Sometimes a game is released that’s so well-received that it becomes an absolute classic. No one could take away from the effect these games have had on gamers and the industry as a whole. In this show we’ll dive into the game mechanics and take a closer look to find out what it is that makes these games so great in the first place and in the process maybe find out what it takes to make a must-play game. Grab your gloves, grab your scalpel, it’s time for a dissection!
Limbo is a surreal puzzle platformer released in 2010 by Playdead Studio. But you would know that if you saw my spoiler-free Mighty Review on Monday. If you haven’t, you should check it out. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Okay, so in the end, I think this game is a masterpiece. Combining atmospheric environments with gameplay that compliments it. But what makes this game so good? Today we’re going to take a look at the first 15 minutes of Limbo to try to figure out how the developers designed a game that wraps you in its world throughout the entire experience. Oh, and spoilers for the first 15 minutes of a 2-4 hour game are ahead, so if you haven’t played Limbo yet, do that and then come back. With that being said, let’s cut it open and see what’s inside!
Let’s start at the beginning. I’m not kidding when I say that the first thing you do in this game already implies smart design decisions. You’re given a scene of a forest and can vaguely make out the silhouette of the boy lying down. Nothing happens until you press a button. This right here tells the player that they are the one starting the adventure. They are choosing to move. It’s nothing too major, but it already starts to make the player feel like part of the world while also making them feel a bit more connected to this character and it does all of this before they even take a step.
At this point, the player can either go left or right. If they go right, they start the game, but if they go left, they’ll find an empty space with the game’s first hidden collectable. This allows new players to realize that left is the wrong way to go and returning players to find a secret.
Moving on, we reach our first obstacle. This is here to teach people new to video games how the jumping mechanic works, but it teaches all players the height and distance of their character’s jump. After this, we see an unreachable platform, but look what happens when you get near the wagon’s handle. The boy stretches out his arms implying that he can grab this. These two instances show why this game succeeds in creating its atmosphere. The 4th wall is never broken to give the player instructions on how to play. And much like how a good movie follows the mantra, show, don’t tell. A good game usually follows this: “Teach with play, not with text”. Anyway, moving on.
Not much I can say about the boat scene, except that it’s beautiful. Also, it could be implying that the boy is crossing the River Styx, but that could be me reading too far into things.
Now onto the first real traps in the game, the bear traps. While wandering around, these might look like grass to a player not paying attention. This isn’t a mistake they’ll want to make twice. Getting killed by these bear traps tells the player two things: first, this is a cold brutal world, and second they have to be careful when making their way through the world. The boy’s jump won’t ever get him over the traps, but just like with the wagon, he stretches his arms out, giving the player a hint at the solution for this simple puzzle.
Soon, the player is once again told to be careful by the Indiana Jones-inspired log trick. They then see a box and next to some water and if they haven’t learned already, they’ll now know that the boy can’t swim. And once they get the log down from the tree, they learn that certain objects can float. This whole first half hour is about teaching the player new mechanics the entire time.
Now it’s time for our friendly neighborhood giant fucking spider. The player will probably first attempt to run past the spider, assuming they dodge all of its attacks, but this will just end in… (spider stab). But while trying to figure this out, players who pay attention will hear the bear trap seen earlier fall to the ground. If that wasn’t hint enough, the entire screen also shakes a little when the spider misses an attack. Now the player can use the trap to get rid of the spider and move on… Only to be caught in its web.
This is a really cool scene, because it makes the player think that they’re dead when in reality, it’s scripted. This puts the player on edge for the rest of the game presentation-wise, questioning whether death is real or scripted, while the hopping controls cause them to feel uncomfortable gameplay-wise. This is a good thing because this unease is exactly the atmosphere the developers want the game to convey to the player. On top of this, remember how I said that the game was teaching the player to be slow and methodical? Well here, the spider comes back to chase the player, forcing them out of this mindset. It’s this pushing back and forth that forces players out of their comfort zone, always on edge while playing.
Next, we see our first human. We then see our first human death. Moving on. We soon see from the fake spider, rolling rocks, and swinging bear traps that the other children are complete dicks. We don’t know if they attack out of rage or fear, but it does evoke a certain Lord of the Flies feeling to the world.
We then get another visit from Mr. Spider, hit him with a rock, and then find an unpassable bed of spikes. That is, until the spider comes out again. It’s only got one leg this time, so we yank it off and push his body into the spike pit to use as a platform. This shows that the boy isn’t as innocent as he appears. I mean hell, if this were anything but a spider I’d almost feel bad. This ruthless nature can also be seen when he drags a dead body to activate a trap and gets the other kids killed by their own traps. Sure he did it in self defense, but in some small way this boy is responsible for the deaths of these other children, meaning that maybe they are afraid of him.
We’ve now hit the fifteen minute mark. I could go on to talk about the addition of the leech that forces the player to move in one direction, the awesome set pieces, etc. Finally, the game continues to make the player feel unsafe in this world by transitioning from the populated woods to the isolated factory area. I could go on for hours about the psychological implications of this transition, but I think here is a good point to leave off. So let’s see what we learned about what makes LIMBO such a successful game in our Final Report.
First, atmosphere is easy to create when you don’t have to break the fourth wall, so remember, when it comes to controls: Play, don’t say. Second, a story can be told through atmosphere and subtle hints alone, and it’s okay to let your player interpret the rest. Third, gameplay and presentation can be combined to create atmosphere in a game, like how LIMBO forces the player to change their playstyle often to keep them on edge. This has the added benefit of keeping gameplay fresh and interesting.
That’s all I’ve got for you today, but I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you know of a classic game that you’d like me to cover in the future, leave a comment in the box below and I might just get it on my table someday. But for now, this game is done. See you all next time.