So here to start things off on the right foot for Indie game month is a game that I have talked about countless times, and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't talk about it more, especially with how big of a fanbase it has created.
The Binding of Isaac
Feel free by all means to get upset with me by constantly talking about this game, but when there's a game out there that has found as much great success as this series of games has found, you can't help but talk about it. Yes, The Binding of Isaac and all it's DLC's, and even mods, have been nothing short of amazing. When you hear the term "roguelike", instantly you think about The Binding of Isaac. The original man behind the idea, Edmund McMillen, really found something special and went for it, with the original game, that is. The original Binding of Isaac, even with some of it's glitches and faults is still one of the funnest experiences I've had with a game that came out of almost nowhere, I mean...just look at that art:
But as we all know, the hype has to die down at some point, which in fact it did. In it's defense, a lot of people clinged onto this game like nobody's business, like seriously. Once it's release was known, Youtube was filled with videos of the game and the commentators were giving it consistently great reviews saying how great the gameplay mechanics worked, the synergies of different items you can find, and just how difficult the game can be all based on RNG. Truly a remarkable way to start a series of games that continued to find success. Speaking of which, you know it has a successor, right? Of course you do, and i'm speaking nothing other than...
Yes, I am speaking of
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. It's not every day that you find a true gem like this game right here. First of all, yes, it is the successor to the original Binding of Isaac, and the original developer, Edmund McMillen handed over the rights to Nicalis. Now i'm sure you're thinking what i'm thinking, or was thinking at the time: "great, a new developer, the series is ruined." Well, that proved to not be true when the game was released. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ended up being ten, maybe a hundred times better than the original release, and that's not an easy task to do considering the amount of hype this new release had, on top the enormous fanbase that the original had created. Everybody, and I mean
everybody had higher than high hopes for this game and it exceeded all expectations. This game brought new synergies that you wished were in the original, on top of an entirely new graphic design, and the gameplay is so much smoother and less glitchy than it's original, but that's more the fault of the original being made through flash. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, much like the original has consistently brought in new fans, old and young, and continues to do so, and I don't think i've heard one single person say a single bad thing about this game, maybe a few people here and there talk of it's difficulty level, but again, that's all to do with RNG, and maybe some skill. I mean, if you lose all your health to something that can die in two hits, maybe that's more your fault than the games fault, amiright?
In all seriousness though, I just wanted to start this month off by talking about this game because it really is what people say it is, maybe even more. There's a reason people talk about this series and there's a reason it has done so well for such a long time. It's fantastic. I urge you to pick it up if I have convinced you with my constant, and I mean constant discussion of this game. Did I mention they both have fantastic soundtracks? Well, i'll talk about that sometime this month too, because why not?
Anyway, welcome to Indie Dev month, and strap yourselves in, there's much more to come. But while you're waiting, why not pick up The Binding of Isaac and spend your weekend doing something fun.