I've long been a critic of this game. Not so much that it's in any way a bad game, but I didn't think it deserved to be called "ART". Just because it's 2D and has a very unique look to it doesn't make it art. It makes it a sidescrolling physics based puzzle game with a unique look. Basically, I'm tired, as a gamer, as seeing any different looking game heralded as art.
Below isn't a review, but some thoughts and obvious comparisons to Braid may pop up.
Limbo finally made it's way to the PSN and I didn't hesitate to pick it up. The art direction and audio are by far the two most appealing things to me. I found myself overly in love with the 2 tone landscape. It was incredibly more compelling and interesting than the colorful backdrops of Braid. Granted, Braid is a gorgeous pornography of color, but in terms of putting me into a mindset and and mood, Limbo wins hands down.
The audio was fantastic. I went total gay on the minimalist approach to everything, but the absolute overcompensation for when there was something going on. Whether it was a spider walking, a saw blade, an elevator, a ball rolling or a fly it was all very "in your face" and I loved it.
The puzzles were fun, overall, but I found them to actual hinder my enjoyment of the game. I know that sounds weird to say about a puzzle game, but I guess it sucked me out of the world even though they are such a large part of it. I guess I just wanted to hang out in the world and not be bothered. I wanted to experience it without the hindrance of puzzles. I just wanted to explore.
I was a giant fan of the larger puzzles like pulling a switch and the entire world spins. I went apeshit in one section after hitting a switch and seeing the entire backdrop shift. In such a small game with such a small scope it gave the world a huge mass in my mind. I kept thinking that this place is gigantic!
Bottom line is that I really loved the game. I really liked Braid a lot, but consider my time with Limbo to have struck me on a much more personal and memorable, even terrifying, level.
Is Limbo art? I don't know and I don't really care because it's an awesome game.
Also, the soundtrack is astounding. I found a free zip file download of it yesterday that the game maker released because there's no official release.
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I'm with you as far as not caring if it's "ART" at all. It's beautiful and it's fun and really well done.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the Braid comparisons....I'm not really sure which I like more. They're kinda similar, yet so different at the same time. I think the puzzles in Braid were a little more challenging. As far as visuals, how does one even compare? It's like putting a watercolor painting up against a charcoal sketch. Both can be beautiful, and are. Finally, the stories: both of them had ZERO impact on me. If I know nothing about these characters or only read about them in cryptic messages between stages, I care nothing for them or what they're trying to achieve. It was summed up perfectly when I was talking to 3N3MY and Amateria about the ending of LIMBO. 3N3MY asked what I thought of the ending, and I couldn't even remember what happened. And it's only been about a month since I played.
I agree that the Braid puzzles were much more difficult and that Braid's visuals are marvelous, but as far as an effective backdrop to put the game in Limbo wins hands down for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the stories can be meaningless and if I'd just gotten Limbo with ZERO preexisting knowledge it might not mean a lick to me, but I know that it's "unsure of his sister's fate, a boy enters the unknown."
That leaves all kinds of ambiguity open to interpretation without all the pretentious bullshit of Braid.
What are the boys motives? Is he already dead? Is his sister? Why did she die? Did he kill her and is trying to finish the job? Who are the "lost boys" that fight against you? Are they protecting the girl? Are the maps an extension of the boy's mind? Is he reliving his whole life over staring as a child in the woods and working his way into machinery and industry as a growing adult?
I don't think there's a right answer, but the game resonated with me and I don't know if I'm playing the good guy or the bad guy.
Also, if the boy is truly in Limbo it's neat to think about his deaths and that he's actually reliving them over and over until he gets the puzzles right and not that it's the game resetting you, but that the boy experiences and remembers each death until he solves the puzzle.
I haven't played anything more than the demo and I have to say it left me feeling like the game was lacking something. For this reason I didn't purchase it. I am a huge fan of Braid. When it launched, it was such a refreshing change from all the bullshit that was on the market. It was simple, yet really complex. It took a 2D, side scrolling format we were all way to familiar with and put a twist on it that made it so overly unique. In fact, I find myself thinking that all these "artsy" 2D games being released are just attempting to mimic what Braid did so well.
ReplyDeleteMy question to both of you is that if Braid and Limbo were release at the same time, would you be saying the same things you are now?
I (obviously) enjoy the "games as art" argument, but I think my most recent revelation/frustration in the discussion is the standard that is used. Apparently, any game that doesn't use a standard graphical style is art. So is anything that uses beautiful music. So is anything that is pretentious... the list goes on. The discussion of "what is Art", is an old argument made throughout history... the social standard is always changing, and the definition of it is a constantly evolving one. Games' role in the art world is a new addition, and comes with it's own growing pains.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, to dismiss the "games as art" discussion is to not do art or games justice. To say a game is strictly for entertainment value alone won't do most justice. What can one say about an interactive drama like Heavy Rain, or a simple motion game like Flower?
I grow tired of the discussion only in terms of attempting to nail down a definition. It's like trying to define what 'beauty' is... the discussion itself becomes the definition.
In response to Limbo...
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you liked it. I figured you would, but I had to have this one day one so the wait wasn't worth it for me.
I prefer Braid's cognitive puzzles as apposed to Limbo's kinetic ones. Braid was about manipulating time and space, whereas Limbo was simply a visual platformer. I felt like Braid was stretching my mind while Limbo was almost testing my patience (in a fun way!)
SPOILER: I like the cyclical approach to Limbo's story. It's a very empty space, with only shadows of a real world. Ending where you began is very telling, and not entirely unlike Braid, leaves a great deal of the storytelling up to the player's interpretation and personal experiences.
END SPOILER.
@Brjahu - I think the reaction and comparison would be the same. For the record, I remember seeing concept art and animations for this game while I was in college... I find it unlikely they they ripped their "artsy concept" from Braid.
@Lead Salad - I think your opinion really helps the "Art" argument more... Different people are effected differently by Art, and most Artist's recognize that. If there was only one way to interpret the story I'd say that Limbo would be farther from Art than closer. To your point, I think it speaks highly as a game though... the fact that you weren't impacted by the story and still enjoyed the game is a victory for solid game design, no?