Limbo

Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game and the premiere title of independent Danish game developer Playdead Studio. The game was released in July 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade. Limbo is a 2D sidescrolling, incorporating a physics system that governs environmental objects and the player character. The player guides an unnamed boy through dangerous environments and traps as the boy searches for his sister. The developer built the game's puzzles expecting the player to fail before finding the correct solution. Playdead called the style of play "trial and death", and used visually gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from unworkable solutions.

The game is presented primarily in monochromatic black-and-white tones, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere often associated with the horror genre. Journalists praised the dark presentation, describing the work as comparable to film noir and German Expressionis. Based on its aesthetics, reviewers classified Limbo as an example of "video games as art"

Limbo received positive reviews, but was criticized for its minimal story; some critics found the open-ended work to have deeper meaning that tied well with the game's mechanics, while others believed the lack of significant plot and abrupt ending detracted from the game. A common point of criticism from reviewers was that the high cost of the game relative to its short length might deter players from purchasing the title, but some reviews proposed that Limbo had an ideal length. The title was the third-highest selling game on the Xbox Live Arcade service in 2010, generating around $7.5 million in revenue. The game won two Independent Game Festival awards and had strong sales compared to other Xbox Live titles.

The primary character in Limbo is a nameless boy who awakens in the middle of a forest on the "edge of hell" (the game's title is taken from the Latin limbus, meaning "edge"). The boy seeks his missing sister, and encounters only a few human characters that attack or run away from him.Once during the journey, the boy catches a glimpse of a female character, but she vanishes before he can reach her. The forest eventually gives way to a crumbling city environment. On completion of the final puzzle, the boy is thrown through a pane of glass and ends up in the forest again. The boy continues traveling until he encounters a girl. When he approaches, she stands up, startled; the game abruptly ends at this point.

Limbo official website http://www.limbogame.org/