...is the entire description featured of a new game that can be found now on xbox live arcade for download - LIMBO.
The first thing that struck me as wonderfully refreshing about this game was the fact that you choose play and rather than get lengthy tedious narrative intros to the gameplay, instead for a moment you watch your little black and white character appear to come to in the middle of a monochromatic forest scene. The wonderful simplicity of the illustration and background styles makes something which is just pure joy to look at and is obviously something that left the games designers with extra time to lavish on all those tiny little details that turn a good game into something truly great.
while at first you may think that it looks cutesy, dont be fooled. it definitely has an innocence and by the fact that the entire controls consist of the left thumbstick for moving, A for jump and B for action, it really should be childs play. however, the puzzles are challenging and with the fact that there really is absolutely no help or prompt system whatsoever and also no other visual aids other than the scenery that you can see, you have to keep yourself quite on the ball. you can also end up drying in a spectacular array of different gruesome ways. i lost count of the number of times that i found myself impaled on something, crushed beneath some massive falling boulder, shot in the head with an arrow by a mysterious shadowy figure or even sliced in two by a rotary saw blade.
it brings to mind a similar kind of gameplay as those other classic indie productions like braid. this just has a much more atmospheric mood but still with all the joys of random levers, moving platforms and unexpected twists and turns.
with an ign rating of 9.0 out of 10 it seems that im not the only person to be appreciating this little masterpiece of visual communication. if nothing else i think anyone should get it just for its lessons in subtly. when was the last time you saw a game that had no explanation, instructions or written additions, but which was as easy and intuitive to play?
get it. play it. you wont regret it.
