When awards time came around at the end of last year, I was always disappointed, no matter whose list I was looking at. Every time, this game was absent from the Indie category, in which I believe it deserved a mention, at least. The art is simply gorgeous; the level of detail in the scenery is readily obvious, with glowing fungi (I guess?), creeping creatures and other weird and wonderful plants, many of which are animated and all combine to the effect of a vibrant ecosystem. And that's only the stuff that DOESN'T try to kill you. (And there's a hell of a lot of flower and fauna that does.) That brings me to my second point, the atmosphere. If ever there was a year for atmospheric games, I would have thought it was 2011, where the very worthy LIMBO received award nominations frequently (and probably would have taken them, too, if it weren't for the also worthy Bastion). This game cultivates an ambience of utter desolation that is most reminiscent of Metroid games. You're in a horrible, awful (yet beautiful) world, full of creatures that want to kill you, whether for their lunch or as a sacrifice (charming natives) and you're all so, so alone. Guess it's a jolly good thing you've got the firepower of an entire fleet. Not only are the weapons powerful, though; they're fun to use. Each one feels extremely tactile and very unique, fulfilling particular purpose or catering to a particular playstyle. I found myself having to change my tactics up, as I ran out of a particular ammo and switched to a different weapon. For example, there is a 'flamethrower'-type weapon, with a secondary attack that blocks incoming projectiles. Useful for enemies that try to maintain a ranged supremecy or those hiding in places where you, yourslef, cannot find sufficient cover. Then there are the homing 'missile' shots, which you should probably hold onto as something that you can fire whilst concentrating on running away of staying alive. Not only the guns feel so slick and well designed, though. Moving about the environment is an absolute pleasure. You feel all floaty and futuristic spaceman-y, yet heavy, too (you can crush enemies underfoot, for example). The grapple beam is especially fun to use and despite behaving a little oddly, in terms of physics (in a way that makes playing less of a chore, fortunately), you'll soon learn its capabilities and limitations. For me, personally, one of the most important things in a game is for movement to be slick and intuitive but with room to be creative as you go. And again, for me, personally? This game nailed it. Something else definitely worth mentioning is the soundtrack, by Solar . Beautiful. Perfect. Utterly enthralling. You can probably tell that it fitted my personal tastes pretty damn well and, granted, maybe it isn't your cup of tea. The music in the trailer is a good example to go on, if you want to sample it. I don't think there could have been many other options, however, that emphasise the wonder of this weird, lush world. That make it an alien, odd, sci-fi place, yet also stunning, intriguing and captivating.
