LIMBO

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an expert on video game history, but before Shovel Knight made indies mainstream, I credit games like Limbo for putting them on the radar in the first place. In an industry increasingly dominated by big-studio, big-budget, big-name titles, it was notable for a game like this to break out from the noise and find widespread acclaim. I didn't end up playing more than the first few chapters when I originally bought it on PC, but I've never had enough time to dedicate to PC gaming in the first place. Once I bought the game on my phone though, that was a different story. Thanks to the portability and generous checkpoints, I could pick up and play for minutes at a time, slowly working my way through Playdead's dark world.

Limbo is a game about a boy trying to find his sister. The plot leaves a lot of room for interpretation beyond that, but to avoid giving anything else away, I'll just say that I was surprised, then confused, and finally impressed by the game's conclusion, all in a matter of seconds. There was a pretty big buildup too, with the rest of the game offering a hefty challenge in both its puzzles and its platforming. From the starting forest to the hazy industrial rooftops, you'll constantly encounter different ways to die. Whether it's falling rocks, exposed sawblades, or giant spiders, you'll need to rely on your wits and the environment to survive, as you have no actual means of protecting yourself. With all of these different hazards, I probably died hundreds of times before finishing the game, but I was constantly learning, and with checkpoints after every major hurdle, it was never too much of a hassle to dive right back in after a failure.

Despite my constant mistakes, it didn't take long to finish Limbo. Frankly, I think the game was the perfect length, lasting just long enough that reaching the end was still exciting, rather than relieving. As the puzzles grew in complexity and danger, it became even more rewarding to solve them and progress deeper into the monochromatic world. The later stages of the game definitely focused more on precision platforming than the start, but the buildup to that point was well-crafted and ultimately made the ending even more thrilling. Playing through Limbo, even more than a decade after its release, it's clear why the game became a hit. When games are this successful, one can usually expect that they are enjoyable, and Limbo is no exception. If you haven't played this game yet, you almost certainly have a platform that supports it, so you can dive in anytime.

The game is available for Android here (as of 3/17/23): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playdead.limbo.full&hl=en_US&gl=US

The game is available for iOS here (as of 3/17/23): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/playdeads-limbo/id656951157

The game is available for Steam here (as of 3/17/23): https://store.steampowered.com/app/48000/LIMBO/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 3/17/23): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/limbo-switch/

The game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S here (as of 3/17/23): https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/limbo/BTQMHK78ZPF9

The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 3/17/23): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2054-CUSA01664_00-PLAYDEADD11LIMBO