Intro: Paper Mario Meets Coco
Tackling your trauma is often seen as something that most people run from as soon as the idea of it appears. It is human nature to flee from the things that hurt us the most, but as many find out, life is never so simple. Some aspects of our humanity are so deeply rooted in what lies beyond the veil of our consciousness, that it can feel impossible to track it down to its source. From the very root of our beings, trauma finds a way to undermine us from the inside in a way that can rarely be fixed unless we face it. This concept is the basis of Kulebra and The Souls of Limbo. The idea that all we need sometimes is a little push to save ourselves from our own demons.
A Deep Dive Into Trauma: The Story
The story has you taking control of Kulebra as he attempts to find his own purpose while assisting the souls of those trapped in limbo, a purgatory-esque plane of existence where you wake up in the beginning of the game. This has you seemingly starting off on a simple journey with only an old woman’s words to guide you forward. The simple task of helping souls move on leads you through a variety of vista that are each unique and sell their own stories of the denizens that call it home.
Throughout your time exploring these places, you get to deal with a wide variety of characters who need your help to get over the memories keeping them from passing on to the place beyond. This can be a situation as simple as a mother and daughter holding onto someone that’s never coming back, to the more complex aspects of the human psyche that I don’t want to spoil. Just know that this game doesn’t pull its punches. Every one of the different levels of trauma that you are exposed to is presented in a way that really makes you feel for the souls you’re helping.
These moments are beautifully done and though I don’t want to give too much away, just know that there were more than enough times in my ten hour playthrough where I felt my lip quiver a bit in a ‘wow, that’s rough’ sort of way. It leans into what makes these emotions uncomfortable and runs with it, presenting the player with a story that you will definitely resonate with if you have dealt with any of the traumas it tackles. I was completely blown away by the story the developers created, and have to give them credit for tackling such a sensitive aspect of what makes us human.
A Beautiful Iteration of Purgatory: The World
The world is split into these three distinct zones that all have their own art styles and NPCs that call it home. It has a very natural way of making you feel like you are progressing. The first area is a small vista with one building and only 2 NPCs, the next town has a few more buildings and the NPCs to accompany them, and so on as you make your way toward the last city, which is this bustling utopia with dozens of buildings filled with all sorts of NPCs that have various things to offer you as well as side quests you can take part in.
Though Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo itself is mostly linear, there are plenty of goodies off the beaten path and I highly encourage you to take part in the side quests as well as explore the areas outside your main mission. Each different zone is brought to life by the amazing art direction, which was clearly heavily inspired by games like Paper Mario and other 2D adventure games. It’ll have you saying wow, but not in the usual way of how some other games released this year might. It’s cute and bubbly in a world absent of much happiness or hope, and the colors really compliment each other in a very Día De Los Muertos way. The movie Coco comes to mind, and I have to say they nailed it. The art style does a perfect job with its bright colors and smooth edges to contrast the dark thoughts of the souls that call it home.
The Best Therapist Is A Dead One: The Gameplay
The gameplay systems are relatively easy to explain, and honestly most of your actual time will be spent reading clues and deciphering puzzles that will help you with your goal of assisting the souls you run into. Most of the time you’re going to be sonic speed running around as you try to discover what makes each of these souls tick before confronting them about their traumas. Most of the time, you hit a point with each of these main NPCs where you have to help them get over their traumas by reminding them about the things that they loved the most.
This leads to an interesting mini game where they question you about the information that you’ve learned with a bar at the top of the screen either filling or depleting as you get their questions right or wrong. There are even parts in these interrogations where the NPC throws out answers that don’t match what they’re asking. You can either call their bluff, or pick the answer that sounds best, and it can honestly lead to some pretty funny moments as they grill you for your lack of knowledge.
If you win the mini game, the NPC is cleansed of their ‘darkness’, the traumas that have kept them in limbo, and they are allowed to finally pass on to whatever exists at the light at the end of the tunnel. If you lose and the darkness gauge gets to 100% well, you lose. Simple as that. These boss fights start out simple but there are some very creative aspects in the later stages of the game. The feel of the game and how it plays is near perfect and I rarely found myself complaining about anything besides some of the puzzles and the clues they give you. Some felt really well made, while others seemed to exist only to torture you, but hey that’s fair. This is meant to be this hellish loop these characters are stuck in.
A Journey Worth Taking: Final Thoughts
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is an artistic marvel to look at that many will enjoy for its creative puzzles and the gorgeous world that you are pulled into. The story does a very good job at tackling the idea of trauma and how it can weigh you down, and how it affects those around you. You will feel sad, happy and angry for the souls you run into on your journey, and I truly believe they did it in a way that tells their story in a beautifully poetic fashion. I more than enjoyed my time in the hallowed streets of Limbo, and would more than recommend this game to anyone who enjoys 2D adventure games, and deep emotional journeys that aren’t scared to keep you on your toes.
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo was reviewed on PC and is available on Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the developer and published for the code.
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