Blog: "Thoughts on Limbo"

[Thomas]

Going deeper into some of the aspects of Limbo:

http://frictionalgames.blogspot.com/2011...limbo.html

[Tanshaydar]

"This is one reason why we will try completely remove puzzles for our upcoming game"

Cannot wait for that post.

[Sexbad]

"This is one reason why we will try completely remove puzzles for our upcoming game"

Cannot wait for that post.

I just hope there will still be some sort of interactive challenge. I don't want another Dear Esther when I can have another actual game.

[Tottel]

But Dear Esther was pretty interesting.

"Still, dying or not, for every time I had to repeat a part of the game, it became less about being present in it's virtual world and and more about figuring out an algorithm."

This is true. It's the combination of getting slightly more frustrated and repeating puzzles that makes you see through the mechanics of the game.

[Sexbad]

But Dear Esther was pretty interesting.

Dear Esther was bad. It has a great narrative and great audiovisual design (at least, the HD rerelease), but it has zero (read: ZERO) gameplay.

[Thomas]

For me Dear Esther's gameplay is what you make up in your head as you go along. I really liked, but it is not where we are going with our next game.

The problem with removing puzzles is that the game might spoon-feed the player through out the experience. This is something we are aware of and will try to avoid. What we want is to demand something from the player and to replace puzzles with interesting interactive situations. We might actually also go with stuff that look exactly like a puzzle but ends up having mechanics that makes sure u cannot get stuck at it (ie a puzzle version of the Amnesia enemies).

[Sexbad]

For me Dear Esther's gameplay is what you make up in your head as you go along. I really liked, but it is not where we are going with our next game.

But you can do that with any storytelling medium, not just games. You don't interact with the world of DE in any meaningful way.
An example of how contemplating story can become part of gameplay can be found in Justine, where you need to think about Justine's character and predict which slides she wants you to put in the slots to free the priest. Without the puzzle, the story is just a regular narrated monologue that could be found in other media, like literature and film.

The problem with removing puzzles is that the game might spoon-feed the player through out the experience. This is something we are aware of and will try to avoid. What we want is to demand something from the player and to replace puzzles with interesting interactive situations. We might actually also go with stuff that look exactly like a puzzle but ends up having mechanics that makes sure u cannot get stuck at it (ie a puzzle version of the Amnesia enemies).

Now THAT is what I want to hear. Just vaguely stating that you're going to try to remove puzzles set me off a little.

[Tottel]

I'll take the Half-life2 mod "The Stanley Parable" as a better example then.

You're guided through a world by a narrator, speaking directly to you. Depending on your actions, the story changes.

Thomas: That sounds like a very interesting alternative to current puzzles. Of course, it's still a bit vague, but I didn't expect anything more.

[WindexGlow]

What I found most annoying about limbo were the terrible save spots. I do want to wait another minute as the world slowly turns again. Or repeat a long winded running segment. I really do.

[Chrysler]

I definitely like your decision to try something new with your next game and not to rely on puzzles again.

Btw just played Limbo from start to finish because of your blog post. I knew the game before and wanted to try it out but somehow forgot about it.