Limbo Nintendo Switch Review
Summary: Limbo on the Nintendo Switch is a masterpiece reborn!
3.9
Reborn!
Having done the rounds for awhile in the gaming community, the hit indie title from Playdead Studios is finally here on the Nintendo Switch and we can safely say that this game has a new home. Just be warned that if you have arachnophobia, a fear of spiders… you’ve come to the right place <insert evil laugh>… especially GIANT spiders! More importantly, the developers just throw you right into this puzzle and the only help you have is yourself which is where this title shines.
Limbo starts off with your character waking up in the black, white and grey forest of Limbo. There’s no introductory cutscene, no narrator to tell you where you are and why your here. Only through reading the product description are you told that you are lost in limbo trying to find your sister. The game presents you with one option, venture forward. As you do you delve into the heart Limbo, which reveals itself as a side-scrolling puzzler with emphasis on the puzzler aspect.
In Limbo there are also no levels you just keep on journeying till you reach your final goal. This also means there aren’t any load screens and the game is better off for all the things it lacks. With no information about where you are, where you’re going and how long it’ll take you really feel stuck in limbo, lost as you struggle to find your way out. The lack of load screens gives you the feeling of being on a long journey, although the game doesn’t feel overly long. In fact the game will take roughly four to six hours to complete depending on how stuck you get on the puzzles.
The main focus of Limbo is the puzzles, which border on insane at times as you are given little if any indication how exactly you are meant to complete said puzzle. You really need to pay attention to the sounds around you and where your character may be looking to decipher the puzzles. The puzzles are varied and as you’d expect they get more challenging and devious as the game goes on. As you change from the forest setting to an industrial setting the puzzles generally become more intricate requiring quite a few small steps before you can progress. While the puzzles are hard they are doable and fill you with a real sense of accomplishment when you complete them, especially after you’ve died countless times.
And die you will as death is a recurring thing in Limbo. While its frequency and variation is disturbing, beartraps on swinging ropes…who comes up with that? It’s not overly gratuitous and acts more as a guide to say ‘that was wrong don’t try it again’ and the game benefits from a good checkpoint system. Apart from traps there are also some enemies that will do their best to kill you like the above mentioned giant killer spiders and the not so nice children of Limbo who really don’t like you moving in on their turf. The inclusion of enemies mean that not only do you have to worry about death from traps but you have to worry about death from enemies and even escaping enemies backthrough a trap meaning Limbo never has a dull moment. The controls also work very well on the Switch and as there are only a few ways to interact with the environment, it’s very responsive.
Graphically Limbo is a gorgeous game that runs really smooth on the Nintendo Switch. Sections are well designed and the change from forest to industrial district make you feel like your accomplishing something in a game that has no levels. While the game uses black and white as a base they’ve done a remarkable job of making areas look and feel different. The colors also add to the atmosphere and sense of hopelessness that hangs over your journey, what with all the puzzles and death. Audio is also quite mute but somehow it suits this solemn game well as the game focuses on the graphics and the gameplay.
Final thoughts?
For a game of this age, it still delivers on all levels, especially with the simplistic yet challenging gameplay and the gorgeous presentation and clever puzzles. Even though you are given very few details as far as plot is concerned you can’t help but invest yourself in the plight of the young boy. For a challenging adventure, and some giant ass spiders, you can’t look past Limbo on the Nintendo Switch, especially if you haven’t played it on another platform.
Game Details
Developer: Playdead
Publisher: Playdead
Genre: Platform, Adventure
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed) PS4, Xbox One, PC
Rating: M
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