Overpriced Overhyped Demo
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 5.00 |
| Overall | 5.00 |
|
Like many people who played Limbo I was drawn to it due to its' unique somber black and white art style. Black and white games are nothing new, but the smokey/fuzzy look combined with a minimalistic soundtrack give the game a macabre feel that's unlike anything I've played before. Unfortunately once the mood wears on you, and it likely will, you're left feeling depressed due to the subject matter, short length, and ultimately flawed style of gameplay. Aside from the visuals, the game's most unique feature is its' style of gameplay. At its' core it's a puzzle game. You have an obstacle blocking your progress, and it's up to you to change your environment by moving objects, flipping switches, and carefully timing your moves. What makes it unique though is that you don't really observe and figure out the puzzles. You die. You die over and over again, learning from you mistakes in order to solve the puzzles. Because of this you feel like you're enduring the puzzles rather than solving them. Analysis and observation rarely solve the puzzle on their own until you plunge in, make a mistake, and die. It's through this method that the game manages to inflate it's gameplay length. At this point the game's short length shouldn't be news to anyone. Most reviewers have clocked it in at around 3 hours. The problem with that is the first play-thru (without a FAQ) may take 3 hours, but that's greatly extended due to repeatedly dying. There's only about 45 minutes of actual gameplay in here. So what you're left with is a short game where you die lot with a great art style. As for that art style, even that may not hold you for too long. The first third of the game uses it very effectively with a forrest setting that is almost at times remiscent of Lord of the Flies. Without question this was the best part of the game. However as you progress the world of Limbo changes it eventually becomes a world of tunnels over and broken machines and tunnels and broken machines and tunnels and broken machines.... it gets repetitive. Sadly it's not even repetitive with its' most original settings. At the end of the day or rather at the end of 3 hours since the game didn't take me a day to play, I can't recommend this game to anyone. Limbo feels like it would have been a great level within a full-length game, but on its own it feels like a demo at best. $15 on PSN or XBLA can find you a whole more game and lot more fun. |
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Posted by robio Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:51:31
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robio (8m)
So will the game critics love of anything artsy ever die? I mean, at some point will they turn on the art over gameplay fetish?
Where were these people when Odin Sphere, Grim Grimoire and Muramasa came out?
Thought that apart from the impeccable art direction, most of the puzzles were at least solid and some very good. There was also great variety in the puzzles. My gaming time is very scarce so I value variety and quality much more than the artificial lengthening of a game by repetition.
http://www.amazon.com/pack-LIMBO-Trials-Splosion-Xbox-360/dp/B004QIY0Y4
Looks like you can buy it for about $17 new from other sellers in the marketplace.
On what you say about the trial and error. I hear you, but I felt that it was deliberate (you were meant to watch those deaths as part of your experience with the game). And it didn't really lengthen the game at all since you continued instantly and from the same spot. Was mostly referring to the crates and switches puzzles towards the final parts of the game.
Had it been bundled or available for around $5 I probably would have felt better about the game and reviewed it better, but I've gotten more gameplay out of free demos and had just as good of a time, so it was hard to not feel ripped off by Limbo.