Playdead’s first and critically acclaimed production, Limbo will be available for Sony’s handheld on June 5th and June 6th for North America and Europe, respectively. The aesthetically striking independent puzzle game will join a whole list of upcoming console ports – including HotLine Miami, Terraria and the Jax and Dexter collection – as the company looks to bolster the Playstation Vita’s gaming ecosystem.
Almost three years since its initial debut on Xbox Live Arcade in July of 2010, the game has gone multi-platform following its positive reception and, come next Wednesday – Thursday for the E.U. – Limbo will be priced at $12.99 (£9.99/€12.99). The Danish team at Playdead have partnered with UK based publisher Double Eleven – whose résumé includes the hit franchise LittleBigPlanet – to ensure that the transition from consoles to the Playstation Vita’s 4-inch OLED screen will be seamless.
Set within a dark and unforgiving 2D environment, Limbo follows a young, nameless boy and his dark odyssey to find his lost sister. It’s a heartfelt journey and one that will drag players through numerous harsh locales – including sinister forests and gruesome, dystopian factories. Don’t let the striking, monochromatic art style fool you, though, for Playdead’s production is rather infamous for its brutal and often cringe-inducing death animations. While short in length, Limbo holds a powerful and emotional narrative at its black-and-white core. Free from dialogue and cutscenes, the game tells a story through its stark presentation and challenging, grey-hair-inducing puzzles.
Though Limbo won’t come under Sony’s cross-buy feature, this is a game that has earned a recommendation due to its minimalist yet intuitive design and ‘trial by death’ style of play. Be sure to tell us if you’ll be picking up the indie title for the Playstation Vita in the comments below and, if you’ve already enjoyed a playthrough, tell us how many times you’ve died within Playdead’s grisly abyss.