Imagine if you woke up alone in a dark forest with no idea of how you got there. Now envision wandering those black, foggy woods endlessly, only to constantly be threatened by extreme danger at every turn and reminded that death is not too far away.

Now pretend you are a little kid.

Many may consider this a nightmare, but this is Limbo — a two dimensional side-scrolling platformer that was recently released on the Xbox 360 during Microsoft’s “Summer of Arcade” promotion.

Developed by Playdead, an independent game studio based out of Denmark, many of the hazards and images that you will see in Limbo may haunt you.

There is very little plot or story in Limbo, which actually increases the tension throughout the game. You play as a little boy who wakes up alone in a mysterious forest, and, after that, it is up to you to survive.

There are only a few brief glimpses into the boy’s motivation in Limbo, and you may miss them if you don’t pay careful attention. The game leaves many plot elements up for interpretation and plenty of questions unanswered.

Although the game is in 2D, the environment and art style of Limbo blend to create a haunting world of nightmares. Everything in the game is a black silhouette, with other lighter grays and whites helping form the environment around you. The fluctuations in lighting also help portray Limbo’s world with greater detail.

The imagery of Limbo is frequently very creepy and unpleasant. Despite the “teen” rating by the ESRB and the lack of visual representation, be warned that you may find some of the content in this game very disturbing.

Limbo has pretty standard gameplay mechanics. Your character can run through the environment, jump over obstacles, grab ropes and ladders, and push and pull boxes, switches and other objects in order to solve puzzles.

The puzzles can be deceptively difficult, though. Many of Limbo’s puzzles depend on timing of jumps or object placement, momentum of your character or objects, or sheer luck.

The placement of puzzles throughout the game is relentless. Each time you solve one tricky puzzle, another more difficult one will soon follow. My advice is to pace yourself throughout this game. You may end up getting very frustrated and angry if you do not.

Also, you will die in Limbo. A lot.

This game throws as many hazards at you as it can, such as giant, man-eating spiders, hidden saw blades or boulders, spikes or nails that extrude from the ground, mind controlling larvae, and even crazed townspeople who blow poison darts at you. Many of the dangers that lie within Limbo are unforeseen and you may have to rely on pure instinct to survive them.

However, if you happen to die – which you will – Limbo can be very forgiving in its checkpoint placement. Limbo automatically saves at every checkpoint, and a checkpoint is placed at the beginning of every puzzle.

An interesting element about Limbo’s gameplay is the lack of a level select option. Your character runs throughout the entire game from one puzzle to the next, so taking it slowly may be important for sanity’s sake.

Limbo contains very little music, but what music there is fits the environment well. The sound in the game is mostly ambient noise, which helps mold the chilling atmosphere.

Although Limbo is a very short game – only around three to four hours long – it is definitely worth the $15 price tag, or 1200 Microsoft points. With its detailed environment and art style, intricate puzzles and life-threatening danger, Limbo may leave you screaming in a cold sweat.