Game Title: The Binding of Isaac
Genre: Action-adventure, Roguelike, RPG, Indie
Distributors: Retail MergeGames, Digital: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Designers: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
This crazy looking indie game is a 2D action adventure game based off of the bible story of the same name. You play as Isaac, or another of the 5 unlock-able characters available, in your journey to explore the dungeons located in Mom’s basement and escape. The reason for you being down there in the first place is as follows:
Living happily at home, enjoying life, Isaac sat playing with his toys while his mom was sat watching Christian broadcasts on the telly; but suddenly, she hears the voice of God. God tells her that her son has sinned and must be punished. Heeding God’s word she took away Isaac’s toys and clothes. Not enough, God told Mom that he must be removed from all that was evil in the world and so she locked Isaac in his room. Still not enough proof of Mom’s loyalty to God, she was ordered to sacrifice Isaac; however, Isaac heard this conversation through a crack in his door and panicked. He desperately looked for a way out of his room and finds a trapdoor underneath his rug. Mom, having burst through the door with a butcher’s knife in hand, left Isaac with only two choices: be killed or jump down the trapdoor. And so Isaac’s adventure begins…
Isaac start off with only a bomb and his tears as ammo as he explores the randomly generated dungeon in search for the boss room, which will let him progress to the next floor and one step closer to the final showdown against Mom! Along the way there are golden doored rooms which give Isaac a new power or item to help defeat the hideous creatures that lurk in the rooms ahead. These rooms can range from normal mobs, arenas, arcades, mini-bosses (which I love as they are all named after the 7 sins) and of course the boss room.
There is a whopping 131 items to be found throughout the game which gives it much re-playabililty and it won’t get boring with all the random mayhem you’ll encounter. You’ll also want to keep replaying the game for two other reasons: the numerous different bosses and to see all of the 11 different ending cinematics.
The game is available for Mac, Windows and Linux and can be purchased via Steam at the following link: binding of isaac.com and all for the low low price of £3.99. The game also has an expansion planned for later on in the year, entitled ‘Wrath of the Lamb’, which will increase the total amount of items to 185 (205 including trinkets).
Gameplay
– Addictive game play that can be enjoyed in both short burst of play and long grinds to try and get all those achievements.
– Lots of puzzle elements and different monster AI that will keep you on your toes and your attention glued to the screen.
– Some elements can be a little disturbing though, such as the fact that Isaac’s ammo consists of tears, spit and urine.
Graphics
– Nicely fluid animations.
– Dark colours allow you to keep the horror to your own imagination.
– Monsters are cartoony yet still horrifying.
Sound
– Retro styled sounds fit great with the game
– Soundtrack during the cut scenes really add to the emotion of the story
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
