Limbo
Common Sense says
- PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- $15
- 2010
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Limbo is a very difficult puzzle platformer with mature themes and a surprising amount of gore, considering it’s rendered completely in greyscale. Though open to interpretation, the general consensus is that the story explores the notion of purgatory. Players don’t engage in combat, but rather try to keep their hero safe from myriad dangers, including huge arachnids and spiky traps. It’s clearly a game designed for older players, though mature teens may be able to extract meaning from the intense imagery.
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User Reviews
Its funny how people don't complain about MW2 yet they complain about this.
Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
What's it about?
A side-scrolling platformer filled with mind-bending physics puzzles, LIMBO is the story of a boy who wakes up alone in a strange and menacing forest filled with perils including giant spiders, claw traps, and rickety structures. Everything is presented in grayscale silhouettes and has a graininess that recalls old films. The only sounds heard throughout most of the game are the boy’s footsteps, quiet ambient noises, and the occasional startlingly loud drone. It is in turn lonely, scary, beautiful, and arresting. The title suggests the setting is purgatory, though the world’s intense isolation and manifold dangers makes it at times frightening enough to be confused with Hell.
Is it any good?
On the one hand, Limbo is a brilliant puzzler. Players need to use objects governed by realistic physics to create avenues of progress. You’ll push logs, cause platforms to swing by running from one end to another, and even alter gravity. The conundrums are often bedeviling, but they always make sense.
Even more interesting than the brilliant puzzles, though, is the game’s wordless narrative. Setting, journey, objectives; everything about Limbo is open to interpretation. To discuss its vagaries here would taint the impressions of those who have yet to play, which would be a shame. However, you may want to keep these questions in mind as you head in: How did the boy arrive here? What is his purpose? What do his enemies represent? The game’s makers seem to have spent as much time contemplating the meaning of the experience as they have programming it. The result is a game that is thought-provoking, timeless, and evidence that interactive entertainment can be used as a means of smart artistic expression.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about artistic expression in games. Are games a suitable medium for communicating ideas? Does their reliance on rules restrict creative thinking?
Game details
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Price: $15
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: Microsoft Studios
- Release date: July 21, 2010
- Genre: Adventure
- ESRB rating: T for Animated Blood, Mild Violence
For kids who love unusual games
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