As a game, The Binding of Isaac makes for a very interesting blend of genres- combining the original Legend of Zelda with roguelike elements, bullet hell type sections with drips and drops of Tim Burton and Francis Bacon added in for good measure. With such a bizarre combination, you'd expect Rebirth to be a dud or a confused mess... but oddly enough all those elements are meshed together so seamlessly and for a truly wicked and addictive experience.
You play as Isaac (Kinda, there are plenty of other characters you can pick but all are essentially 'Isaac' anyway), suffering under the hand of a fanatical psychopathic mother. She hears the voice of God commanding her to destroy you, and out of desperation you flee to the basement of the house for sanctuary.... only to find it littered with even more monsters, pathways to Hell and Heaven, and all manner of other bizarre things. The game is a little stingy when it comes to plot, and similar to Hotline Miami it leaves breadcrumbs rather than solid slices of story. You decide how much you want to know about events, and much of your understanding is your interpretation of things.
Gameplay, is of course, the main draw. Throughout the game Isaac can pick up various power-ups and buffs that can alter both your appearance and ability, and as you can get at least two per floor you could wind up looking like Nurgle's pimple by the halfway point. As each floor is randonly generated, each playthrough does feel unique and gives a lot of incentive to replay. Outside of constant deaths anyway. I feel I should say this, and I know it sounds really petty, but game if you're going to insist on squashing me frequently then you could at least let me restart instantly like Hotline Miami does. I know it's only a few seconds of waiting, but plenty of bile can stew in that waiting period.
I suppose my main criticism though is that same randomness, as a good deal of difficulty can depend on how good/crappy your luck is. While skill of course plays it's part, many losses are likely to be attributed to the game giving you items that seem to exist solely to hinder you.
Oh well, that aside it's definitely worth it's minuscule price and makes for a tough but fun experience.
Rebirth: Dark, Depraved and Addictive.
As a game, The Binding of Isaac makes for a very interesting blend of genres- combining the original Legend of Zelda with roguelike elements, bullet hell type sections with drips and drops of Tim Burton and Francis Bacon added in for good measure. With such a bizarre combination, you'd expect Rebirth to be a dud or a confused mess... but oddly enough all those elements are meshed together so seamlessly and for a truly wicked and addictive experience.
You play as Isaac (Kinda, there are plenty of other characters you can pick but all are essentially 'Isaac' anyway), suffering under the hand of a fanatical psychopathic mother. She hears the voice of God commanding her to destroy you, and out of desperation you flee to the basement of the house for sanctuary.... only to find it littered with even more monsters, pathways to Hell and Heaven, and all manner of other bizarre things. The game is a little stingy when it comes to plot, and similar to Hotline Miami it leaves breadcrumbs rather than solid slices of story. You decide how much you want to know about events, and much of your understanding is your interpretation of things.
Gameplay, is of course, the main draw. Throughout the game Isaac can pick up various power-ups and buffs that can alter both your appearance and ability, and as you can get at least two per floor you could wind up looking like Nurgle's pimple by the halfway point. As each floor is randonly generated, each playthrough does feel unique and gives a lot of incentive to replay. Outside of constant deaths anyway. I feel I should say this, and I know it sounds really petty, but game if you're going to insist on squashing me frequently then you could at least let me restart instantly like Hotline Miami does. I know it's only a few seconds of waiting, but plenty of bile can stew in that waiting period.
I suppose my main criticism though is that same randomness, as a good deal of difficulty can depend on how good/crappy your luck is. While skill of course plays it's part, many losses are likely to be attributed to the game giving you items that seem to exist solely to hinder you.
Oh well, that aside it's definitely worth it's minuscule price and makes for a tough but fun experience.