Playstation Plus Collection is an
ongoing series where I shall give my first impression of all of the games that
are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are
around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the
end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation
plus for that particular month.
The Binding of Isaac:
Rebirth. This is a 16 bit re-release of the 2011 game The Binding of Isaac, however, due to
the amount of changes that have been made to the original; this game can really
be seen as a sequel to that 2011 release. Having never played the original 2011
game, I can’t comment much on the any improvements or changes, only what I have
heard from elsewhere, and so I shall be looking at the game mostly in
isolation.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is what I would describe as a
dungeon crawler, akin to something that may have been available in your typical
American arcade in the 1980’s, and that is by no means a bad thing. The games
plot revolves around the simple idea of a mother who is trying to kill her son
after hearing the voice of God telling her to do so, and the son’s consequent hiding
in the basement. Nice. But, rather than having the gameplay focus literally on
this rather disturbing prospect, it transforms it into a metaphorical,
fantastical concept that suits the basis of a dungeon crawler.
You play as
Isaac, and each ‘level’ is a different floor that you must transverse fighting
off enemies that represent different things related to this dark concept, such
as: The seven deadly sins, faeces, and several other enemies of biblical, and
even sexual, origins. These enemies follow the typical standard of each having
a unique attack and taking varying amount of damage to kill. Once all the
floors have cleared, you finally fight ‘Mom’ and upon defeating her you are
given several different endings.
It is very
much like an arcade game as you never get the sense that you have ‘finished’
the game. Yes, there are a limited number of endings to the game, sixteen to be
precise, but with each new ‘run’ that you start you are present with levels
that are randomly generated with rooms of varying size and enemies. You will
never experience one floor the same, or one run the same for that matter. Items
within the game that give damage upgrades and varying other enhancements to
Isaac are known as trinkets, and there are a seemingly unending number of them.
One of the best things about these trinkets is that each new ability or upgrade
stacks on top of the previous, which can lead to, by the time you eventually
get to mom, looking so bizarre and having equally bizarre powers to match.
Furthermore, you have a selection of characters to choose from that have
different base stats to that of Isaac, whether that be more health, less
health, higher damage, it all adds a different challenge to the game.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is one of several 2D side scrolling
throwbacks to emerge within the past few years. It is a game that you could
seemingly sink hundreds of hours into, on the basis of starting a run, getting
quite far, dying, and then repeating the cycle. It really is a great indie
title that provides a fresh contrast to the AAA big budget releases, and as a
free game on Playstation plus, it’s a steal.
Conor M.
No comments:
Post a Comment