by Daniel Hodson
With a revamped soundtrack, updated graphics, and numerous new characters, enemies, bosses, and items, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is everything a re-release should be. It takes the dark and sad atmosphere of the original and amplifies it tenfold. It’s a perfect fit for anyone who loves two stick shooters or dungeon crawlers.
Not surprisingly, the story has remained unchanged. Your mother hears the voice of God telling her she needs to purify her son Isaac’s soul. Eventually this leads to her trying to kill him, acting as the premise for the game. You can unlock 17 different endings as you continue to play through the game and its epilogue. Regardless of whether or not you played the original version you are in for a surprise.
Since this version was not developed in Flash, many of the limitations of the original are either gone or expanded upon, and gameplay has been greatly improved. Transitions from room to room are much faster, along with everything else. In addition, certain items are more functional. There are lots of subtle additions that fans of the original are sure to appreciate. For instance, if you are fighting a boss that jumps on your screen, a ripple effect now appears when they land.
The way in which all the items synergize with one another has also been improved upon. In the original you would have only a few item combinations that worked well, but now almost all the items work with one another in some way. This doesn’t mean that you have an easier time with the game though. There are enough new enemies, room-generations, and enemy movement patterns to keep you alert. Seasoned Isaac players however won’t have too difficult of a time going through it initially. Just like the original though, the more you play, the harder it gets. By far though, one of the best tweaks to the game is keeping the secret room’s door open when you leave, after accessing it with a bomb.
There are new rooms and secrets with the most notable room additions being the reroll rooms and Inns. The secrets in this game have increased as well. As opposed to there being just secret rooms, you will have a chance to find secret passageways and trigger new events. Any fan of retro games is sure to love these. Throughout Rebirth, you will come across Easter eggs from games like Castlevania and Legend of Zelda.
Instead of a more rounded and basic visual design to everything, it is all styled like a title from the Super Nintendo era. It takes some time getting used to this change, but its increased smoothness is worth it.
There were a few problems I had with the game however. There is a new boss, that can spawn somewhere in the first two floors, which gives you more trouble than it should. Most of the times I fought it it either killed me or quickly drained my health. Some upgrades will help, but you don’t have many of them in the beginning levels. I also had a few instances when the game would freeze on me. It didn’t crash the game, but I did have to wait a few seconds for it to correct itself.
Anyone who enjoyed the original will love this one even more. Those who are new to the series now have an even better entry point. Despite its few problems, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a must-buy.
