Game Column: The Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac has been a longtime favorite of mine - and the story behind the game dives deeper than anyone could expect from a simple dungeon crawler. No one could have anticipated the massive cult following to come out of the game, and the challenging crawl is something that will leave you playing over and over again. 

It's less of a story-orientated game than it may seem (with nothing more than an opening cutscene that describes the prologue to the events you play through, the rest is for the player to discover and piece together), and it makes usage of a simple flash game concept to create a highly infectious and replayable game that has never-ending combat and a randomized run system, meaning that the game never runs out of content. Every session of the game is different without fail, and it's a game that uses both strategy and luck to create a hugely difficult experience. 

THIS GAME CONTAINS HIGHLY DISTURBING CONTENT, WHICH WILL BE COVERED IN THIS REVIEW - THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW.

GAME RATING: 8.5/10

It's a highly disturbing game for something with such a simple art style, with the religious trauma based storyline being fronted by a 5-year-old titular protagonist, who ends up in a series of horrific basements fighting off demons after running to hide from his mother, who is engulphed in a massive religious psychosis that sends her after her son. 

Never has a game had such a sense of creativity, with the simple gameplay seeming normal on the outside before you unravel each individual piece of the puzzle. Each monster (including bosses) outlines a fear or traumatic event that Isaac has lived with; from religious trauma to health events, each element in the rooms relates to something within the protagonist's life. 

The Binding of Isaac is more simply put as a roguelike dungeon crawler game, with a very minimalist style and rate of play that makes it one of the most simple games I have ever played in terms of controls. It is available for both console and PC, but it is most commonly played as the Steam version - where there are numerous different versions of the game to choose from that add various different new items and remastered elements. 

Various items picked up throughout each run help to aid the player in their gameplay, and the indie game is a massive cult classic within the world of gamers, with the original release being over a decade ago (2011), the game still manages to have a highly active fanbase that continues to create fan works for the game; meaning that there is a massive amount of content outside of the game itself for fans to partake in. 

The game itself is highly controversial - as few pieces of media dare to showcase the dark sides of religion in such a confrontational manner, but the developers here took that risk and made one of the most important indie game achievements imaginable - the game struck big after coming from just two developers, and it manages to still feel fresh and relevant even over a decade later. 

Sometimes the most simple looking games hold the biggest impact, and The Binding of Isaac is just one of many titles you cannot miss out on playing. 

Pros:

• Endless gameplay - each run has new items, new layouts, and randomization; meaning that you can play forever and get something different each time. 
• Incredibly creative story 
• Huge amount of lore behind the game and it's characters - meaning that it is a game that can be extensively researched and written up about. 
• Simple controls and easy combat mechanics make the game quick and easy to pick up
• Great for casual or longer gaming sessions

Cons:

• Incredibly high difficulty with no selection for easier play 
• Low amount of health points, meaning that it's highly strategy based, while also being luck based simultaneously. 
• May get frustrating for some players due to a sense of high repetition