Alright, just finished the game. Spoiler I liked Limbo a lot, and I thought the ending was good, but really missed a huge opportunity. Limbo is on the edge of hell, similar to Purgatory. Therefore, it's a good bet that the boy is dead throughout the entire game. If you recall, in the beginning of the game, one of the first things the boy does is sail across a river in a boat. The name of this river escapes me, but I'm sure most of you are aware of the mythology regarding the river of the damned that one must pass through on their way to hell. I believe that the entire game is essentially the boy's life flashing through his eyes. This boy apparently had a very hard life where he was picked on and outcasted by other children, where his fears and insecurities kept him from reaching his full potential, where he was forced to continuously move and never settled in at any one place. This is all reflected within the game by the other children attempting to kill him, the spider chasing him, and the large hotel sign, respectively, as well as many other instances of symbolism. At the end of the game, the boy crashes through a wall of glass. This was most likely the final moment of his life: a car accident. Once you pass through this glass, you lay there for a while, and you wake up. You're back where you started. This is where Limbo made the biggest mistake of the entire game. The game should have happened all over again. Then, when you beat it a second time, it happened again, and again, and again. The game should have never ended, and in a way, never began. This should have been the story of a boy forced to wander Limbo for all eternity all the while experiencing gruesome deaths in a myriad of unthinkable, nightmarish ways. The story of a boy who's only desire is to find (presumably) his sister, the one person that gave his life stability and meaning. The story of a boy who will never be happy. This was an opportunity to make a powerful cyclical game, and while I enjoyed Limbo immensely and consider it near perfect in every other aspect, the ending could have been so much more.
I was going to do a write up of my post-limbo thoughts, but it's pointless now. You said everything dead on. The last 75% of it was very anticlimactic, I just felt as if I was doing another puzzle, then, the end came along. ... Great game, and it does have decent replay value... but, they could have done much more with it.
Wow... That is a pretty awesome story and this would be great with random flashbacks where you play as the kid when he was alive, and showing that his horrible life was limbo. If this game had better story telling levels this game would be so incredible, but it is just a puzzle game with a meaning. If they did have it start over it should have been shorter, but it changes as you restart like things you saw are now broken and destroyed, more things that can kill you, and then right when it gets so horrible and terrifying you do find a close loved one and then it just ends. Everything will be okay. That would have been a much more powerful ending. That would have made a great climax where it gets scarier and harder until there is a bunch of spiders and kids around you all about to kill you, but then they fade away and all that is there is your sister.
Interesting idea. The point I was trying to make is... Spoiler that nobody cares about the sister. She's sort of just thrown at us in the final moments (aside from a hint about halfway through the game at her existence). Nobody knows who the girl is or why we should care about her. We care about the boy, and too many games have a happy endings.
I'm completely torn on this game. It was awesome. But so short. Didn't the IGN review say 6 hours? I must be really gud at puzzles or something, 'cause I was done in 2-3. No matter how stunning the game was from other aspects, I can't justify the $15 on something so short. Its just a slightly extended flash game. On the other hand, I did get my girlfriend to play it, and she got completely wrapped up in it (a first). You're a little late...I'm already torn...
I'm approximately two hours in and I am absolutely delighted. The design is unique, the puzzles are clever, and the gameplay is (so far) always fresh. It's simply brilliant. This creative, albeit apparently short, platformer will undoubtedly make the list of my top games of the year. Is it worth the price? From what I've seen so far, yes.
Yeah, NO ONE should listen me because i haven't played the game. I just watched some videos about it. GRAMMER **** TIME!! It's have a happy ending. Not endings I'm sorry i just felt like pointing that out.
I played the trial yesterday, and while I was impressed, I definitely don't think it's worth the 1200 MSP. I'll wait for some sort of discount. The end of the trial was funny/annoying/brilliant. The spider is picking you up after you got stuck on it's web, and while you're in mid-air, the game just stops and it says "Continue?" The options are to "Abandon the boy", " Watch the video", or "Unlock Full Version".