SELECT THE WORDS & LEVEL
Link cleared rooms of enemies, used bombs and keys, and picked up health in the form of hearts. But this is where the similarities end, and a huge number of objects enter the scene that change the appearance of the main character, as well as change the look and effect of his attack.
Edmund McMillen created a game in 2011 that tells the story of a child named Isaac who is being killed by his own mother. Fighting for his life, he tried to find refuge in a basement filled with monsters.
Like Super Meat Boy, also created by Edmund, this game is designed with players dying, making mistakes, and dying again until they learn and win. And the further they go, the more objects they open, and the more experienced they become. Due to its diversity, the game has gained a loyal fanbase. Several main groups of players have formed in it. They can be identified by the following features:
- Those who just enjoy the game Dispel magic 5e.
- Those who “break” the game, using game mechanics in such a way as to make their Isaac a walking terminator.
- Those who came for the sake of complexity and are willing to overcome challenges.
- Those who use or create mods, bringing the spirit of the fans into the game.
- Those who came because of the popularity and decided to stay.
- The original version was created in Adobe Flash, and the idea was for the creator to enjoy it. And although she was distinguished by a relatively low performance, supporting a limited number of monsters and projectiles in one room, even then she had all the makings of that madness that was embodied over time. The fanbase grew, the game couldn’t stand what the rule-beaters were doing with it, and it was time for development.
What’s the point
- Your task is extremely simple: to kill opponents, and not to let themselves be killed. You move across locations, fire at opponents, while avoiding retaliatory attacks. But then you enter a room with an object (say, a yellow drop), and pick it up. Isaac’s tears turn yellow, the attack speed is significantly increased, but the flight range is reduced, and you need to get closer to the enemies. The game played with new colors!
- The bomb exploded next to the wall, after which a secret passage was opened? At this point, you understand: this game is based on the “risk and reward” system. Should we sacrifice bombs to find secrets, or use them on enemies? Should you exchange your own health for an artifact in a deal with the devil, or rely on your own strength? Are you using your money and health on slot machines, expecting a plentiful win? But they can be saved for guaranteed items from the store! The sacrificial room requires a whole heart to pass (half if you can fly), but the reward may be worth it.
- And then it’s time to move on to a high level of difficulty. There will be fewer items, more opponents, but also the satisfaction from victory. The main thing to remember is that risk is not always rewarded.
Items
- At the very beginning, there were only 196 items. By the time Afterbirth +, there were lego piece 26047of them, and almost all of them were changing the pace of the game. And the player will not always understand what they are for. What to do with the hanger? Naturally, stick it in your head, and then the accuracy of Isaac’s attack will increase!
- Or you picked up an item called “Kamikaze”. It’s a rare case in this game when the name speaks for itself. Give up? If you pray well, you will get the Pyromaniac, which appears less frequently than the Kamikaze, and makes Isaac immune to explosions. Moreover, any damage from explosives now heals! With such a bundle, you will get an immortal character, imposingly destroying everything in its path.
- There are no useless items here if knowledge and luck are on your side! And all of these hundreds of combinations guarantee unique results with every run.
Characters to choose from
- Another feature of the game: all characters in the game are Isaac (even the mother of the demons Lilith, Jacob and Esau). And although the characteristics of the characters differ slightly from each other, this globally affects the gameplay. Let’s talk about some.
- For example, Isaac has an active item D6, which allows you to exchange items for more useful ones. Eve and Samson benefit from the damage on their own. Judas is a glass cannon, starting with only one heart, but having the highest damage.
Monsters
Those who need to be killed. Initially, one of the most dangerous opponents was spiders, who acted according to the principle, if I don’t know what I’m doing, then you don’t even know. With the updates, the behavior of monsters became more difficult, champion versions of bosses began to appear. These guys are thicker and leave extra dodges when they die. It is the characteristics of the opponents that add the need for adaptation. Some bosses are only vulnerable for a certain period of time. Some attack from underground, while others can fly, so they don’t care about ground damage like in What dinosaur has 500 teeth.
Repentance
Edmund admitted that thousands of people offered him their ideas for changing the game. Among the enthusiasts, he chose those who created a mod called Antibirth. Three years after the announcement, this mod has become a full-fledged DLC! Edmund confirmed that the creators perfectly understood what he wanted to do, and he only needed to tweak the Antibirth content a bit to make it canon. The game reverted to the grotesque style of the very first The Binding of Isaac.
Only if earlier the engine did not allow loading the game with a large number of effects, which is why in the next versions a lot of “superfluous” was removed, the atmosphere returned to Repentance. This is one of the rare occasions when the soul returns to the popular game! Now almost everything is animated here: blood is flowing from the walls, worms are swarming in the ground, the hearts that are being picked up began to beat.
Four new locations have been added. They represent an alternative to the main levels, but they also have more personality.
Diagnosis
Before making a choice, consider the pros and cons of The Binding of Isaac. The positive aspects of the game include responsive controls, the ability to surprise, great optimization and an atmospheric sandtrack.
But do not forget about the negative traits of Isaac. This game is very difficult like difficult person test and therefore not suitable for people with weak nerves. It is calculated on the fact that its mechanics will be thoroughly studied, this is not entertainment for one evening. It does not have long videos, an epic plot, dialogues, or the ability to imposingly walk around locations. You need to constantly act and make decisions, and this is very tiring. Also worth noting is the lack of official support for the Russian language. Although the description of the items here is meager, it gives a rough idea of their purpose.
