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I don't consider myself a writer(by that I mean a good writer), but I figured with this post I would go ahead a post a review I did of Limbo. If you're interested in Limbo then I highly recommend you give it a try (I think there's a demo out?)Anyway enjoy the review and if you don't feel like reading then enjoy the new banner. I've added some Screen shots from the actual game too.
Limbo is a two dimensional platform game developed by an independent game studio located in Copenhagen, Denmark called Playdead (CreativeApplications). Limbo has won several awards including the "Technical Excellence" and "Excellence in Visual Art" awards at the International Game Festival in 2010 (CreativeApplications). In Limbo, the player takes the role of a young boy searching for his sister while avoiding certain death and solving environmental puzzles along the way. Limbo uses its unique sound design, ominous aesthetics, and treacherous environments to give the player a feeling of isolation.
In the opening scene of Limbo, the boy awakens in the dark woods that inhabit the strange land. As the boy trots forward it becomes very clear that the lighting and monochromatic black-and-white tones play a clear role in establishing the player’s experience. Limbo’s aesthetics are comparable to film noir or German Expressionism, which greatly differentiates the game from others in the platforming genre like Sonic the Hedgehog. Limbo could be best described as if Super Mario Brothers was created by the twisted mind of Tim Burton and the intricate planning of Rube Goldberg. Limbo’s lack of color intensifies the feeling of isolation, causing the player to feel lonely. In most platforming games, colors are vibrant which affect the player positively. The absence of color in Limbo relates to the player’s psychological imagery of negativity. The player continues to feel alone as he/she progresses through the game because there isn’t even a slight drop of color that enters the game to boost his/her optimisms. The lighting in Limbo unites with the lack of color to further let the player know that he/she is alone.
As the player progresses in the game, the boy passes through dimly lit caves and dark factories. In these gloomy locations the lighting begins to fade and blackness begins to almost swallow the boy whole. Only the boy’s pale white eyes are visible in these caves. This lighting technique used in Limbo expands upon the theme of loneliness because it links to a fear of isolation during the player’s childhood. Most people at some point in their childhood are afraid of the dark. This phobia is caused by the combination of our imagination and fear of the unknown. As a child, when we find ourselves in the dark we let our imaginations run wild and assume the worst. We create fictional monsters like the “boogeyman” and convince ourselves there is no one around to help us. Limbo reinforces this phobia by letting the player understand that they are unaccompanied in the darkness of the world of Limbo and no one is here to tell him/her that everything will be alright.
Although Limbo’s gloomy aesthetics are a big part of its theme of isolation, the game would not be the same without its distinctive sound design and use of subtle ambient noises. In most platformers the player is treated with different theme music as they advance through the game. The music may contain a catchy melody or be very upbeat and keeps the player at a steady pace. Limbo does away with all theme music, leaving the player with only ambient sounds along his/her journey. The absence of music in Limbo makes the player feel secluded because it is closer to reality. In reality, when have the necessity to be alone we set ourselves apart from all distractions including sound. The absence of sound correlates to our solitude because it lets us know nothing is around us. The silence in Limbo leaves the player wondering if anyone else exists in the macabre world of Limbo or if he/she is all that exists.
Limbo is not completely quiet as there are sound effects that also shape the world and contribute to the theme of loneliness. At one point the boy reaches an industrial environment where his footsteps begin to echo as he lightly skims across large metallic platforms. Soft mechanical sounds can be heard from afar throughout this area. The addition of the echo gives the player the impression that the industrial area is vast and uninhabited. The small mechanical sounds heard in the background also let the player know that there is much more for him/her to explore, but what they find in this machine-driven area will not be able to accompany them.
Another aspect of Limbo which emphasizes the theme of loneliness is its incredible environment design. When the boy first enters the main entrance of the dark forest the camera slightly pans back to reveal the forest’s massive trees. In most platformers the landscape is proportional to the size of the main character like in Kirby 64: The Krystal Shards. Limbo does the exact opposite and makes the environment dominate the screen. Trees seem like giants as they stand before the boy and metal gears look like rigid rounded colossi that could flatten him at any second. The sizes of these environments in relation to the boy make him look like a feeble insect which also feeds into to the theme of isolation. Since the player is dominated by the environment he/she feels dwarfed. This overwhelming feeling highlights the player’s isolation because it places them in a world where they feel they do not belong.
Not only does Limbo’s environmental design make the boy seem insignificant, but it also makes the boy appear to be very fragile. As the player continues through each eerie area it becomes apparent that the world of Limbo is unforgiving. The player first experiences this notion during the very beginning of the game when the boy slides down a grassy hill. If the player does not jump at the right moment then the boy falls head first into a group of sharp branches. All of Limbo’s environments possess this brutal trait. The player understands that at any moment anything and everything will try to obliterate them. In other platforming games the player has to overcome challenges within the environment, but there are usually secret paths that help the player skip a level like in Adventure Island. In Limbo, the player is at the mercy of environment’s will. The environment’s unforgiving nature supports the player’s sense of isolation because he/she cannot find a beneficial aspect within it. Therefore the player sees the environment as an adversary. The unfavorable environment is not the only aspect looking to annihilate the player, but the beings that occupy certain areas also look forward to the player’s demise.
At one point in Limbo, the boy is introduced to the other children that inhabit it. The player may see this as an opportunity to ally with these little strangers, but the player soon realizes that they are a threat. The children of Limbo set deadly swinging bear traps and falling rocks to prevent the boy’s progression. Unlike Super Mario Brothers where a player can defeat an enemy simply by jumping on its head at a certain time, the adversaries in Limbo are not easily defeated. The player will notice that the children usually lay a trap and quickly flee the area before the boy has a chance to confront them. The children’s evasive and hostile nature greatly contributes to the player’s loneliness. Since the children only have the intention of killing the player, they are only seen as antagonists. The children quickly vanish, and so there is no time for the player to feel a sense of companionship. Not only do the living in Limbo enhance the theme of loneliness, but the dead also play an important role.
After the boy encounters the evil children of Limbo, the player is introduced to the inhabitants of Limbo who did not survive. Bodies of the dead lie in wooden cages and float along small ponds. In certain portions of the game, the player must interact with the dead to survive. For example, in one area the player must drag a lifeless body into a trip wire in order to avoid a gruesome death and reach the next area. The player’s interaction with the dead accentuates their loneliness because it forebodes their death and diminishes their hope of finding an acquaintance.
Limbo can be considered as a sinister gaming experience, but that does not mean it should be avoided. Limbo uses a combination of haunting aesthetics, distinctive sound design, and ruthless environments to separate itself from other games. It pushes the medium of games because it makes the player experience the unique feeling of isolation that most platformers try to avoid. Limbo goes against all the uplifting and positive aspects that have been established throughout the history of platforming games. It is only at the end of the game, the player sees the true meaning behind Limbo. Limbo is not a game about a boy looking for his sister. It is not about the triumph of the human spirit to overcome death defying situations in order to find companionship. Limbo shows us that even in our darkest moments when there is no one to help you, all hope is not lost. It teaches us that the obstacles we experience alone are what define ourselves. Limbo illuminates that it is not about reaching the end, but about the journey that brought us there.
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