The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Pros

• Tons of Content
• Improved Physics Engine
• Plethora of New Secrets
• Extremely Addictive
• Very Difficult

Cons

• Almost Too Difficult
• Fixed Screen Resolution

The original game entitled The Binding of Isaac was a revolutionary dungeon crawler with an engaging yet morbid premise, and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is an improvement upon the original in many ways.

Like the classic dungeon crawlers that came before this game, including The Legend of Zelda, this game is a role-playing game where the player controls a single character trying to survive in a world of danger. In this game, the world of danger is your mother's basement, and she has locked you down there because God has instructed her to sacrifice you to him. This familiar biblical reference details the entire premise of the game, and it goes to show that this game isn't meant for younger players.

You play as Isaac in a 2D dungeon world, but this game is unique in that every level of the dungeon is generated at random. That means the game will never be the same twice, and the path through the game changes ever so slightly with each play-through. The basement is filled with danger around ever corner in the form of grotesque monsters with dangerous teeth and claws. Isaac must escape the basement by using anything at his disposal, and the game gives the player plenty of opportunities to collect or buy items.

The same addictive nature of the original game still persists in this updated version. The original game ran on a Flash-based game engine, but the new game engine is much more advanced and can handle hundreds more items, characters, and rooms. Players must use trial and error to move through the levels since death is a frequent aspect of the game, but as the player learns more about the environment, the levels will slowly become easier.

The new game engine is the main reason why the game is such an improvement over the original. The first Flash engine was limited in scale, but the new engine provides much more playability. Even the developer went so far as to say that the original game was something of a disappointment to himself, but this remake is exactly what was originally envisioned.

Players will now have the option of a co-op mode for those who enjoy multiplayer gaming, and there are a total of ten characters to play with. An additional 100 new enemies roam the basement, and there are 20 challenge levels as well as 50 boss battles. That's a lot to complete before Isaac can escape the clutches of his mother's basement.

Visually, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a gorgeous game with highly advanced graphics. This updated version is much darker than the original, which helps draw attention to the mature themes. Players who love dungeon crawlers and complicated gameplay will adore this updated version.

Pros

• Tons of Content
• Improved Physics Engine
• Plethora of New Secrets
• Extremely Addictive
• Very Difficult

Cons

• Almost Too Difficult
• Fixed Screen Resolution