Limbo is an atmospheric indie game with strong melancholy
themes. It’s easy to learn but its puzzles can be difficult very obtuse and if
judged incorrectly the result is usually a gruesome death. In a game where the
player character is assured to be killed graphically and repeatedly a method to
ease player frustrations was desperately needed. The checkpoint system was that
solution for Limbo.
This game is very
generous with its checkpoints. There’s usually a checkpoint in front of every
encounter or puzzle because of the dire consequences failure brings. Once a
player inevitably dies all they must do to continue their adventure is press
any key or button available to them. All together the time for the graphic set
pieces and resetting at a checkpoint is about three to five seconds. It’s very
quick to get the player back into the world. More so the graphic deaths and
well-toned fade outs/ins that accompany these scenes keep the player immersed
in the game. Death isn’t so much incorporated into the game world as much as it
doesn’t interfere with the tone and atmosphere being set.
If this sounds too a little obvious then consider a game like
Dead Space. Now there is nothing wrong with Dead Space but I’m using its game
over screen as an example because of how conceptually similar these games are.
(Dead Space also works to eliminate interfaces, incorporate menus into the game
world, and keep an immersive atmosphere). In Dead Space upon a player’s demise
they are met with a similarly gory death followed by the screen washing out to
a crimson splash screen where the player is presented with a Game Over menu. This
is a more traditional approach that Limbo’s checkpoint system works around. This setup benefits Dead Space because of the tense horror atmosphere the game presents. The break in atmosphere gives players a chance to catch their breath before they are re-immersed. That choice worked for Dead Space but it’s possible that the halt in gameplay and the drastically different menu would
have made too much of a strain on Limbo’s immersion.
The choice to implement a fluid transition from death to
re-spawn kept Limbo’s atmosphere solid and allowed an unlikely system
contribute to the game’s tone.
