A child is hunted through a shadowy forest by masked men. He snags his foot on a branch and falls over, and one of the figures lunges at him, pins him to the ground, and chokes him to death. In another moment the child stumbles into the headlights of a truck and a masked man guns him down with a rifle. Later he’s chased by a pack of snarling dogs who tear him apart in a vicious frenzy. Inside, the new game from Limbo developer Playdead, is full of these moments of shocking, indifferent, and slightly perverse violence. Even though you know dying means being spirited back to a generously placed checkpoint, the brutality you’re forced to watch when you fail gives your mistakes extra weight. And the fact you’re playing as a young boy, who’s clearly in distress, only heightens how savage it is. .

Limbo is a black and white puzzle-platforming adventure that puts players in the role of a young boy traveling through a hostile world in an attempt to discover the fate of his sister. Limbo challenges players with traversing dark forests, trap-filled underground complexes, and stormy rooftops brought to life with hand-drawn visuals. They must be quick, clever, and fearless if they want to survive their journey and unravel the mysteries at Limbo’s sinister heart. .