Gaming Limbo PC Review

Hailed as one of the Xbox 360's best indie games, Limbo has just moved to PC. We take a look.

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2011/08/06/limbo-pc-review/1

 

A beautiful console platformer made frustrating by clunky control remapping? We've never been here before...

I'm definitely glad that the makers have brought this game to PC, regardless of whether or not they have adapted it appropriately. It shall go on my to-buy list.

 

@ controls - there is a settings.txt file, containing following section. Tweaking works as expected upon game restart.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
# User control settings #
up = "UP"
down = "DOWN"
left = "LEFT"
right = "RIGHT"
action = "RCONTROL"

# Remove the '#' char from the 4 lines below to enable wsad controls
#up2 = "W"
#down2 = "S"
#left2 = "A"
#right2 = "D"
action2 = "LCONTROL"

 

Beautiful game

 

Great review. Have been waiting for this since it was released on the X-Box especially due to the brave direction the developers have taken with the game.

Indie developers have to make a name for themselves as they cant rely upon their company name or big a advertising campaign to generate interest in there products. Limbo is one such game that has managed to do that. Creating a unique experience, one which is likely to be never forgotten.

2-3 Hours of game-play for £7 is slightly steep though and considering I have waited for it since its release on the X-Box I think that ill wait a little bit longer till the Steam Sale.

 

really well written review that made me actually want to play the game, i had seen it on steam and thought 'oh another indie platformer' (not that i have an issue with them I'm just a bit fatigued since super meat boy) but it looks like this is one to get, although definitely in the sale when its £3

 

Limbo is amazing, my GF has it for her xbox360 and we've played through it many times, as have most of our friends, and everyone I know who's played it loved it

 

Been waiting for this a long time. Bloody masterpiece. I'm not too bothered about the controls as it's a simple game to play. No complex controls required.

 

played the demo and loved it, will hang on for the steam sale, though (im a tight *******)

plus it works with my xb360 controller which is always a bonus!

 

Might give it a go, seeing how much appreciation it's getting on these forums.
That's something I can definitely trust

 

$10 for a game with nothing but an emotastic art style and half-baked platform gameplay that can't even compare to the original Super Mario Bros.? No thanks. Gee, I wonder how many more indie "art games" will get away with selling faux-meaning wrapped around a flaccid 30-year-old core before people catch on.

 

You totally don't get it do you? I guess your level of gaming is Super Mario Cutesy kiddy platformer. This is a platformer for people who like to solve puzzles not hold down fire key and jump to collect stars. You've simply shown to everyone that you're a bit of a moron.

Now rack off and play mario.

 

First half of the game is boring, it's too simple. In the second half it gets more challenging though. The art style is really nice as well. Can't hold a candle to Braid but it's good enough to spend 10 euros on imo.

 

It's amazing how polarised the opinions about this game are. Kind of reminds me of Braid in a way. Some think it's great, has lots of emotional value and deeper meaning to it, while others see it as a bad game hidden behind a pretentious, artsy cover.

Just compare:

Vs.

And
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08/04/john-and-kieron-argue-about-limbo/

I personally rest firmly in the first camp and can't even imagine how people can't at least bring up some respect for art style and meaning (I actually facepalmed at Sear's comment). But hey, that's just my opinion.

This is going on my wishlist.
(Though I'm torn between investing my sparse monies in this or Bastion...)

 

Ever tried the Myst series? More complex puzzles.

 

I fully appreciate the artistic integrity that games can hold. Don't think for a second that I am any less a tart for my comment. The common pitfalls with so many "art games" however, are that usually a) their meaning is not nearly as profound or subtle as they think it is and b) they always trade substance for style, resulting in games that can come across as initially enrapturing, but soon fall prey to gameplay faults that many legitimate game designers already fought their way through decades ago.

Think of it this way. You're trying to sell me a product, and that product is a videogame. Videogames, even artistic ones, require months and years to produce, thousands of dollars of investment, and simply put, must sell in order to keep their creators in business. While many artists are able to get away with producing art on the side, for the most part, game creatures are not in the same boat unless they keep the scope of their games extremely narrow compared to their ambitions. And when you come to the customer trying to sell him or her something, it can't be a two-hour game where 95% of the budget and thought went not into the gameplay, but into "we tried to make it look like Tim Burton." Yes, I'm sensitive to your needs as a creator, but maybe if you want to create art, you should pick a better medium for it.

On the other hand, if you want to sell your game as an interactive art experience, fine - but in that case you should go full-on, like Tale of Tales, rather than try to occupy that middle ground between "we want to elevate your existence" and "it's like Super Mario Bros. except not nearly as good." And you should certainly expect your game to sell accordingly (here's a hint: most people don't give a **** about real art and don't want to pay for it, a reality I don't think most indie art game developers want to admit).

At the end of the day, Limbo is an atmospheric game with some tired but still somewhat enjoyable platform and puzzle elements. Is that atmosphere worth paying $10 for? Maybe, but its tired visual style with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face (it's the equivalent of "black & white = art!" in photography), I can think of both better art and better games I can experience for $10. So do you want to talk about Limbo as a game, or as a piece of art, or as a game with artistic aspirations? Maybe as the latter it stands a chance when given the competition, but when you try to examine it and its ilk wholly as works of art and as a videogame, they're both mediocre, and no amount of hyperbolic reviewing and pandering to nostalgia will change that.

 

It seems you can't read a review properly.

"It’s a refreshing take on platforming, if only because it is influenced less by Super Mario Bros"

If the game had been influenced by a nintendo game I wouldn't play it. Limbo doesn't have to fit in with your narrow view of gameplay versus art. The Path didn't really engage me as a player although I liked the artistic element. I don't know what your problem is really? I rarely play platform games because I find them boring. For me games have moved on from the games I used play back in the 80's but Limbo is more a platformer for adults. Set in a dark, surreal world I find very appealing.

I just think you're one of life's complainers and for some reason you think your low opinion of the game is representative of the truth.

I guess either you played it for a few minutes and became enraged when you found it wasn't like super mario at all ("it's like Super Mario Bros. except not nearly as good.") or the puzzles were too complex for you.

Either way I think the game is far more interesting than your inability to read a review properly.

Edit:

Just to remind everyone of your first statement:

"sear 6th August 2011, 18:57 Quote
$10 for a game with nothing but an emotastic art style and half-baked platform gameplay that can't even compare to the original Super Mario Bros.? No thanks. Gee, I wonder how many more indie "art games" will get away with selling faux-meaning wrapped around a flaccid 30-year-old core before people catch on.
"

And what was said in the review:

"It’s a refreshing take on platforming, if only because it is influenced less by Super Mario Bros., Metroid and Contra and more by Another World or Heart of Darkness."

So why are you crapping on about super mario when the review states clearly it is not a platformer in the style of super mario?

Sorry but you just come across someone who can't understand the meaning of a simple sentence. And I should accept your in-depth, intellectually stimulating opinion why?

 

Ha ha ha... Some people do get very touchy about things...

 

Have you played the game? I only ask because I have and I don't think it is sold or regarded as an "interactive art experience" at all.

In my mind it's a puzzle/platform game through and through. The visuals, basic screen/story/controls and simple audio are all there to create the desired atmosphere which in turn drives the story and feel of the game. Don't all games do this?

 

I just played that game for about an hour and have to say it is awesome.
I'm having a feeling that resolution or sharpness of the screen isn't perfect, but maybe it supposed to be like that. Played on 27" 2560x1440 and then on 40" 1920x1080 and it looks fantastic. Incredible atmosphere and those sound effects! WOW! I love every single sound in that game!