout the game. The minimalist, mostly dark graphics are designed to evoke a sense of ambiguity, leaving players unsure of what exactly they're seeing or what's happening around them.

The depressingly dark visuals are also utilized in the game's puzzles, which often require players to use shadows and silhouettes to solve them. The game's atmosphere is just amazing and gives its game its dark personality and theme.

The gameplay mechanics in LIMBO+ are relatively simple, yet challenging. When purely describing the game mechanics, you could mistake this for a kids game, but the depressing visuals say otherwise. The player controls a young boy as he navigates through various environmental obstacles and hazards, ranging from traps and pitfalls to hostile creatures.

The player must solve puzzles and use the environment to their advantage to progress through the game. The puzzles are well-designed and often require a bit of creative thinking to solve. The game does not hold your hand and just puts you right into the game, there are no tutorials or even story or logical explanations given for the varying puzzles throughout the game, adding to the sense of mystery and discovery.

As someone who is not a fan of jump-scares, what I love about LIMBO is its ability to create tension, scare, and danger without relying on jump scares or gruesomeness. The game's visual and audio design work together to create an atmosphere that is both eerie and immersive.

The subtle use of sound effects, such as creaking boards or the distant sounds of machinery, adds to the game's sense of unease. The game's puzzles are also used to create a sense of danger, with some puzzles requiring quick reflexes and split-second decision-making, usually leaving many players dead before they can react, and taking a few tries to properly pull it off.

The game's story is minimalist, with no dialogue or text used to explain the plot. Instead, the game relies on visual storytelling to convey its narrative, and it works for what it is trying to do. The player takes on the role of a young boy searching for his sister in a dangerous and mysterious world.

Except for the title “LIMBO”, The game's story is left intentionally vague, allowing players to draw their conclusions and interpretations of what's happening. (In fact there are lots of story theories going around on the internet). This approach is refreshing in a medium where games have defined and distinct stories, and the storytelling method is spoon fed to the players.

The game's length is relatively short, taking around four hours to complete. However, the game is mesmerizing enough and the puzzles challenging enough to make replaying the game an unsurprising decision.

My only gripe with this game is that the game is a little bit harder to understand and control with the transition from physical controllers on the consoles to touchscreen devices. While nothing is exceedingly hard to get, the game can sometimes feel unresponsive, and the lack of precision can be frustrating, especially during puzzle-solving sequences that require quick reflexes. However, this issue is relatively minor and does not detract significantly from the overall experience.

In conclusion, LIMBO+ is an excellent game that manages to create a strong sense of unease and tension in such a simple gameplay and visual format. The game's visuals, sound design, and puzzle mechanics work together to create a unique and immersive experience that is sure to stick with players long after they've completed it. While the game's controls can be frustrating at times, this is a minor issue that does not significantly detract from the game's overall quality. If you're a fan of puzzle-platformer games and you’ve somehow missed this gem of a game, it’s the perfect opportunity to play it now.

Mentioned games

LIMBO+

9.8

Psychological HorrorAdventurePuzzle

Get

Gameplay is for kids, the visuals absolutely NOT | First Impressions - LIMBO+

LIMBO+ is the Apple Arcade version of LIMBO and was released for Apple Arcade in 2021, offering players an immersive, depressing, and challenging minimalistic experience, including the visuals, audio, and gameplay. The depressingly dark visuals are also utilized in the game's puzzles, which often require players to use shadows and silhouettes to solve them. The game's atmosphere is just amazing and gives its game its dark personality and theme.

lyndonguitar1K2023-05-08