![]() And traps aren’t the only thing the boy and the player have to worry about. Another fascinating aspect of LIMBO is that it has been called by its creators a “trial-and-death” game, in that the boy can-and will-die in a myriad of ways, from decapitation by a bear trap, to electrocution from a hotel’s neon sign, to being crushed or cut apart by mechanical equipment. The visuals are grainy and dim, as if seen through an old film projector, and are reminiscent of film noir. LIMBO is a 2D puzzle-platform sidescroller presented in a sort of shadow-puppet-like style: the boy and the creatures and objects within are all black silhouettes against backgrounds of differing shades of black and white and grey. Jensen wanted the game to have a specific aesthetic feel while keeping the controls simple-nothing but moving, jumping, pushing and pulling-and the gameplay straightforward so that players would have an easier time getting the hang of the game and, from there, have a more meaningful experience with it overall. Arnt Jensen co-founded Playdead along with his partner Dino Patti to put together the ideas that would eventually become LIMBO. ![]() (Yes, I’m aware how lame that may sound to some of the more hard-core game players out there please bear with me.) LIMBO was first released in July 2010 on XBOX Live Arcade and is the first game made by Playdead, an independent game studio headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. LIMBO is the first horror game that I’ve bought and owned that offers these, as well as the initial reason I bought an XBOX 360. Those I have played were arcade shooters like Area 51, Crypt Killer, and House of the Dead, and while I still have a blast with those to this day, they offer very little in terms of psychological depth and exploration of meaning. Now I will admit: I’ve played very few horror-based video games in my life. What this world is and how the boy got there are just a few of the many mysteries players will encounter, and it quickly becomes clear that it is filled with dangers not always apparent until it is too late. Players take on the role of a small boy with no name, no face, and no identity-except for his glowing white eyes-who awakens in a bleak and colorless world. This concept is much less obviously presented in the game itself, but it is quite literally all that you will know going into it everything else must be learned through play. The closest thing to a plot-never mind, synopsis-that LIMBO offers is this single line: “Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters LIMBO”. And what better way to explore these ideas in depth than through the interactivity of video games? I like reasoning behind the fearfulness of the world I’m experiencing-or if the reasoning isn’t clear, I at least want to be able to ponder it for myself. I mean no disrespect to those who enjoy such stories.) My point is that, like any other genre but especially in horror, I prefer subtlety. I just don’t want them to be the only things included for their own sake. Plus, I’m not the type to faint at the sight of blood. Of course, if any of these things add something to the story and its message or performance or both, that’s fine. ![]() While I do enjoy the horror genre a lot, nowadays I don’t often willingly engage in a scary story for things like excessive amounts or gore, make-out scenes that precede an over-the-top kill, or excruciatingly drawn-out montages of physical torture (no pun intended).
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