LIMBO

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2095 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,556 out of 2095
  2. Mixed: 436 out of 2095
  3. Negative: 103 out of 2095

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  1. OniGioRi
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    Limbo is a puzzle game with its unique look. This game is really unforgiving so you have to be really patient and enjoy similar games to have fun. While the game is beautiful and entertaining it feels like there is no real idea behind it.
  2. PKeith
    Nov 25, 2011
    6
    Yes, this game has eerie and beautiful visuals, but the trial-and-error gameplay is simply too frustrating to warrant a higher rating. You'll have lots of deaths followed by "How the hell was I supposed to know that would kill me?" A clear "games are art" game, it priced too high, is too simple, and too frustrating for the average gamer.
  3. Ravager
    Nov 10, 2011
    6
    A simple puzzle-platformer with a good atmosphere. The start of the game was noticeably better than the rest, and the entire second half was just repetitive.

    It's alright, I guesss.
  4. badrain
    Dec 1, 2011
    6
    I've a problem with this game.Visuals are great, art design as well. Moody graphics, sounds, eerie atmoshere - it all works very well. In the other hand, Limbo is short... and most of all - not even challenging. You'll need about 3-5h to beat it from start to the end, depending on you how easily you get frustrated. Limbo constantly pushes your poor character to.. die. In your firstI've a problem with this game.Visuals are great, art design as well. Moody graphics, sounds, eerie atmoshere - it all works very well. In the other hand, Limbo is short... and most of all - not even challenging. You'll need about 3-5h to beat it from start to the end, depending on you how easily you get frustrated. Limbo constantly pushes your poor character to.. die. In your first playthrough there no chance to predict what obstacle awaits you. Most of the times, you die... and with the new knowledge start from the nearest checkpoint. I guess it's not the way the platformer game should work... And believe me, most of the tasks are rather easy to perform, when you know how. In conclusion, Limbo is a perfectly designed game... but it's better to watch than to play. I've enjoyed the gameplay, but overall im disapointed. Nevertheless, game deserves at least 6 points. I had a good time... but i guess only once, there's no need to play it again.… Expand
  5. Zane
    Jan 31, 2012
    6
    The artwork is quite nice and some of the puzzles were a bit challenging, but the game is pretty short. Definitely not worth $10 for only a few hours of gameplay. Also, the game can cause arachnophobia.
  6. Ggdograa
    Jan 1, 2012
    6
    You know what annoys me about "hard" games like this, is that they believe they're tipping their hat to the nightmarish difficulty plat-formers of yesteryear. But what they fail to realize, is that back then, the difficulty levels were only hard to stop people from finishing a full price game in a short amount of time. Nowadays, when I pay $10 for a game and find myself dying instantlyYou know what annoys me about "hard" games like this, is that they believe they're tipping their hat to the nightmarish difficulty plat-formers of yesteryear. But what they fail to realize, is that back then, the difficulty levels were only hard to stop people from finishing a full price game in a short amount of time. Nowadays, when I pay $10 for a game and find myself dying instantly every time I reach the end of the screen, I don't feel gooey nostalgia, but only bubbling rage. Limbo is a game with such a mechanic, albeit a fantastic sense of design and atmosphere, but nevertheless let down by its complete lack of story, cheap sudden deaths and boring and repetitive physics puzzles. I swear that see-saw puzzles make their way into every single game with a basic physics engine and they have NEVER BEEN FUN.

    It's unfair to rate a game down based solely off its difficulty and simplicity and all things considered, Limbo isn't that bad. But it sure ain't as amazing as people make it out to be.    … Expand
  7. Sanjuaro
    Aug 3, 2011
    6
    Let me preface this by saying the gameplay of Limbo was good. The game took full advantage of the 2D platformer genre. The downside to this game however is the lack of a coherent story. Making a story vague to the point where players have to keep guessing as to what it's about doesn't exactly make it good. With Limbo it was almost as if the developers hired Jonathan Blow and told him toLet me preface this by saying the gameplay of Limbo was good. The game took full advantage of the 2D platformer genre. The downside to this game however is the lack of a coherent story. Making a story vague to the point where players have to keep guessing as to what it's about doesn't exactly make it good. With Limbo it was almost as if the developers hired Jonathan Blow and told him to write a story behind Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square".… Expand
  8. Bourbonbosher
    Aug 19, 2011
    6
    If a game could be considered art then this is it! 10/10 for style and presentation and I loved playing it. I'm giving it 6/10 for three reasons. Firstly and perhaps predictably, it's too short. Secondly, and perhaps this is why it's too short. If you're, let's say, more of a mature gamer like I am and have been around since the dawn of gaming, then the puzzle aspect of this game isIf a game could be considered art then this is it! 10/10 for style and presentation and I loved playing it. I'm giving it 6/10 for three reasons. Firstly and perhaps predictably, it's too short. Secondly, and perhaps this is why it's too short. If you're, let's say, more of a mature gamer like I am and have been around since the dawn of gaming, then the puzzle aspect of this game is just too simple. I have to stress however that this does not take away the enjoyment of basically controlling an excellently animated, very intriguing character, in a feature length cartoon. The third reason for the controversial rating is the re-playability, for me is NIL. A bit like watching a Christmas movie, maybe I'll play it (watch it) again in a few years but that's it.… Expand
  9. Veeediot
    Oct 7, 2011
    6
    Limbo is the gaming equivalent of 'designer' bottled water -- the bottle is gorgeous, but you can get higher quality tap-water for a fraction of the price. Limbo has absolutey excellent art-direction, and the entire experience is eerily beautiful. Sadly, the game's selling points end there. The story is almost entirely non-existent, and manages to wrap itself up after only 3 hours of gameLimbo is the gaming equivalent of 'designer' bottled water -- the bottle is gorgeous, but you can get higher quality tap-water for a fraction of the price. Limbo has absolutey excellent art-direction, and the entire experience is eerily beautiful. Sadly, the game's selling points end there. The story is almost entirely non-existent, and manages to wrap itself up after only 3 hours of game play. If it were a Newgrounds title, all my 5 would belong to this. However, compared against other titles in the under $10 range, it leaves a lot to be desired.… Expand
  10. Billick
    Dec 18, 2011
    6
    Limbo may be the creepiest game I've ever played, although I don't know if I'd call it fun. At times it's frightening, at other times it's frustrating. It doesn't help that the game is only a few hours long. Limbo certainly has it's moments, but those are too few and far between for me to really recommend it.
  11. namDa65
    Mar 10, 2012
    6
    Everything was good from the beginning to the spider. Than the game became bland and boring. The puzzles are uninspiring and the game drags on and on. People say the game is too short, I say the game is too long. I don't understand the praise this game recieves.
  12. shadow2605
    Jan 22, 2012
    6
    Despite rendering in 2D and black & white, Limbo features some quite disgusting content in many sequences. There are a lot of dead children and you must climb over them and drag them around. Also if you are afraid of spiders, stay away from Limbo. It has spiders lurking, chasing and killing you all over the place while you will cripple and kill them in return. If you don't mind thoseDespite rendering in 2D and black & white, Limbo features some quite disgusting content in many sequences. There are a lot of dead children and you must climb over them and drag them around. Also if you are afraid of spiders, stay away from Limbo. It has spiders lurking, chasing and killing you all over the place while you will cripple and kill them in return. If you don't mind those things, the game offers a unique, strong look and atmosphere with minimalistic but powerful sound. Many puzzles are smart and fun, but some lengthy death sequences (drowning takes up to 5 seconds) become a nuisance when retrying a puzzle 10 times, which you will as they become very difficult as you proceed towards the end.… Expand
  13. gabriot
    Jul 20, 2012
    6
    Overall this game is mediocre at best, I feel 6 is about as accurate as you can give it. Is the game well designed? Yes. Is it well polished? Yes. Is the art unique and artistic? Yes and yes. Ok, so the game is well designed and looks good. How does it play? Is it fun? Is it challenging for the right reasons? What's the overall sense you get from the game?

    Well this is where    Overall this game is mediocre at best, I feel 6 is about as accurate as you can give it. Is the game well designed? Yes. Is it well polished? Yes. Is the art unique and artistic? Yes and yes. Ok, so the game is well designed and looks good. How does it play? Is it fun? Is it challenging for the right reasons? What's the overall sense you get from the game?

    Well this is where it starts to fall falt on its face. First - the play control is AWFUL. Jumping is not smooth nor is the movement and momentum. When half of the challenge of the game involves getting around its awful play control, you have a problem. Furthermore, what about the puzzles? Were they clever? Did they make sense? Were they somewhat intuitive? Too easy? Too hard?

    I will say that to all of the above it's about an even 50/50 yes or no depending on the puzzle. Some were pretty good, others were just inexcusably awful. Again, most of the puzzles only become a puzzle due to the **** controls. On top of that, some of them just weren't clever... at all, and actually made me pissed at how minimalistic they ended up being (some would call this a good thing, I personally do NOT). And another thing - only in VERY rare cases will I forgive a game for having water kill you. Limbo is not one of those games, in fact it may very well have some of the most COMICALLY BAD water deaths I've ever seen in video gaming. Aside from wading through puddles that are waste high, only to die if you accidently poke your head under water for one millesecond - there are also moments in the game where the water is rising and if you are submerged for even the slightest second you drown. This is not good game design, all it ends up being is a cop out by the developers and in the end it won't score you any points with me. There should be NO reason that I die in a puddle of water that literally extends just slightly longer than the length of my body.

    Overall you have to ask yourself when playing through a game, "am I having fun?" Well, most of the time in my playthrough of Limbo (short by the way since the game hardly has anything to it) the answer was "No, not really having that much fun".

    So take it for what it is - it's a game you can appreciate for the effort put in, but as a game itself it doesn't execute very well.    … Expand
  14. Dendari
    Sep 20, 2014
    6
    I was expecting a lot more. Reading a lot of the reviews (especially by the players) it seemed to be something that you can't miss. Well not really, it's really short (there are about 20 "missions" and 3/4 of them can be done in 2-3 hours) and most of the puzzles are easy (it gets a little bit more difficult near the end). The art style is very nice, but apart from that I don't see anyI was expecting a lot more. Reading a lot of the reviews (especially by the players) it seemed to be something that you can't miss. Well not really, it's really short (there are about 20 "missions" and 3/4 of them can be done in 2-3 hours) and most of the puzzles are easy (it gets a little bit more difficult near the end). The art style is very nice, but apart from that I don't see any reason to replay it. I guess the hype kinda killed it for me.… Expand
  15. Seryin
    Apr 11, 2013
    6
    This game is good. It is worthy of the time spent playing it. It is pretty intuitive and can really bring you into its dark imagining. However, this game is not worthy of 10 bucks. This is a $2.50 indie game and the fact that the price was raised because of its popularity is shameful of Playdead. Instead of charging you what the game is worth they seen an opportunity to squeeze more moneyThis game is good. It is worthy of the time spent playing it. It is pretty intuitive and can really bring you into its dark imagining. However, this game is not worthy of 10 bucks. This is a $2.50 indie game and the fact that the price was raised because of its popularity is shameful of Playdead. Instead of charging you what the game is worth they seen an opportunity to squeeze more money out of a product regardless of real worth, and it effectively halted all popular progress the game was making. Fail decision on Playdead's part. That being said, the game itself not considering price could be an 8 or 9 for its genre, but considering bang for your buck, only gets a 6 from me.… Expand
  16. Charamiwa
    Aug 10, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Simple and immersive game, with great visuals and a nice atmosphere. However my biggest gripe with Limbo is with some baffling design decisions: the beginning of the game is by far the most intriguing part, with an encounter with a giant spider that ends in a climatic way, and an encounter with a strange tribe. But after all these mysteries, the game becomes filled with puzzle without any kind of world building. So all these intriguing promises leaves you hanging until the end, and left you frustrated. The very end of the game is nice enough, with some striking imagery. But ultimately the rythm of the game seem completely flawed, starting extremly strong and winding down until the end.… Expand
  17. Garybaldo
    Mar 3, 2020
    6
    Clever puzzles, cool art, short duration. Simple gameplay that revolves around dying to figure out what you need to do.
  18. Hayter
    Nov 10, 2019
    6
    Я люблю, когда титьками девки трясут.
    Я люблю, когда денежки в руки плывут.
    Я люблю, когда детей дома нет. Я люблю, когда свободен туалет. Я люблю, когда жена уходит навсегда! Я люблю, когда в доме вкусная еда! Я люблю пиво, шампанское, икру, И я ненавижу эту игру!    Я люблю, когда титьками девки трясут.
    Я люблю, когда денежки в руки плывут.
    Я люблю, когда детей дома нет.
    Я люблю, когда свободен туалет.
    Я люблю, когда жена уходит навсегда!
    Я люблю, когда в доме вкусная еда!
    Я люблю пиво, шампанское, икру,
    И я ненавижу эту игру!
  19. edxtan
    Apr 17, 2022
    6
    The silence and darkness of LIMBO are perfect for making its story haunting and ambiguous. Unfortunately, the silence means there's little to tell you how the mechanics work and the darkness means there's little to tell you what the pieces are, making the puzzles' solutions ambiguous too.
  20. f1o_o1f
    May 22, 2021
    6
    I don't think I've ever played a game that was so incredibly overrated.
    The visuals are great. The art design really resonated with me and the idea of a non-verbal game is also something I can get behind.
    Now I remember when it came out and basically became a viral hit. I'd played the demo to death and really wanted to play the full thing but never was able to realize it until today. The    I don't think I've ever played a game that was so incredibly overrated.
    The visuals are great. The art design really resonated with me and the idea of a non-verbal game is also something I can get behind.
    Now I remember when it came out and basically became a viral hit. I'd played the demo to death and really wanted to play the full thing but never was able to realize it until today. The anticipation probably did it no good at all.

    Maybe I'm just not in the right headspace right now, but I'm not sure if a single minute was actually fun. Sure, the visuals and atmosphere are appealing. But that's about it.

    Puzzles were either boring or frustrating and none were particularly hard (maybe 3 that I actually enjoyed). The controls also really held it back. I played with a gamepad and they actually managed to f up two-button-controls*. I also really despise timing-based puzzles, of which this game has A LOT.
    The biggest problem about the puzzles was that I could often clearly see the solution but was unable to solve it despite that (usually because of the timing-based nature), which is the most frustrating thing ever. They also kinda went the "Dark Souls-route", where you "have" to die multiple times to figure something out. Generally a fun idea, but here it just didn't fit at all. The movement is way too slow for that and the puzzles weren't challenging enough to bring satisfaction upon completion.

    Also, this game has little to no story. People might tell you that it's just very subtle (which is true) and that there is a lot of depth to it (I don't think so). Sure, some intriguing things happened here and there but nothing was ever really "explained" (not even visually) and it felt very unfulfilling overall. I'll try to read up on it and find out more but this is about the game itself and not its supporting literature

    *) admittedly it was the movement that felt clunky and not the two buttons    … Expand
  21. Alvelian
    Dec 16, 2022
    6
    Довольно интересный платформер, не скажу что это шедевр, но поиграть определенно можно.
  22. Kelen
    Sep 6, 2021
    6
    6.5 / 10 - Nice
    (after 3.5 hours of playing & completing the game)

    A short puzzle platformer, perfect for 2 quiet evenings. You have to tell the story yourself
  23. kezzyhko
    Aug 4, 2020
    6
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  24. Oshiri_Maeda
    Aug 18, 2021
    6
    Alright game for 3 hours. Not as good as Inside, but it came out earlier as well.
  25. Bodislav
    Jan 9, 2022
    6
    Atmospheric .
  26. Richard_dias
    Aug 15, 2023
    6
    I think that is an overrated game. Fortunately, PLAYDEAD improved a lot on INSIDE.
  27. zaratti
    Mar 8, 2023
    6
    Limbo is a very unique, abstract game that is very interesting to play. There's some good stuff here, the puzzles were often good and made me think and the graphics have a unique style which I enjoyed very much but the movement, story, some puzzles and sections of the game can all be confusing and annoying. First of all, the movement. You can't use the arrow keys to move and controllingLimbo is a very unique, abstract game that is very interesting to play. There's some good stuff here, the puzzles were often good and made me think and the graphics have a unique style which I enjoyed very much but the movement, story, some puzzles and sections of the game can all be confusing and annoying. First of all, the movement. You can't use the arrow keys to move and controlling the character sometimes feels clunky. Missing jumps because you didn't get the exact timing right, doing trial and error just to accomplish basic tasks isn't enjoyable. The story of the game is way too vague, it feels like it's trying to tell a story but that's not the focus at all. Normally, abstract storytelling is my kinda thing but it just doesn't work when it's this vague. Some puzzles are also annoying to deal with. Some puzzles mess with your movement and a lot of them require precise jumps which, as I mentioned before, isn't the easiest thing to figure out in this game. In it's core, I think this is a good experience but it definitely has a lot of flaws.… Expand
  28. CodaHensley
    Jun 27, 2022
    6
    Solid but basic platformer, with sections of creativity and intrigue bookended by formulaic but well-done segments.
  29. vinijec976
    Dec 28, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters limbo," This is how you begin your journey into the world of Limbo. Without any other information you find yourself dropped into the middle of a dark and intriguing place, everything around you is dark except for a light that comes from the background, and your glowing eyes. From there you follow a linear story solving numerous puzzles of various types to progress and reach your final destination.

    6.2/10

    Limbo is a game that doesn't fit everyone's taste, it has no combat or action, just a young boy in a senseless world where everything tries to kill you. The game's proposal is interesting and well executed, it follows a pattern from the beginning to the end without getting lost, as said before, you will move on solving puzzles until you get somewhere, without knowing why.

    Definitely the strongest point of Limbo are its graphics, the game is simple but very beautiful, its environment is amazing, everything is dark, macabre, brings an atmosphere that the place is not good. All the objects in the game are black, including the character, except his eyes, which perhaps indicate that he is still alive inside, or that he still has hope that something good will happen.

    Its soundtrack is different from the usual soundtrack of platform games, the game does not have any music during its entire length, only the sounds of the environment, the machines, the animals, the character's steps, and his deaths, which are extremely brutal. However, this is not a bad thing at all, the sounds in the game are striking and bring up several feelings in an extraordinary way. From the thunderous sounds of the bear trap closing, the frightening sound of a giant spider following you, to the calm sound of the rain. The lack of music as a main soundtrack causes some moments of silence, which following the proposal does not cause strangeness to the player, but moments of reflection, you begin to wonder what you are doing there, who are you, what is your goal anyway? Is your sister really there?

    The gameplay is very simple, you use only 4 buttons on the keyboard, the arrows to the left, right, up, and ctrl. The commands work very well, have a good response but I found that they end up limiting the game a little, the puzzles are limited to simple actions, such as pushing / pulling boxes and activating some button using the ctrl, which is the action button. However, this limitation is offset by the variety of puzzles, although the action has a certain limit you will use it in various situations, the issue of only using boxes will be combined with water, with altered gravity, etc. In my opinion, the weak point of the gameplay is that there comes a time when to progress you simply have to die, over and over again. You don't think anymore to move forward, you just have to try again until you get it right.

    Limbo is the kind of game that doesn't tell you anything about the story, this may cause many to dislike it. *Spoiler Alert* The game doesn't have a conclusion, in the end you get to your sister and the game just ends, without you knowing anything about what happened. But this creates a huge space theories, and you can create your own and stick with it.

    Conclusion - It is a reasonable one, it makes you think and try to understand what just happened on your screen when you finish it. I find games that leave an ending open for theories interesting, but because Limbo gives you absolutely no context about the game I didn't enjoy it that much. At a certain point it changes the way you solve challenges and is no longer about puzzles that you have to think about to solve, but rather timing it to activate a button or not. It was not a game that held me very much, perhaps because of the lack of a story, or the variety of things to do. But it is a game that I recommend. It is a different experience that is worthwhile, especially because it is a short game, you will not get bored of the puzzles even if they are repeated a bit. I think it's a good one time experience, wouldn't play again.    … Expand
  30. aligunes
    Jan 31, 2023
    6
    This is a really fun and beautifully designed game. The puzzle solving is pretty clever. There's no music throughout, only ambient sounds here and there. This can be called a short and different experience.
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PC Game of 2011
18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Absolute Games
    Jan 10, 2012
    80
    Limbo is a beautiful, intense experience.
    Read full review
  2. PC Games (Russia)
    Sep 19, 2011
    90
    A brilliant indie platformer. Braid can finally retire. [October 2011, p.100]
  3. GamingXP
    Sep 15, 2011
    90
    Minimum effort, maximum tension!
    Read full review
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