The Puzzling (Mis)adventures: Volume 3 - Limbo, Super Scribblenauts UnderGarden
Written by AG Staff
It will take you 18 minutes to read this feature.
Our ongoing search for memorable puzzling challenges beyond the traditional adventure genre has unearthed some unique experiences so far. We've manipulated matter, time, and space and explored dream worlds, children's books, and pie-ravaged nightmares. This latest sojourn took us even farther outside our genre comfort zone, delving deep underground and into the grim realm beyond death, opening up a whole new vocabulary of imaginative possiblities in between. You want puzzles? We got puzzles! And a little bit of platforming to go with it – which is fitting, since the games themselve cross a variety of platforms, including the PC, handhelds, and home consoles. For those willing to try something different, follow us once again as we take you on a tour of Limbo, Super Scribblenauts, and The UnderGarden.
Limbo
Merlina McGovern
What happens when you die? Nothing? Do you go to heaven? Hell? In Limbo, a dark and fascinating Xbox 360 platformer by Playdead, you set out on a side-scrolling journey that will challenge your puzzle-solving skills as well as your dexterity as you attempt to make sense of that bleak but mysteriously compelling space between life and death.
You aren’t given any instructions as you start Limbo, but when you move your controller, you’ll see your character’s eyes open glowing white in the darkness. As a small boy waking up in the middle of an eerily quiet nowhere, all you know is that you can travel to the right and keep traveling that way, as you would with any old-school platformer. But that’s where the similarities end. Rather than a carnival atmosphere filled with bright-colored graphics and bubbly upbeat music, you’ll find yourself drenched in a black-and-white chiaroscuro world filled with very little music and only the sounds of forest animals... and the occasional buzzsaw. You’ll soon be met with scenes grim in content, but so wonderfully designed in their simplicity and use of shadows and contrasts that you can’t help but admire their beauty even as you gaze on in horror. Imagine seeing your black silhouette dangling from the tip of an ebony spider’s leg as it swirls; swathed in white gossamer webbing, you’re now a soft bundle glowing as you hop through the haze.
Other than using the left joystick to move, the only other controls needed are a jump button and an action button that allows you to do every task required, from pulling crates to calling elevators to turning on light switches. Early on, you mostly encounter physical obstacles such as walls that you’ll need to scale and ropes to climb up. But as you move along, the environment becomes peppered with more dangerous challenges, including steel traps that will rip you to pieces, terrifying spiders with fat bodies bristling with hair and thin legs tapering out to sharp points (the better to skewer you with), and electrified signs spitting deadly sparks.
To overcome these challenges, you'll have to constantly analyze your environment to determine how to keep going. You don’t have an inventory, but you will push, pull, roll, climb up, and drag items to place them where they’re needed. Often you’ll have to plan your moves far in advance. That apparently useless item that you left behind may be just the thing you’ll need to shield you from some menacing gunfire a few screens ahead. You will also have to throw any morals you have out the door in order to survive, as you’ll have to employ dead animals, pieces of enemies, and yikes, even dead bodies to achieve your goals. As you progress further in the game, the designers up the ante by adding timed elements to your puzzle-solving, forcing you to prepare an escape before floods threaten to overwhelm you, for example. You’ll even encounter a rotating field of play in case you get too complacent. The ground will literally move and revolve beneath your feet, requiring fast-thinking and dexterity to avoid falling to your death.
As with any platformer, a certain amount of dexterity and timing is required, and there were a few segments I had to repeat several times just to get the timing and placement of items just right. But the bulk of the game’s difficulty comes from the puzzles themselves. These become increasingly difficult as you progress, so much so that I had to resort to a walkthrough for the latter portions. What do you do in a multi-level room with two crates, an anti-gravity button with a timer, and your exit far above you? If you’re a whiz at figuring these types of puzzles out, you could easily finish the game in a few hours. But if there are plenty of errors in your trial-and-error approach, or if you just want to see how many gruesome ways your character can die, your play time can stretch out hours longer, especially if you explore carefully to earn all of the achievements offered.
While there isn’t very much in the way of a direct story, the environment tells a visual kind of story: The game starts with the glowing white letters, LIMBO, and then nothing… darkness. Are you dead? If so, death is not a pleasant reality, as you’ll clearly discover by making your way through its increasingly hellish environments. You begin in a forest or jungle, go underground, come back up into a depressing industrialized area with neon hotel signs and pipes and ladders. The game description on Xbox LIVE Arcade tells you that you’re looking for your sister, but nothing in the game indicates that specifically. All you know is that you’re alone, and the few other people you do see are either dead, running away from you, or trying to attack you. You do catch a glimpse of what appears to be a girl late in the game, but before you can reach her, another obstacle pushes you in another direction entirely. As I played, my motivation was simply to escape the fiendish world I found myself in. It wasn’t the goal of trying to find my sister that propelled me forward, but the promise of finding a few minutes of peace and respite after a particularly tough challenge, those few quiet spots between mayhem and death.
The storyline, such as it is, is ultimately so obscure that it’s really not the point of the game, which is to experience this grim, fascinating world in all its emotionally-disturbing, mind-bending, and life-threatening glory. So what does happen when you die? You may not find out in Limbo, beyond doing a whole lot of it as you go along, but you’ll have a fun, challenging time exploring as you make your way through this bleak but beautiful landscape.
Next up: Super Scribblenauts...
Super Scribblenauts
Robin Parker
In 2009, developer 5th Cell tried to redefine how we look at puzzle games. The innovative Scribblenauts was released on the Nintendo DS under the tagline “Write anything, solve everything”. Through the clever implementation of emergent gameplay, it concentrated on using the power of the player’s imagination in order to overcome obstacles. Able to type in and summon any item from their ‘Objectnaut’ list of thousands of items, players were challenged to create their own solutions. The game was a critical success, but wasn’t without its faults, so the developers set to work on an improved sequel. The end result is Super Scribblenauts, which has taken the original concept and improved upon it in many ways.
It should be noted right away that there is no storyline in this game. The selection of roughly 200 levels is divided into smaller groupings with loose thematic similarities, but there is no plot to connect any of these stages. You control Maxwell, a young boy who must solve each individual puzzle in order to collect as many Starites (star-like objects) as possible. There is no mention of why you need to collect these Starites until the final level, however, when Maxwell is suddenly thrust into a very special final confrontation that requires them. Instead, the motivation for completing each stage comes not from a strong narrative driving you forward, but from the simple joy and challenge of the ingenious game mechanics.
Super Scribblenauts has improved on this mechanic hugely by adding the option to use adjectives. Now, rather than creating the stick and fire separately, a flaming stick can be written directly into the game. Trying to solve a colour-specific task? An orange whale can now be summoned rather than a regular one. A normal bridge won’t reach across that chasm? What about a gigantic bridge? Although this simplifies the actual item procurement process, the ability to assign attributes to objects multiplies the scope of possibilities immeasurably, adding new opportunities to experience more intricate and detailed solutions. One great level is a “monster war” situation, where the scene pits several monsters against you that you have to defeat with your own creations. Deciding on the combinations of attributes to assign to your creatures is a lot of fun. Would a giant, poisonous snake defeat a fire-breathing white griffin? Try it out. In general, you can attempt whatever you can imagine, even if just for fun.
Of course, there are some words and phrases the game will not recognise. Foul language aside, the game won’t always be able to put together certain combinations, even though you think it might work. For instance, you can’t make a loud boy or a talking boy; the game simply rejects it. Such omissions can be frustrating at the time, but it’s an understandable limitation of a game that depends not only on being able to recognize words but replicate them as well. There are simply too many possible combinations in the English language to cover everything, and some are too difficult to demonstrate effectively. This does not spoil the game, though – far from it. There is still plenty of experimenting possible, and the fact that there are so many different ways to solve puzzles means that you will never be stumped for long. Solutions can range from the entirely logical to the downright crazy, or even some of both in the same puzzle. Everyone will play this game differently, and you can take an entirely different approach yourself in playing the level again. The enjoyment comes from striving to complete the level in a way no-one else on the planet might even conceive. That is true interaction.
While solutions can be complex, the actual input is simple. Super Scribblenauts provides two options in the form of either handwritten answers or stylus-based typing. When writing by hand, the game tries to interpret what you have written, but if your handwriting is illegible, you can simply use the QWERTY keyboard input system. The game even makes things another step easier by remembering your recent inputs, allowing you to recall them quickly. This is especially useful when having to retry a level after not getting it quite right the first time around.
Navigation is handled either by stylus control – pressing the touch screen point where you would like Maxwell to move – or through the use of the directional pad, which is a welcome addition to the sequel. Using the pad allows you direct control over Maxwell, and it not only prevents accidental interaction when you wish to simply walk (or vice versa), it also allows for more precise movement. When using the stylus, jumps are carried out automatically for you, but if using the button configuration, you can jump where and when you want. Items can be picked up, dropped or used logically, like climbing ladders or flicking switches, simply by tapping on them with the stylus.
Maxwell can die, and probably will often throughout your game. But no extra lives are needed, and there is no real penalty for failure, as you simply restart the same puzzle screen afterwards. Many levels offer no danger and can be taken at a slower pace, but some will require quick thinking and sometimes quicker reflexes in order to complete all the tasks necessary. For instance, a level with a falling Starite may require you to quickly create an object onto which it will make a safe landing, whilst also avoiding spikes on the way down and stopping a pesky bat from getting in the way. This will need some forward-thinking and object management from the player, as only a certain number of user-created items (depending on size) can be onscreen at once, so you have to strategize what you need to do and when, quickly shifting your focus once each part of the task has been taken care of.
That said, the overall difficulty of Super Scribblenauts’ stages throughout the main game is fairly low. It is really only the two sets of special stages that will challenge you greatly, and they are only revealed after completing most of the regular levels. These will require you to pull off one quick action after another, and fast reflexes will be needed at several points. The game tells you these stages focus more on action and danger, so you’ll be fully forewarned that such challenges are not for the more relaxed puzzler.
The sequel retains the cartoony art style of its predecessor, looking once again like something a child might have drawn. Items are simplified and creatures characterised to look cute and simple, in keeping with the create-it-yourself style of game you’re playing. This presents a problem sometimes, as smaller items become difficult to identify and differentiate between, though a simple tap of the stylus brings up a tag to reveal what an object is. Animations are kept very basic, with most characters behaving like cardboard cut-outs, but this too suits the sensibility of the design. Sound effects are quite generic, with many of the same noises attributed to a number of different creatures, but they are functional enough for something that has very little impact on the gameplay. Music is not present throughout the majority of the game, but where it is, the themes are childlike and jolly without becoming irritating.
There are a lot of levels to work through to reach the end, and the basic stages are likely to last you a good four or five hours. With the addition of the much tougher special levels, you could be looking at another three or more hours on top of that. The length of time you spend with the game will vary depending on how adventurous you are, however. Don’t be surprised to find yourself trying a lot of levels again – even immediately after completing them – to find out what other methods might work. This option gives the game great replay value far beyond its initial playthrough. There are virtually endless possibilities for resolving a situation, and an inquisitive mind will want to try alternatives. Overall, there is little to criticise about this game, as it will really let your mind run free. Even more than the original, this sequel encourages you to “create anything”, and it’s hard to argue with its ability to offer just what it advertises. In short, Super Scribblenauts is an “excellent game”.
Next up: the UnderGarden...
The UnderGarden
Jack Allin
For most people, the notion of gardening for entertainment is probably among the last things they’d consider, and certainly not one done for serene, peaceful, almost meditative-like relaxation. But that’s because you’re not a bee. Or better yet, a pixie-like creature with magical pollination abilities able to transform subterranean caverns into bold, brilliant canvases of picturesque flora. Such is the premise behind Artech Studios’ The UnderGarden. While the PlayStation 3 already has its Flower, now PC and Xbox 360 owners can also experience for themselves the simple joy of stimulating vibrant plant life with just a touch, even those who have an anti-green thumb that could kill a cactus. It’s not quite the Zen-like experience it’s touted to be, but it’s nevertheless a charming, pleasant change of pace from the usual style of games.
At first it seems like a stretch to call The UnderGarden a “game” at all. It begins with no introduction, no cinematic, no narrative setup of any kind. You’re simply a pixie who finds itself in a hub-like underwater world and tasked with warping through various portals to bring 15 different levels to life. The basic gameplay mechanics are equally simple. To collect pollen, you simply touch scattered pods lying around to fill up a small, depletable gauge, then float past dormant plants and cause them to bloom on your way to the end-level warp point back to the hub. After that, it’s lather, rinse, repeat. Deadly dull-sounding, right? Well, not so fast.
However appealing the thrill of creation might be, of course, if that’s all there was to it the experience would get old fast, so The UnderGarden does begin introducing more “gamey” challenges along the way. These come in the form of mild physics-based environmental puzzles. Passages are blocked by debris, air currents will blow you away from your target, and territorial jellyfish-like blobs refuse to let you by. Overcoming these obstacles requires such tasks as weighing down pressure platforms, blowing up rock columns, and manipulating giant cogs. There isn’t much you can do directly, however, as your only inherent ability is to create a small sphere around you that will grab any interactive object within its radius, then tow it along as you go. Fortunately, there are different “fruits” with convenient qualities: some float, which push against movable barriers above you, while others explode or provide light for otherwise-impenetrable murkiness, and still others can be charged with natural electricity.
For the first half of the game, new challenges and abilities are doled out rather sparingly, maintaining the initial sense of easygoing exploration perhaps a little too long. The farther you get, however, the more obstacles you encounter, and more complex ones at that. Columns rise and fall along your path, forcing you to dart between cubbyholes, rotating rings must be powered up and aligned, and passages are peppered with floating balls that cause you to drop all your pollen and any fruit you’re carrying. Many of the puzzles are fairly straightforward once you’ve grasped each new fruit-based gimmick, and the variety isn’t extensive enough to keep you perplexed for long, but the added focus does give The UnderGarden some much-needed purpose to sustain interest. Towards the end, the game does a nice job of utilizing all the tricks you’ve learned in cooperation, forcing you to plan several steps together a little more strategically. The only downside is that some of the later challenges feel less organic and more contrived as a result, which may mess up your early (personal) chi.
With so few actual commands at your disposal, you’ll be up and gardening in no time, and the first level includes a series of pop-up tutorial messages to familiarize you with the basics. Navigating your pixie through this “underwater oasis” is as simple as you’d expect using any of the available control options. The relaxed nature of the game is well suited to kicking back with a gamepad in hand, but the click-and-hold mouse-only option also works well, or you can use the arrow keys to maneuver instead. A second local player can join in for some co-operative gameplay, though the camera only follows the first player, so if your partner wanders off screen, they’ll instantly be transported back to your side. This won’t matter in many of the wide-open areas, but often the camera will zoom in a little too tightly, drastically reducing the amount of visible real estate, with no manual option to adjust.
Left unexplained in-game are the two ever-visible progress bars, as these are only described in the “how to play” menu option. Neither is particularly relevant, though; one shows how far you’ve gone in the current level, while the other informs you how much of the level’s flora has bloomed. Not described anywhere is the function of the musicians. While they visibly impact the plants with their music as you carry them, it’s not at all clear what their actual purpose is. Initially I thought the idea was to save them by dragging as many of them as I could to the end (an incredible nuisance given their tendency to get wedged in narrow crevices), and that may indeed be the case, though you seem to drop them as you warp, and they don’t emerge with you when you reappear. They must have some tangible value, however, as the hub world includes a statistics screen for such things as blooming success and a music achievement for each level. My best guess after the fact is that the latter is granted for having a musician affect a certain amount of the plant life, though what percentage is certainly never specified, and I could be wrong entirely. Shouldn’t that be noted somewhere? You’ll also acquire new costumes and skins for your smirking little pixie, though the conditions for unlocking these is also anyone’s guess.
In your travels, there are special flowers to activate and one unique crystal to discover per level, both tucked away in less obvious, hard-to-reach areas. Neither is at all necessary to complete the game, but it does provide added incentive to explore, which is the main point of the game anyway. If you do make the effort to be thorough, each level should take you about 15-20 minutes, though you can certainly do it faster if you wanted, and you may find that you lose interest in pollinating over time. Once the novelty wears off, the exercise starts to lose its lustre, mainly because it often involves meticulously tracing the outline of every cavern wall and ceiling, often tracing the branches of trees to their tips in pursuit of the 100% objective. As visually and aurally rewarding as it is, at times it starts to feel like busywork. Hey, it’s bees that are supposed to stay busy, not magic pollen-wielding pixies!
A little tedium and rather lightweight challenge aside, The UnderGarden is still a unique, relaxing journey through an engaging underwater world that anyone can enjoy, but beware false expectations. There’s no story at all, and there very few traditional game-like requirements to meet, so check your usual assumptions at the shore, throttle back the adrenaline and prepare yourself for a calming, whimsical experience whose main goal is simply to enjoy the trip. Don’t ease off too much, mind you, as there are more than enough obstacles by the end to remind you that you’re playing a game, not having a trippy hallucination or a transcendental vision in a meditative state. But why not just play the demo first and see for yourselves? This definitely won’t be a game for everyone, but for those who enjoy what they see, don’t be afraid to jump in feet first.