The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

Let me just describe a puzzle in Limbo to you right now. There is a rolling ladder, and a platform that is just out of reach of the rolling ladder. The ladder is on a little platform that is curved so when you move the ladder, it rolls back and forth until the momentum runs out. There is a switch you can pull to raise the platform enough to reach the platform you’re trying to go to, but it’s on the other side of the curved platform.
I glanced at this puzzle, and knew immediately how to solve it. Obviously I start the ladder rolling, flip the switch, jump onto the ladder, and let it roll to the other side so I can get to the platform. Simple.
I tried to do this for 10 minutes, failing again and again to get the timing right, before I said, “Fuck you, Limbo, I have better things to do than fight your stupid physics,” and sent it back to Gamefly.

I was really looking forward to the game. It got so much praise last year, and I do like puzzle platformers. There is plenty to potentially like about it. It certainly tries something interesting with its art style, and their completely wordless, just atmosphere storytelling style is done very well in places. However, the visuals get in the way of gameplay. Until I was told there were contrast settings, the art style made it impossible for me to see anything. Turning the brightness all the way up, it got a lot better, but it was still kind of iffy for no real reason. Similarly, the physics have that “indie game” feel where they function, but they obviously haven’t been playtested enough to be completely polished. You can do what you are needed to do with the controls, but not every time. That leads to many, many needless deaths and frustrations, and frankly, there’s nothing that can turn me off of a game more than when I know the solution in a puzzle-platformer, but can’t pull the moves off necessary to solve it.

If you enjoyed the game, awesome. However, it just really wasn’t for me, and I’m glad I rented the Limbo 3-Pack disc to try it instead of plunking down $15 on it. Indie game developers should keep doing their thing. I do what I can to support them when I can. But yeah, this… yeah. It’s just not an experience I really wanted to have.