Summertime might be all about the sunny days, but the Summer of Arcade on XBOX Live is starting things off a tad bit gloomier with Playdead’s Limbo.

At the start of the game the player wakes in the body of a young boy lying alone in a grassy field. Similar to Remedy’s Alan Wake (released back in May), Limbo sets the tone of the game through the environment.  Without any indication of his thoughts or explanation for the path he must take, he sets off through this dark world that alludes strongly to the old German Expressionism films (think the horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari).  What little light is given fluctuates as the world moves in and out of focus within a screen that fades to black around the edges, filled only with the silhouettes of set pieces, moveable objects, obstacles, dead bodies, and the boy himself.  Similarly to the aesthetics, the soundtrack gives little comfort to the player.  Instead there is almost no sound, with only the faint calls of indistinguishable animals, dripping water, and noises of the dangers lurking ahead providing muddy audio cues. [Read more...]