In terms of creating a unique atmosphere, the aptly named Limbo takes the cake. A silhouette of a young boy with no features other than beady dots of light for eyes drifts almost lifelessly through a dark world that bleeds sadness and despair in this chilling downloadable platforming experience for the Xbox 360. Limbo is both dark and devoid of life while being vibrant and dynamic; this is no easy feat. You could call it a puzzle solving platformer, but it feels like something else. From what we can tell, Playdead Studio has pulled off a magnificent feat.
The game animation is nothing but smooth. The environments are nothing but interactive; a push of a crate, a tug of a vine can change the dynamic of your progression. Progression involves solving imaginative puzzles while avoiding decapitation or drowning. Every step is treacherous. Limbo does a great job of instilling a tad bit of fear into the player, which only adds to level of atmosphere generated by the experience.
Because of the rather serene yet hellish atmosphere, anything is possible in terms of game design. Want to grow spider legs out of the side of cliff that must be lured into a bear snare to progress? Because of a lack of predetermined environmental parameters, Limbo can do anything. Despite the fact that the game feels as if designed at random (not a bad thing), it manages to maintain a consistent atmosphere using both its unique, completely dark art style and hollow, purgatorial background noise.
With an endless amount of possibilities, Limbo promises about four hours of ingenious gameplay through one seamless experience. There are no levels in Limbo; the game progresses continually until the very end. This simple, yet challenging adventure will most certainly be one of the more memorable experiences of the year.
