Guide to Limbo + walkthrough questions
The Limbo's solemn arrival on PC is just around the corner, and taking advantage of my console edge, I've prepared a small guide based on the PS3 version, which is identical to the one that will be released on August 2 on the expansive **Steam**.
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A few words about the game. Limbo gave me feelings similar to [Portal 2](/games?search=Portal 2): simple gameplay mechanics, a lot of physics, perfect difficulty balance, and, of course, Style with a capital S in everything. The main and only downside of Limbo is that few will spend more than four hours completing it. But I have never regretted spending 445 rubles on PSN, and it will likely be even cheaper on Steam. Furthermore, for those who are unsure, a fairly long demo version will be available.
There won't be a narrative walkthrough in this post – the game isn't that complicated, and there aren't particularly brain-bending puzzles here. If you find some part of the game impossible to overcome - write in the comments, we'll help. However, simply completing the game grants you only one achievement – for actually finishing it. Another 10 achievements are related to so-called “eggs,” which are hidden throughout the game. There are ten in total, and finding each one earns an achievement, but that's not the most interesting part: after collecting all the eggs, a secret passage opens, leading to a bonus level that didn't exist in Limbo on Xbox 360. So in this post, I will tell you three things: where the eggs are hidden, how to find the secret level, and how to pass it. Attention, the chapter numbering in the PS3 and PC versions is not the same as it was on the Xbox 360.
Eggs
Before telling you the locations outright, here are two general tips:
1. The pictures, names, and descriptions of achievements contain hints. For those who are not well-versed in English, I’ve translated them below.
2. The game's achievements are arranged in the same order as the eggs. If you miss any egg in the middle, it’s easy to figure out the section of the game where it is hidden.
Wrong Way [Wrong Direction]
This is incorrect.
**Chapter 1**. At the very beginning of the game, after waking up, we go left instead of right.
Altitude is Attitude [Altitude Matters]
Investigating the land.
**Chapter 4**. Climb up the tree, drop a large branch, but don’t descend afterward; continue climbing up. The egg waits at the very top.
It's Stuck [Stuck]
Prepare a dry landing spot.
**Chapter 19**. After the water rises to the highest level, and control returns over the character (the chicks will eat the white worm), do not rush to climb up. Pull the floating piece of pipe from the left well to the right, then tug on the rope hidden behind a column, and the egg will fall from the drain onto the pipe. Be careful; if the pipe's position is wrong and the egg falls into the well, you will have to replay the episode.
Urban Exploration [Urban Exploration]
Will require hard work.
**Chapter 24**. We ride the elevator up, the next goal is to get on the roof of this elevator. To do this, we send it down, pull the bottom platform towards us (just like we did to progress), then send the elevator back up and quickly jump from the bottom platform onto the roof. At the top left, there will be a rope, then everything is obvious.
Alone in the Dark [Alone in the Dark]
Below the invertebrates.
**Chapter 26**. Load the checkpoint, go down the left staircase, and at the bottom, go right into the darkness. When the boy starts walking on the water – jump; there’s a small ledge. The egg awaits on it. The hint sounds like this because this staircase is located right after the episode with the mosquito.
Climbing the Cog [Climbing the Gear]
Don’t pull the lever just because you can.
**Chapter 27.** The picture on the chapter selection screen is precisely that lever which you should not pull. So we load the chapter, proceed through the story (drop the tire down, then push the box), use the box to climb onto the platform with the lever, and without pulling IT, we climb up the cog. The egg awaits to the right at the bottom, on one of the teeth.
Backtracking [Backtracking]
Move the boxes.
**Chapter 31**. We go back, descend by the cog, then down the stairs, finally jumping onto the conveyor with the boxes, to the left of which is a large press. We need to move the box on the belt such that we can grab the press when it’s at its lowest point by jumping from it. We run through the press and jump on the stairs. The egg waits at the top.
Guided by Sparks [Guided by Sparks]
The box is the key.
**Chapter 32**. Pull the lever. When the world stops spinning, the boy will be standing under the lamp; to his right will be a box that needs to be dropped down to proceed further. Instead of dropping it, we press it against the right wall with sparks, climb on it, and jump left-up; there is a small hidden platform. From there, we jump over the wall of sparks and get the egg.
Under Ground [Underground]
Vertical corridor.
**Chapter 34**. Run to the elevator, hang down from the ledge before it, then climb down the rope in the elevator shaft. The egg is at the very bottom.
Going Up [Going Up]
Don't let gravity pull you down.
**Chapter 38**. We run forward, switch gravity upwards. When the box falls onto the ceiling, we move it right so it doesn’t block, then fall onto the switch and direct gravity upwards again. We need to run across the ceiling to the left, and at the top will be a hidden small room with a handle sticking out of the wall. While gravity hasn’t brought the boy down, we need to pull the box out of the wall, and the egg will drop out of it.
All eggs have been collected. The most interesting part remains.
And finally
The secret level is open. It is located where the Alone in the Dark egg (chapter 26) lay. We run further, see a glade of glowing lilies and an open door. Ahead - hell. The longest and most challenging level possibly in these decorations. There is one hint: listen carefully. Almost all obstacles will have to be passed purely by ear, but the sounds are quite informative, and luck is not really required. The complete walkthrough is under the spoiler.
Upon receiving a worm on his head, the boy will run between two lamps. Near the right lamp, in the dark, there is a box that can be moved. The goal is to push the box left to the end, then, running from left to right, jump off the edge of this box so that the chicks can grab the worm. After getting rid of the parasite, we run further right.
Climbing the stairs requires agility and calculation. Watch out for the guns.
The circular saw also poses no difficulties - we run and hang down from the right edge of the chasm; when the saw passes - jump, hang down from the left edge, and wait again for the saw to pass to the right. Now there is enough time to escape to a safe place.
Sparking saws in the dark. We run left to the end, there is a small ledge. Then watch the sparks - there’s a platform moving above that needs to be caught. But don’t climb onto it. Hanging from the edge, wait. While the platform passes between the saws from right to left, we need to manage to climb up, run to the right edge, and hang down from it. Then we wait for the platform to pass under the right saw, climb up, and jump to the next ledge.
Vertical saws. Stay longer under the first, lit saw, and remember the sounds it makes while moving. After that, you will have to move in the dark. The algorithm is this - run until the sound of the saw is at full volume, stop, wait for the sound of it going up, and then about a second after that, run forward. If it doesn’t work - practice on the first blade. This part is one of the hardest.
Tires. Run left, when you hear the siren suddenly turn around, let the first tire pass ahead and run after it. The stone that rolls behind it needs to be jumped over, if possible, without stopping. The saving ledge should emerge from the darkness before the second tire catches up with the boy.
After the sliding starts down, be prepared to jump over the first saw. After it, there will be a small platform where we wait for the moment when the second saw begins to move down, and in two jumps, we overcome it.
At the beginning of the next segment, remember the behavior, sounds, and speed of the saw. We overcome the first one under the lamp. The second lamp will explode as soon as we pass underneath it, but the saw can be jumped over earlier, so the real problems will be only with the third saw. While the boy is running in the dark to the right - watch for the eyes. As soon as he falls off a small ledge, turn around and climb back onto it. Once the saw comes close to the ledge and starts moving away from us - jump off the ledge and run. You will have to jump over the saw in complete darkness by sound, but only once.
After the trick with the egg - the final episode. Watch the right machine gun; it delineates the obstacles ahead. Jump so as not to get caught by the bullets and move towards the final elevator. All that’s left is to press the button to get out from under the fire of both installations and return to a familiar place in the game. The escape will lead you nowhere.
Upon finishing the level, we receive the achievement:
Escape will lead you nowhere
Careful readers have probably already noticed that I only mentioned 12 achievements out of 13. Well, I can't help but mention the last achievement in Limbo:
No Point in Dying
Complete the game in one session, dying no more than five times
Wonderful, isn’t it? Six deaths - start over. A great counterargument to the complaints that “Limbo is too short!” - “Did you unlock the last achievement?..”
In fact, this achievement is not as insane as it seems. After the first run, 90% of traps can be passed effortlessly. The main problems are two - the sparking letters and gravity traps at the end. However, there is a trick that makes the final chapters very simple: count the seconds until the gravity changes out loud. Rehearse the tricky episodes, and this achievement can be unlocked in literally five hours. Unfortunately, no gaming bonuses will be unlocked afterward.
This concludes the exploration of Limbo. Leave your questions about the walkthrough in the comments, and remember - not everything is as it seems at first glance.