Games as Art: A Look at Playdead's LIMBO

Over the Christmas holiday, Microsoft discounted LIMBO and my lovely wife let me use some of her Microsoft Points to make the purchase. I had watched many videos of the game and heard about how wonderful it was, but no review could have prepared me for just how amazing this game truly is.

NOTE: This post contains a few spoilers. Nothing that will ruin the experience completely, but if you haven't played this magnificent wonder, please stop reading this and go play it.


It's impossible to compare LIMBO to any other game out there. It's a platformer, but it's not Super Mario Bros. It's an adventure puzzler, but it's not The Legend of Zelda. It's spooky, but it's not Resident Evil. It's visually stunning, but it's not Halo or God of War. What it is at it's core is art.

An iconic moment.

With no information given to you whatsoever, you're presented with a landscape void of any color except what you'd find on the greyscale. Pressing a button will reveal two tiny, white eyes as the silhouette of a small boy slowly stands up. That's the only story given to you. Believe me, if any more would have been revealed, it would have completely ruined the experience.

As you travel this world, which is seemingly void of life, you will kill the little boy. You will kill him a lot. And even though there's virtually no detail, these are some of the most disturbing images you'll ever witness. A giant spider gores the boy with his razor sharp legs. Bear traps decapitate the lad. Other faceless children chase our presumed hero and fire arrows from their bows. The scenic environment shows other small children hanging by the necks form ropes tied to trees, buildings, and other lifeless set pieces.

 Peacefully horrifying.

There's little to no music, and what there is is mostly made up of environmental sounds such as metal clanging, flies buzzing over the corpses of other children, rocks rolling violently toward the child, lights flickering, and other things of that nature. It's absolutely perfect.

I played a lot of big budget titles and smash hits last year. Halo: Reach was worth the wait. Kirby's Epic Yarn was a great experience. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was absolutely incredible and my pick for best game of 2010. But none of those games made me feel as involved in the world presented to me as did LIMBO. If you have Xbox 360, spend the points. If you don't (what the heck is wrong with you?), buy it for a friend who does so that you can both enjoy this fantastic piece of art.

photos from IGN.com