4) Limbo

Limbo Top 5

Another little title that caught a lot of folks by surprise, Limbo excelled thanks to its minimalist design, grim aesthetic and harrowing content. The mature themes and surprising difficulty that dotted the adventure clashed with the accessible nature of the game – which somehow worked to enforce the overall tone. The story of the little boy was dark, literally and figuratively. And despite being an excellent entry on Xbox Live Arcade, the whole experience was rather short, leaving many of us wanting more, regardless of how effectively Limbo’s brevity really served it.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like a true sequel to Limbo is on the minds of developer Playdead, at the moment. The silver lining comes in the form of Project 2, Playdead’s next title that features a boy in a murky, almost monotone world and who struggles against a greater evil using 2D mechanics in a 3D environment. Sound familiar? While not a true sequel to Limbo, the title looks to carry the torch of striking aesthetic and cinematic presentation, even going so far as to solicit support from the Danish Film Institute.

The project is expected to take three to four years to develop, according to Playdead boss Dino Patti, as of 2011. And while that might seem like an eternity, Patti is reticent when it comes to details, stating he dislikes long waits between announcements and releases and won’t torment us with the same practice.