Pixelated Expectations vs. Reality
It never fails to surprise me, the difference between the cover art and in-game visuals when it comes to these little platformers. At first glance I was anticipating a wonderfully hand drawn, charming little adventure in Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo, but sadly the all too familiar black and white 2D pixel art style is back again, almost as a ghost in itself haunting the genre. I guess the £4.19 price tag should have given the game away.
Anyhow, Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo is indeed a platformer which has fifty levels for you to tackle. This is the genre at its most simplistic as the little lad can only jump, there are no fancy moves in sight. The main aim is to grab the key to unlock the exit door, before heading through to safety.
Simplistic Platforming with a Twist
However, as ever with these platformers there is a slight twist or gimmick, if you’re feeling cynical. The ghost teen can morph into his ethereal form by taking damage from the various hazards within each level. Heading back to a gravestone will restore him to human form, but will cost one of the three lives he starts out each level with. If you lose all three then, you guessed it, you’ll need to start the level again.
In terms of threats, it’s mostly gaping chasms or pesky spikes which will do you damage. In terms of enemies, there are only static skulls which spit out projectiles towards you to worry about. In Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo it’s about using these to switch forms at the right time, rather than simply trying to avoid them altogether.
Certain blocks can only be passed through when you’re in ghost form, but at the same time the key can only be picked up when you’re in human form, and the same goes for finishing the level via the exit door. This sets something of a puzzle element to the platforming, namely exiting the level whilst using your lives to switch between forms but making sure not to lose all three.
Easy Levels and Missed Opportunities
However, in reality the group of fifty single screen levels range from easy to extremely easy. There’s no real discernible difficulty curve and no single level will cause you too much bother. There are some beginnings of ideas of complexity and challenge, but sadly these never evolve anywhere near where they need to be.
There are a few levels where it feels the developers missed a trick, as it’s entirely possible to skip over sections of the level as a ghost, then switch back to human form and stroll to the exit undisturbed. Moving a few gravestones around, or removing them altogether, would have upped the difficulty of Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo.
Still, when all is said and done Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo is a mildly enjoyable, if not extremely simplistic, platformer. Even commonplace mechanics such as the ability to duck are missing here, which show just how much of a stripped back experience this is. If you enjoy jumping and dodging things, this will keep you busy for half an hour or so.
Easy Achievements and Limited Appeal
It would be remiss of me not to mention just how short Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo is. Without rushing things or changing from how I usually play games, it took me just thirty minutes to beat it. I wasn’t expecting hours of gameplay, but the lack of any sort of challenge made it feel especially brief.
As is to be expected with these games, there is a generous amount of Gamerscore on offer once again in Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo. In fact, it’s pretty ludicrous that you’ll net an easy peasy 3000G without coming anywhere close to breaking a sweat. I shouldn’t complain, but also wonder how sustainable it is for such games to shower players with achievements so readily, when with some AAA titles you’ll be lucky to extract 100G after hours of hard graft.
A Fleeting Platformer with Limited Substance
Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo is yet another by the numbers platformer which provides a fleeting but fairly fun flutter of gameplay, even if it fails to do anything that helps it stand out from the crowd.
Important Links
Enemies are your friends in Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo – https://www.thexboxhub.com/enemies-are-your-friends-in-ghost-teen-escape-from-limbo/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/ghost-teen-escape-from-limbo/9nr418fb1tnz
