LIMBO
LIMBO
ID
86084399
Creator(s)
MindCap (host and publisher); Djoxy (co-host)
- Contributors
Verifier(s)
BGram
Created
Last updated
LIMBO is a 2.1 Extreme Demon mega-collaboration level hosted by MindCap and co-hosted by Djoxy, verified by BGram on 26 November 2022 after 109,490 attempts.[1] The level is designed in a 1.9 style with an indigo, dark blue, and red colour palette. MindCap intended the level to be the hardest memory Demon without relying on visual interference while implementing unique gameplay mechanics.
MindCap had stated that the version of the level from January 2022 would probably have fallen into the Top 20-30 of the Demonlist. Some playtesters had stated that the buffed version that followed was Top 1 difficulty. Due to its unconventional, memory-intensive gameplay, LIMBO's relative difficulty is hard to gauge.
On 27 August 2022, BGram returned to the level and started his verification of a further buffed version that he, at the time, believed to be harder than Slaughterhouse, the #1 level on the Demonlist. This version was ultimately verified by BGram and placed at #7.
LIMBO received acclaim from players for its concept, design, decoration, effects, gameplay, and music, and is widely considered one of the best top Demons in recent history and one of the best levels of all time.[2][3][4]
Lore and story
LIMBO is themed around being trapped between heaven and hell. With the player unsure of where to go, it is up to them to decide their fate as they navigate the wonders of different technological and demonic hallucinations.
The story of LIMBO is about a steel factory manager in the 1980s who hired a scientist to create artificial intelligence to address the dangerous situations in the factory. The steel factory suffered 10 casualties, and some workers quit due to the hazardous conditions; therefore, the manager decided to replace all the factory workers with artificial intelligence capable of performing all tasks simultaneously.
The creation was finished and named EAM-17. It was considered the scientist's greatest invention. It took him around 17 prototypes to create the final product; however, he thinks his creation is not yet ready for commercial use. The manager replied that it was a marvellous machine, exclusive to his company. The manager assures the scientist that he need not worry about making a profit with this machine, as he will soon build an 'unstoppable team'.
The scientist then reminded the manager that there is a failsafe in the form of a combination code, which can be activated with a key in the control room. However, the manager replied that he had not yet seen the machine work in real-time, so he demanded that the scientist get it working. The scientist then addresses the machine's purpose and expresses his concern for the workers, who have families to raise, and for the fact that he is monopolising the industry.
The manager silenced the scientist, telling him that a naïve young man like him would never understand that this would be the new direction. Everything would become automated, and personnel would no longer have input. It is a sacrifice through every significant step. The manager also added that he dislikes how the press pressures him to discuss his treatment of employees. The scientist calls him out for his greed, which would force thousands into destitution through this cruel means. When the manager reminded him of his sick mother, the scientist told him not to bring her up. They continued to prepare for the machine's operations and reminded him about the safety precaution key. The manager calls the weird-looking key an 'elaborate gag' of his because of its colours. The two then started EAM-17 to work, hoping that the manager would gain profit.
Six days have passed, and the machine is functioning according to plan, with the factory's sales increasing on a long shot. However, at one point, it malfunctioned and stopped completely. The manager called the scientist to check on the machine, then headed to the control room to assess the situation. Before he could do so, a gigantic claw made out of improvised objects from the factory grabbed the scientist. The scientist yells to retrieve the keys from the table and focus. However, the manager is confused about which key would activate the failsafe. There were too many identical keys to differentiate. The malfunctioning robot kills the scientist by violently throwing him against the wall. The manager then tries to make a run for it and call the authorities, but the machine shuts down all the doors and kills him.
In the aftermath, the AI blends the entire factory like an abandoned facility every time it is threatened, ready to kill everyone who dares to enter its territory. The investigation of the deaths involving EAM-17 shows that the bodies were never recovered, and the police declared the manager and the scientist missing. Around 30 years later, a cube emerges, which is the reincarnation of the scientist.
The cube was sent to the same spot where he had died outside the factory, with his only goal being to prevent more casualties to the sentient AI and RETURN 0. He must overload its resources and take the right key to shut it down. Conversely, the manager woke up elsewhere, yelling for anyone around. He has woken up in his factory, where everything is strangely bluish and distorted. As he ventures through the factory, he touches a spike and reacts in pain, telling himself that he has gone back to the start.
The manager's only goal is to find what lies at the end. Otherwise, he will be trapped forever.
Description
- 0-4% (Findexi + Juhou): LIMBO begins with a half-speed cube and a series of slopes with many fake spikes, holes and teleporting portals. The following section requires the player to navigate a series of blocks and then move upside down under reverse ramps, while remembering which orbs to hit.
- 4-8% (Lumpy + Failure444 + CuLuC): This part of the level is entirely wave-based at varying speeds. While the area itself is not tight, balls (essentially sawblades) float across the screen from all angles at increasing speeds and quantities throughout this part. This part ends with the word 'FOCUS' flashing on a black screen, signalling the drop and transitioning to the next part.
- 8-14% (th31 + Lieb): This part starts with a triple-speed ship that constantly switches from one set of gameplay to another at a regular interval. The part involves using three consecutive dash orbs, and at one point, the player must drop to the ground, which appears to be fatal. There is a brief interval of using yellow orbs inside gravity portals in a tight slope corridor before transitioning into a ball. The ball contains many trigger orbs that switch between two sets of blocks, some of which are moving. This ball section contains no other orbs or speed changes.
- 14-19% (Pennutoh): The player must first jump onto a green orb, but click the trigger orbs on both sides of it. Otherwise, the next green orb (which must be used) will be toggled off. There is much gameplay in other areas of the screen that are not part of the only passable route, but they are only there to confuse the player. After a difficult blue orb click, there is another trigger orb the player needs to hit to activate a blue gravity portal, which will allow them to continue the part. Once again, the player must avoid what appears to be the actual route to enter a fake block and continue. The player then enters a spam-based section with blue pads topped with orbs, where they only need to hit the first one to access the wall above, which contains a ship portal (the ship portal is not part of the correct route). Below this, Pennutoh's icon is visible. After jumping out, the level's objects move toward the player from behind to hit a black orb that was previously out of reach. The black orb is positioned directly below a platform, meaning the player will automatically jump as soon as they land and line up for the next green orb. The final part of this section is a mini-UFO that does not indicate where to go, and the only two portals not forced on the player are fake and will kill them if used.
- 19-23% (Vismuth): This section features a normal-speed ship segment where the player must know which orbs to pick while avoiding the moving structures scattered around the screen. The player occasionally switches sizes and teleports all over the place. After the ship segment, there is a double-speed cube section with many circles of orbs. Each circle has four orbs, and each orb rotates around each circle to confuse the player. Sometimes, the circles have gravity portals and blocks. The section concludes with a tight timing, transitioning smoothly into the next section.
- 23-28% (Jenkins + Saria + GrenadeOfTacos): The next section begins with a normal-speed ball part. It is similar to the cube segment in the previous section, with many different circles of rotating orbs. However, instead of four orbs on each circle, there are eight on each circle. In addition, some orbs have invisible blocks that the player can land on, and the player must remember which orbs have invisible blocks and which orbs do not. Following the ball segment, a wave segment features three corridors that constantly move. Because there are small spikes scattered throughout each of the corridors, there are invisible spaces through the walls that the player can go through to avoid them. However, the player must remember their location to pass the section. At the end of the section, the words 'GP BY JENKINS DECO BY SARIA' are shown on the walls of the corridors.
- 28-32% (Jeyzor): Jeyzor's part is one of the more infamous parts of the level due to its constant lagging effect, tight timings and invisible obstacles. It takes the level's victors a very long time to learn this part. The first half of the part is a double-speed cube segment where the player must hit orbs and jump within unconventional places. Many of the spikes throughout this section are either fake or have landing pads on them, but there are also invisible spikes that the player cannot see. While the player must concentrate on locating the spikes, the decoration, including the player's icon, constantly blinks, lags, and moves around to throw the player off substantially. If the player passes the cube section, they meet a tight normal-speed ship segment with constantly moving structures. Orbs and gravity portals scatter everywhere, and the player must remember which ones to hit. A brief cube transition is shown once the player passes the ship segment. If the player were to proceed through the ship segment without hitting the last yellow or red orb with a trigger orb inside it, they would teleport to a joke area, leading to their death.
- 32-36% (Ryder + Goose): Following the cube transition, the player is thrown into a double-speed mini-ball segment. The section is highly complex, with many layers of block decoration, but only some of the blocks are actual components. While the player must remember which blocks are real or fake, they must hit specific orbs and avoid spikes scattered throughout to pass through. Once the player passes through the ball segment, there is a quick, normal-speed cube transition with three orbs. Although it has some tight timings, this transition requires no memory. Then, the player meets a double-speed spider segment similar to the previous ball segment. The player must remember which blocks are real while avoiding spikes and hitting specific orbs. The part ends with a normal-speed cube landing.
- 36-42% (KrmaL + flash): This section is entirely in the triple-speed cube game-mode. Throughout this part, the player must remember which platforms to land on to hit orbs and enter portals. However, every single platform is quickly moving left and right, and trigger orbs scatter throughout that the player can hit. One of these trigger orbs stops every platform (represented by the pause symbol on top of them), and the other trigger orb flips the direction of every platform (represented by an arrow pointing in which direction they will move if the orb is activated). The player must remember which trigger orbs to hit at the exact correct moment. In the end, the player enters a safe corridor for a moment, where they can see the words 'KRMAL' and 'FLASH' in large text.
- 42-47% (Stormfly + ZephiroX): The next section is entirely in the double-speed cube game-mode. It begins with the player being launched from a red pad into a cluster of large, rotating circles of varying sizes. All of these circles have blocks scattered throughout their area, and the blocks are constantly circling at very high speeds. In addition to these blocks, the circles have a couple of orbs and portals. Most are unused, but some require the player to interact with them to progress through the section. Once the player passes through the five circles, the section concludes with two yellow orb timings, with two blue orbs almost layered on top.
- 47-52% (Stormfly + SleyGD + CastriX): The following section, which continues Stormfly's gameplay from the previous section, is entirely in the mini-wave game-mode. The first part features many wave corridors on the top and bottom of the screen. The player must memorise which corridors they must enter through, similar to 91% on Rearmed, but what is inside the corridors is quite complex. It features tight slope timings, but every slope has a D-block, allowing the player to land safely without dying. Because of the D-blocks, the section would be nearly automatic, but each corridor has small spikes scattered throughout them, forcing the player to memorise where to hold and where not to hold throughout each corridor. Then the level speeds up to twice the speed, and the player enters a dual portal. Now, the player faces many different spike pillars in three distinct spaces. Each pillar has two safe top and bottom spaces or only a safe middle space. The player must memorise where to go on each of the six pillars. Then, the section ends with a triple-speed memorisation segment. It features many slopes with D-blocks, but there are two spikes the player must avoid. Finally, the section fades to white.
- 52-58% (xStep47 + KWMS): As the screen fades out of white, the level speeds up to triple speed as this section begins. The first half of the part consists of the cube game-mode. There are many platforms the player must land on, but each platform moves at a different speed. Some move extremely slowly, but some are only on-screen for a split second. Not only are the platforms moving, but the orbs and portals are also in motion. The player must memorise which orbs to hit, portals to enter and which platforms to land on or jump off. Once the player passes the cube segment, they must pass a ship segment with the same concept. However, the player can travel inside the moving platforms to create more memorisation in this segment. If the player passes the ship segment, they transition to the next section, with the border decoration closing in.
- 58-64% (para + Th04): This section is nearly entirely in the UFO game-mode. There are a handful of real and fake structures to land on or throw off the player. In addition, the screen moves around a handful of times from the UFO portals dispersed throughout the section, and there are also invisible orbs, portals and pads the player needs to hit. This section is incredibly complex due to its fast pace, click patterns, and invisible objects. It concludes with a brief double-speed wave segment that requires little memory.
- 64-69% (Giron + Temp): Then, the song goes through a key change, and the level becomes somewhat more intense. The following section is entirely in the double-speed mini-cube game-mode, targeting nearly every aspect of gameplay. Structures are placed everywhere, each with a different shape and design. The player must know which orbs to hit throughout the section and where to jump. The section ends with five blue pads, transitioning the player into the next section. This part is unique in that it contains no moving objects.
- 69-74% (Surv + nyab): The following section contains many different game-modes at fast speeds. First, the player enters a brief robot section with a couple of jumps to switch gravity and then transitions into a mini-cube. Then, they must jump a few times and hit an orb before transitioning into a short ball segment. The ball segment contains many fake blocks and orbs; the player must remember where to click to avoid them. Afterwards, the level slows to double speed, and the player enters a cube segment. Here, the player must jump on platforms and hit a couple of orbs, but there are many fake blocks to memorise. The entire section ends with a brief triple-speed UFO segment.
- 74-82% (weoweoteo + pocke): The player hits a yellow orb and then enters a section similar to Betrayal of Fate's memory cube gameplay (which is weoweoteo's level), but it is a lot more confusing. It contains fake blocks that constantly move, mixed with real blocks and flashy decorations. There are triangles attached to form diamonds, continually flying at a diagonal velocity. The player passes through two platforms with pocke's and weoweoteo's names and enters the next part. It is an orb maze where the orbs constantly change types. During this maze, the player changes into the cube many times, and numerous decorative arrows point in different directions, making it even more confusing. After the maze, the player enters a simple asymmetrical ball dual, then changes to normal speed, then moves to quadruple speed with an auto blue pad part.
- 82-87% (Evasium + PokeChatt): As the level ramps up the intensity, the memory aspect of the level becomes considerably more complex. The player enters a double-speed cube section containing moving pillars, flying orbs and teleportation portals. Many of the decorations are fake. Then, the level slows to normal speed, and the cube becomes mini-sized. In the second half of this section, many tiny corridors are constantly moving up and down. The player must know when to jump. There are blocks with arrows on them that move in the direction to which the arrows point to throw off the player. After four seconds, the screen fades to black to set the stage for the final section of the level.
- 87-100% (crohn44 + MindCap): The LIMBO keys, the most famous section of the level. As the player navigates a simple triple-speed mini-wave part, eight keys, the correct one briefly pulsing green, appear to the right and shuffle their spots consecutively, similar to a cups and balls game. The correct key and the shuffle sequence are randomised with 128 possible combinations, meaning the key placements will be distinct in nearly every playthrough. For the first half of the section, the player must manoeuvre the wave through circular structures at the top and bottom. The background features numerous moving and rotating lines that align and pulse in the shape of a pentagram, ultimately forming an All-Seeing Eye. From the second half, the player must consistently spam between two rows of spikes, and the background flashes pictograms of each section in the level from the start to here. When passing 3/4 of the section, the player stops making new inputs as they hold into a D-block that hovers the icon above a spike, preventing them from pausing without dying as they continue tracking the keys. As the song ends, the keys form a circuit, and each key glows periodically, allowing the player to select one. The player can collect their targeted key by releasing the control as soon as that key pulses. Upon selecting a key, a fake end screen appears for a few seconds. Then, the player falls from the heights to the ground. If the player fails to collect the correct key, they will die from the row of spikes on the floor. Otherwise, they will float on the spikes and move over them, bringing the player to the end of the level as it fades to black.
Gameplay
First 10 victors
| Victor # | Player | Date Completed | Total Attempts | Furthest Fail | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verifier | BGram | 26 November 2022 | 109,490 | 90% | YouTube |
| 1 | ViperVenom95 | 9 December 2022 | ~13,028 | 97% | YouTube |
| 2 | skeebOwO | 9 December 2022 | ~35,000 | 90% | YouTube |
| 3 | Trick | 12 December 2022 | ~12,800 | 79% | YouTube |
| 4 | Xanii | 18 December 2022 | ~24,000 | ? | YouTube |
| 5 | Zoink | 20 December 2022 | ~5,000 | 97% | YouTube |
| 6 | Jif | 5 January 2023 | 40,976 | 66% | YouTube |
| 7 | azren | 21 January 2023 | 84,673 | 82% | YouTube |
| 8 | mcrawford001 | 3 February 2023 | ~43,500 | ? | YouTube |
| 9 | 12_Kelvin | 8 February 2023 | ? | 97% | YouTube |
| 10 | Zeekoid | 20 February 2023 | 34,852 | 89% | YouTube |
Trivia
- LIMBO previously had a password, 772002, which referred to MindCap's birthday, 7 July 2002.
- LIMBO was rated on 4 December 2022, receiving an Epic rating, and placed at #7 on the Demonlist on 1 January 2023, above poocubed and below Firework.
- This addition pushed Calamity into the Extended List and Photovoltaic II into the Legacy List.
- Although LIMBO was placed in 2023, it was still the last level on the Demonlist to be placed in 2022 due to the difference in time zones in other places.
- LIMBO and Collab Level, two MindCap levels, were rated on the same day.
- LIMBO was ranked #2 in GDToday's '100 Greatest Levels of All Time' list.
- LIMBO was nominated for and achieved Best Demon Megacollab in the Geometry Dash 2022 Awards.[5][6]
- LIMBO was the hardest Epic-rated level before being surpassed by KOCMOC.
- In Catholic theology, Limbo is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. It is the first layer of the Nine Circles of Hell.
- LIMBO brought back some old creators such as Evasium, weoweoteo, and Surv.
- Several parts were replaced.
- EndLevel used to have the gameplay for what became Findexi's part.
- Vlacc used to have the gameplay for what became Jeyzor's part.
- Prism used to have the gameplay for what became xStep47's part.[7]
- XLSpiral's decoration was replaced by SleyGD.
- GDSkele's part was replaced by KWMS.
- Toxic's part was replaced by para.
- Three players have a part to themselves: Pennutoh, Jeyzor and Vismuth.
- Xanii's reaction to beating the level, in which he repeatedly yelled the phrase 'It's blue!' (referring to the correct colour of the key at the end of the level), gained popularity across social media platforms, particularly TikTok.
- LIMBO was nicknamed 'Memory Titan' after one of MindCap's tweets garnered attention from the Twitter community. The tweet was about GDToday, one of the most-followed Geometry Dash news accounts on Twitter, and their potential reaction if BGram had died at 97% on the level, stating they would likely have dramatised the death with highfalutin vocabulary, as they usually do. MindCap's example was: 'BGram has fell victim to the ruthless 97 spikes at the end of the memory titan, LIMBO'.[8] The term's usage is rarer nowadays.
- Pennutoh made a joke video titled 'How hard is LIMBO?'[9] which shows the level's supposed end-screen.[10] However, MindCap stated on Twitter that it will not be used.
- DienID created an official end screen for LIMBO, which is shown in the LIMBO full showcase video. Unfortunately, the host discontinued it due to the high number of groups used, which could cause performance issues. The end screen featured a giant vortex in the centre with the letters L, I, M, B, and O, and a key revolving around it. The key itself also rotated.
- The anti-cheat system in MindCap's part was installed after he showcased his decorated part on YouTube, which initially did not have it. The reason is that people commented that they could pause the game and watch the replay.
- A column of fake spikes appears in the fourth quadrant of MindCap's part. When the player reaches the column, they must hold as the spikes become a D-block, which the player must then hold. There is a spike below the player, so they cannot release, even if they attempt to pause the game. The block and spike follow the player until the end of the song, when the player can choose the key (through the method mentioned in this page's 'Gameplay' section above), where the spike fades away.
- Failing to obtain any key in MindCap's part will kill the player. If Auto-Retry is disabled, a flashing screen with the words 'PICK THE KEY COWARD' and 'DON'T LET IT WIN' can be seen. The message is implied to be directed to the player character, the reincarnated scientist (coward) who was killed by EAM-17 (it). MindCap revealed the Easter egg on 8 January 2023.[11]
- MindCap hired Vepium to make an official 'Isolation' remix.[12]
- There was a 17-minute-long sequel to LIMBO called RETURN 0. It has since been cancelled, but MindCap stated it will be revived after he finishes ORBIT.
- LIMBO has many remakes by other creators, like HERCULANEUM, Broken Roulette, Abyss Switch, BIMBO, and Isolation.
- Mulpan made a level inspired by LIMBO, consisting of everything being orbs.
- LIMBO was set to be reverified by BGram to be possible on Update 2.2. BGram had since lost the bet, and there has not been much said about the reverification process since then.[15][16]
- LIMBO today is one of the most popular levels in Geometry Dash, with the Full Level Showcase video garnering over 27 million views.
- The key memorisation section at 87% is the most recognisable part of the level, and has spawned many memes and references in other games, such as Beat Saber.[17]
- MindCap stated that the part was made because he did not want to end the level with a triple spike or a straight-fly.
- The key memorisation section at 87% is the most recognisable part of the level, and has spawned many memes and references in other games, such as Beat Saber.[17]
- Since it used eight keys, there are 40,320 possibilities of combinations, regardless of the shuffle method (flip, mirror, swap, rotation, triangle, trapezoid, and other mods), which used factorial; despite this, the level only used 128 of 40,320 possible combinations.
- Initially, upon Technical uploading his completion of LIMBO, YouTube's URL link-generating system unintentionally caused the link to contain a racial slur in all caps. Technical has since unlisted the original video and reuploaded it.[18]
- The movement of BRITNEY NO SCLEARS on 28 September 2026 pushed LIMBO into the Extended List of the Demonlist.
Notable completions
- ViperVenom95 became the first victor of LIMBO on 8 December 2022, completing it after 13,028 attempts before being placed on the Demonlist.[19]
- LIMBO became the hardest level currently beaten on 144Hz, following LeslieDB's completion on 5 April 2023.[20]
- nemzie became the 100th victor of LIMBO on 26 May 2025.[21]
- The player Rylanmmb fluked LIMBO from 48%, giving him the world-record fluke on the level.[22]
Gallery
-
The full-level showcase doodle map, posted on MindCap's Twitter account. It served as a countdown to the full showcase, with individual parts lighting up each time the image was posted. This picture is the final, fully lit-up version.
Videos
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXYMbaMVOZg
- ↑ https://x.com/today_gd/status/1730369370155835695
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2lKmueKxQ
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0UJ9WHFOVY
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26bIEgoMR1s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmO9xmLnPXc
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxss_mGUtMQ
- ↑ https://x.com/MindCap/status/1525926210898956289
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xiv8cyy1qg&t=67s
- ↑ https://imgur.com/a/vTcyBer
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bFXnSSy1k
- ↑ https://x.com/MindCap/status/1459599205044039681
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyWaPc56UiQ
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSHIs1iXv64
- ↑ https://x.com/bgramdash/status/1770898689956917368
- ↑ https://x.com/bgramdash/status/1774862468738900450
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Me-RYVneM
- ↑ https://x.com/TechnicalJL/status/1775574739580277018
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDlPbel3lg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HKqUUySSrc
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOkhOPlu-Pg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA7BWbvPR1c