Limbo is the perfect game for the survivalist in you
Gorgeous monochrome graphics. Infinitely hostile world. Terrifying puzzles. And a little boy trying to come out of it alive — in one piece.
Playdead/Giphy
The edge of hell
Released in 2010, Limbo follows a devastatingly simple formula: your nameless protagonist wakes up on the "edge of hell" (derivative of Catholic imagery concerning "limbus" or a kind of purgatory state).
Life isn't fair
That's what Limbo's maker, Danish indie game studio Playdead, lets you know right off the bat when your character — a literal child — finds himself facing a behemoth spider ready to kill anything that moves, including him.
Ominous ambient sounds for the perfect horror experience.
The visuals were so stunning, Playdead game director Arnt Jensen and artist Morten Bramsen won the award for "Best Visual Art" at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2011.
Fair warning: Limbo is remarkably violent. But the plot's brutality evokes a strong investment in the child's survival. You'll find yourself trying to pass a level at least 30 times until you get it right.
Playdead gets survivalist gaming right
Limbo is not overwrought with plot twists and turns. You have one mission: keep your little hero alive. The landscape changes but the story's simplicity, graphics integrity, and strangely addictive soundtrack remain intact.