15 years ago, developer Playdead's Limbo launched for the Xbox 360 on July 21, 2010, introducing players to a world that balanced a dark atmosphere with cute, cartoonish aesthetics. Since then, Limbo has had a variety of ports to other consoles and PC, expanding the game's reach. The story follows an unnamed boy who is in search of his sister in a purgatory-like world, and while its art style conveys a sense of playfulness, the game takes players on a bleak journey.
The platformer is defined by its black and white world design. Set in a 2D platform format, everything on the screen is a mere silhouette, adding an even deeper sense of mystery to the story. Ultimately, the narrative is heavily up to interpretation, but its themes of death and loss are still quite clear. Limbo's monochrome palette emphasizes its darkness, but the art style is also quite cute. This contrasting blend made Limbo a unique experience when it came out, and it has continued to inspire other stories that balance cuteness with dark themes.
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Limbo's Balance of Cute Characters in a Bleak World Has Been Incredibly Influential to the Platformer Genre
After Limbo, Playdead Released Inside
- Inside came out in 2016.
As a spiritual successor to Limbo, the similarities between it and Inside are quite clear, but the latter ditches the black and white color scheme. It's still an incredibly drab world, though; potentially even more so than Limbo. The dystopian world of Inside sets the stage for a disturbing tale about fighting for individuality under an oppressive force, and its childlike, simple art design only makes its themes that much more terrifying.
Playdead co-founder Dino Patti would later go on to co-found Jumpship. While not a platform game, Jumpship developed 2022's Somerville. Despite being a different genre than Limbo and Inside, Somerville maintained the bleak world-building and stylized design that made its spiritual predecessors stand out.
Little Nightmares
- The first Little Nightmares game was released in 2017.
When it comes to games that blend cuteness with horror elements, Little Nightmares is one of the most notable. Six, the first entry's protagonist, has become an iconic mascot for this specific brand of platformer. With her bright yellow raincoat serving as a beacon in a horrifically downtrodden world, Six embodies an innocence that is later flipped on its head as the franchise continues. Now that Little Nightmares 3 is on the way, Limbo's influence has spawned a successful, long-running horror series that could still grow in the future.
Little Nightmares' original developers, Tarsier Studios, are also working on Reanimal, which promises a similar art design to Little Nightmares, but even darker.
Hollow Knight
- Hollow Knight launched in 2017.
Of course, Hollow Knight is branded as a Metroidvania, but it still boasts 2D platform elements set in a dark world, which makes it reminiscent of Limbo, even if the title wasn't a main source of inspiration for Team Cherry. With Hollow Knight's highly-anticipated sequel, Silksong, expected to arrive this year, gamers will eventually get to experience yet another playfully designed universe that holds a darker tone than its style implies.
Team Cherry member Matthew Griffin recently claimed that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be ready before Christmas 2025.
Limbo Has Inspired More Than Just Fellow Platformers
Games like Bramble the Mountain King and this year's The Midnight Walk aren't part of the platformer genre, but such titles have also embraced beautiful visuals with horror-inspired moments. It's hard to believe that Limbo is already 15-years-old. In the time since, a wonderful offering of disturbing, but beautiful, stories has been brought to life that continue to demonstrate just how much of an impact a game as simplistic in design as Limbo has managed to have.
Limbo
- Released
- July 21, 2010
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
- Playdead
- Publisher(s)
- Playdead
- Engine
- Box2D
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters Limbo.
Limbo is an award-winning indie adventure, critically acclaimed for its captivating puzzle design and immersive sound and visuals. Its dark, misty spaces and haunting narrative will stay with you forever.
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
