Why LIMBO remains the most soulful game I have ever played

Personal review of one of the best indie games of the decade

Over the past decade, 8000+ games were launched every year on various platforms. Several teams pour their heart and soul into game development to create a true masterpiece; it takes roughly 3–9 years to develop a fully functional PC or console level video game. Furthermore, as time progressed, a heavy emphasis was put on surreal graphics, gripping storylines and inspirational protagonists to keep restless gamers engaged. These were some of the fundamental driving forces of success, and most of the gaming companies worked majorly on improving these verticals. Hence, most games were only engaging intellectually and lacked the tinge of artistic simplicity.

This is when a game called Limbo comes into the picture, it was developed by a small danish gaming company called Playdead and was released on 21 July 2010. Reports state that it took around six long years to develop; nevertheless, it launched with critical acclaim. Interestingly, this was a short 2D puzzle-platform game that was set on a monochrome backdrop. The aim of creating such an environment is to create a sense of despondency which definitely lived up to its title.

Limbo is a bordering place between heaven and hell where souls who are not condemned to any punishment dwell deprived of eternal joy — Bible

The gameplay was stripped down to support only the most rudimentary functions, such as moving and interacting with objects. The objective was to deeply immerse the audience into the eerie world of limbo without any hassles, and it worked brilliantly. Furthermore, it had only 24 chapters and a linear gameplay progression. A typical gamer can complete the entire game in less than 4 hours. However, this game was not curated for typical gamers. It was specially targeted towards an audience craving to have an artistic gameplay experience and for those who deeply appreciate the symphony between the story, soundtrack and a desolate world.

In comprehensive terms, the story revolves around a desperate boy who explores a grim world filled with trials and tribulations with the sole objective of saving his little sister. It is to be noted that this is just a gist of what people understood. In reality, the game has no definite storyline. This particular aspect opened up several avenues for people to comprehend the story from their own perspectives. Believe it or not, it’s always amazing to see people’s imagination at work when it comes to framing stories. Certain individuals even went to the extent of explaining the protagonist’s fate and his sister from the spiritual context. Anyways the developers aimed to emphasise more on the experience than the narrative.

There are a few parameters that made the game truly enchanting. The first one is how the environment is portrayed. It never failed to give the impression of sheer loneliness. Nevertheless, some instances show the sign of human life, but it's short-lived and was never for the right reasons. There is also a rich blend of natural and fictional landscapes, which collectively contributed to creating intuitive puzzles. However, the most significant aspect was the ambient soundtrack. Martin Stig Andersen created it, and it beautifully resonated with the feeling of desperation and profound sadness in specific chapters, especially the two instances where the protagonist encounters his sister.

It's important to appreciate that this game was so well-curated by a team of just 16 members. Out of all the popular games that I had the opportunity to play, not a single game emulated what Limbo could. It created an atmosphere that cannot be verbally described but only emotionally felt. Personally, it feels more like a dream that we wake up to in the middle of the night. It can neither be comprehended nor narrated, just experienced.