Platformer Analysis: Limbo

Limbo does an excellent job of setting the player up for what they are to expect for the rest of the game. Within the first few parts of Level 1, Limbo successfully teaches the player all its game mechanics at a basic level without having to remind them of controls or what they should be doing. 

Section 1: The very beginning of the game is spent waking up at the spawn point and then walking through a long patch of woods. This allows a player to get a handle for the characters movement and how the physics work, along with experimentation of controls and set up the atmosphere of the game.

Section 2: The very first obstacle you see is a gap with spikes. This is reinforcing the jump mechanic, but if you do fall in, your player dies as you only have one life. BUT you also find out that the spawn point isn't too far away, so death is as punishing as its more about directing the player that what they did was wrong for a certain situation. This becomes much more prevalent as the game goes on.

You also find a shack-like area that introduces the main mechanic of the game other than movement over obstacles - moving and interacting with certain obstacles. Here you learn how to push or move the box to your advantage, and  hot to climb certain objects. By descending the rope you find at the top you find a platform and below you is another pit of spikes- the only obstacle the player has seen yet. This lets the player know that the pit is dangerous without experimentation because they already are familiar with the obstacle.

Section 3: This section teaches the player more about the different types of objects in the world and their multiple uses.  Also, if you were to go into the water alone, the player will realize they can't swim and will drown, but again- the punishment isn't too severe as they will spawn fairly close to the boat if they die. The player rides the boat to shore, but finding the next jump too high, they have to drag the boat ashore and use it to jump up to the ledge. This action is teaching the player a lot about problem solving- a skill needed for the puzzle game, using an item for a use its not normally used for.

Section 4: When walking along you come across another type of item - bear traps. Upon walking on it the player will be rewarded with a fairly gruesome death. Respawning not to far away, most players then try to jump over it, but find that there are two traps right next to each other, making it too far of a distance to jump and be rewarded with another gruesome death. However the player can see that the bear traps have handles on them- the same type of handles they found on the very first box the moved.  This teaches the player they can move dangerous obstacles as they can space them out and jump over them individually.

As the first level moves on these obstacles become more challenging and force the player to use more critical thinking as they go- using a players base knowledge of how physics works in an environment as a base.  For example: Its easy to see that rolling the rock to the left will push the tree down and create a pathway, but you also have to account for where it will fall and move accordingly. 

 

The player will also encounter the first boss of the game on this level, the giant spider, and will have to put all their skills to the test as you have to run just fast enough so that the spider can't catch and kill you, but also using the spider at some points to help you with certain obstacles.  This makes the player very anxious and really puts them to the test as to what they've learned during this first level- effectively creating a fun, spooky, and well designed first level.