Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a game that makes you ask more questions than it answers. At its heart, it's a top down dungeon crawler, and if you don't pay any attention it could pass off as any generic dungeon crawler. But after an hour or so, you start to ask yourself: "Why am I killing things by crying at them? Why am I some weird foetus thing?".
For those who like to delve deep into the story, there is plenty of backstory that answers those two questions, but the answer just creates more and more questions. Rather than put you off, however, it's intriguing.
It's a good job too, because once you start to scratch beneath the surface, this is a fantastically addictive game. There's a plethora of items to help you cut through the different enemies that appear along the way down the floors, which lead down into the 'womb' once you kill 'Mom'. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The more you play the game the more you unlock, which is more than enough to keep you playing. There are 11 different characters, with some being an incredible challenge. The final character cannot take a hit without dying, which believe you me, is near impossible to complete. There are some really interesting items which work with or against each other to create some unique effects and using all the different items keeps the game fresh and keeps that 'one-more-go' feeling going.
As mentioned, you have to kill these enemies, of which spiders and flies are the most common, by crying at them. It's a unique twist on an old formula and Binding of Isaac: Rebirth makes everything work. It's addictive, it's fun and it's very well made, especially given it's an indie game and it costs under £10.
It isn't a game for everyone, as it takes a short while to get into and it's a bit different to everything on the market. There will be people who find the style and disturbing, rather than charming, as there are plenty of quite dark references. Having said that, it's hard to find faults in the game. It's technically tight, has a charming graphical style and has a deceptive level of depth.
Gameplay: 87%
Graphics: 81%
Lifespan: 79%
Innovation: 80%
Accessibility: 70%
Overall: 86% - An enjoyable, unique experience that comes at a small cost.
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Darksiders II Review
Think of the coolest, most badass video game character you can.
Batman? Sam Fisher? Solid Snake?
They may be cool, but they're not the literal incarnation of Death.
That's right - in Darksiders II you play as Death, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Armed with a scythe or two and some heavier weapons, Death aims to revive humanity.
Yeah, revive it.
Apparently Death's brother, War, has wiped out humanity. Death is having none of it, and instead tries to resurrect humanity to wipe out War's crime. Death ends up doing loads of errands for lots of shady sounding people to get to the Tree of Life.
Everything in the game has a name which could easily belong to a teenage metal band. The Tree of Life, the Well of Souls or the Ivory Citadel, for example. Even the characters have overly exaggerated names. The Bone King and the Crowfather both appear along your path. It's pretty irrelevant but it made me chuckle.
The important part is the gameplay. Anybody who has played a Zelda game will feel at home immediately. It's instantly familiar but never boring, which is obviously enjoyable. It's based on puzzle solving and combat, but rather than having a sword-wielding elf Darksiders II chooses the coolest goddamn protagonist ever, a scythe-wielding horseman.
The puzzles within the game are fun and rewarding. They're not hugely difficult and Portal 2 it ain't, but it requires a bit of clever thought and some time investment. Though I mentioned that it isn't Portal 2, there is a point where you obtain a skill which basically replicates a portal gun, but that's quite late on.
Combat wise, the game comes into it's own. Mixing spells with strikes is common ground for any RPG player, but what it lacks in innovation it makes up for in substance. Death feels like a true badass, ripping through smaller enemies with fast paced scythes and powerful hammers and swords. You collect weapons as you go along from chests and enemies (sound familiar?) which have different strengths and effects (Hmmm. Definitely seen this before.). There are an array of secondary weapons should you not want to mash people with your scythes. These range from slow-paced, powerful hammers to fast paced bucklers. Choosing this weapon depends on your style of fighting and your enemies.
There are an array of spells that you can unlock and improve as you level up. These are fairly useful against smaller enemies but against bigger enemies they are invaluable. The bosses you fight along the way often require different methods to kill, which is similar to a Zelda game (shock) and they're a challenge. Fun, but a challenge.
Darksiders II is an extremely fun game, even if it borrows a lot of it's ideas from elsewhere. It's dark and brooding but at it's heart it's essentially Zelda. Combat is slick and fun but it's nothing mindblowing.
I would recommend playing Darksiders II as it's very fun to play. It won't knock your socks off, it might not even surprise you, but it's still a terrifically well made game with some clever little quirks.
82%
Batman? Sam Fisher? Solid Snake?
They may be cool, but they're not the literal incarnation of Death.
That's right - in Darksiders II you play as Death, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Armed with a scythe or two and some heavier weapons, Death aims to revive humanity.
Yeah, revive it.
Apparently Death's brother, War, has wiped out humanity. Death is having none of it, and instead tries to resurrect humanity to wipe out War's crime. Death ends up doing loads of errands for lots of shady sounding people to get to the Tree of Life.
Everything in the game has a name which could easily belong to a teenage metal band. The Tree of Life, the Well of Souls or the Ivory Citadel, for example. Even the characters have overly exaggerated names. The Bone King and the Crowfather both appear along your path. It's pretty irrelevant but it made me chuckle.
The important part is the gameplay. Anybody who has played a Zelda game will feel at home immediately. It's instantly familiar but never boring, which is obviously enjoyable. It's based on puzzle solving and combat, but rather than having a sword-wielding elf Darksiders II chooses the coolest goddamn protagonist ever, a scythe-wielding horseman.
The puzzles within the game are fun and rewarding. They're not hugely difficult and Portal 2 it ain't, but it requires a bit of clever thought and some time investment. Though I mentioned that it isn't Portal 2, there is a point where you obtain a skill which basically replicates a portal gun, but that's quite late on.
Combat wise, the game comes into it's own. Mixing spells with strikes is common ground for any RPG player, but what it lacks in innovation it makes up for in substance. Death feels like a true badass, ripping through smaller enemies with fast paced scythes and powerful hammers and swords. You collect weapons as you go along from chests and enemies (sound familiar?) which have different strengths and effects (Hmmm. Definitely seen this before.). There are an array of secondary weapons should you not want to mash people with your scythes. These range from slow-paced, powerful hammers to fast paced bucklers. Choosing this weapon depends on your style of fighting and your enemies.
There are an array of spells that you can unlock and improve as you level up. These are fairly useful against smaller enemies but against bigger enemies they are invaluable. The bosses you fight along the way often require different methods to kill, which is similar to a Zelda game (shock) and they're a challenge. Fun, but a challenge.
Darksiders II is an extremely fun game, even if it borrows a lot of it's ideas from elsewhere. It's dark and brooding but at it's heart it's essentially Zelda. Combat is slick and fun but it's nothing mindblowing.
I would recommend playing Darksiders II as it's very fun to play. It won't knock your socks off, it might not even surprise you, but it's still a terrifically well made game with some clever little quirks.
82%
Saturday, 1 March 2014
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ PRAISE HELIX ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
There are many religions throughout the world. Many have their own deities, prophets and rules. However, new religions aren't just started up spontaneously in a matter of days... right?
Just ask the 35 MILLION people who have been watching the famous TwitchPlaysPokemon stream that has been taking the internet by storm. Over there, there is only one god - the Lord Helix.
What started out as an in-joke between a few people has started to transcend the stream and even into the real world. The Helix Fossil is an in-game item, which in the heat of the chaotic battles often got accidentally clicked on. Players started referring this to as 'consulting the Helix' which kept escalating until we were hailing it. Our Lord.
For those of you who don't know, TwitchPlaysPokemon was a social experiment to see if everyone on Twitch could play a game of Pokemon Red. Their inputs were collected through the chat, which with thousands of people playing was just as chaotic as expected.
But what is truly amazing is that it worked. Through luck, or co-operation, the numerous challenges were fought through. On the morning of 1st March, Red finally defeated Blue, in a battle of the ages. It serves as a reminder that strangers over the Internet are capable of fantastic things.
There are so many references and jokes that have come out of it, that it's a shame to see it finish. These have become almost mainstream - it's strange to find someone who doesn't know who 'Bird Jesus' is (ok, maybe not). Those who started watching at the first day of the excruciating 16 day excursion will be left with a Helix shaped hole in the heart, but it was fun while it lasted.
It wasn't all easy - there were plenty of hiccups along the way. A day referred to as Bloody Sunday, for example, where fan favourites Dux and xCabbage, to name a few, were released. This was, apparently, an act of the Dome Fossil sabotaging our plans, the Satan to our Lord Helix. The 'false prophet' Flareon was also involved in this. The Rocket Base, which took a whole day to complete, as there was a puzzle that was impossible without the dreaded democracy.
Those of you who watched it had a great time, and it is a true shame to see it finish. It proves that with a little direction, 40,000+ strangers can work together to complete a game.
Just ask the 35 MILLION people who have been watching the famous TwitchPlaysPokemon stream that has been taking the internet by storm. Over there, there is only one god - the Lord Helix.
What started out as an in-joke between a few people has started to transcend the stream and even into the real world. The Helix Fossil is an in-game item, which in the heat of the chaotic battles often got accidentally clicked on. Players started referring this to as 'consulting the Helix' which kept escalating until we were hailing it. Our Lord.
For those of you who don't know, TwitchPlaysPokemon was a social experiment to see if everyone on Twitch could play a game of Pokemon Red. Their inputs were collected through the chat, which with thousands of people playing was just as chaotic as expected.
But what is truly amazing is that it worked. Through luck, or co-operation, the numerous challenges were fought through. On the morning of 1st March, Red finally defeated Blue, in a battle of the ages. It serves as a reminder that strangers over the Internet are capable of fantastic things.
There are so many references and jokes that have come out of it, that it's a shame to see it finish. These have become almost mainstream - it's strange to find someone who doesn't know who 'Bird Jesus' is (ok, maybe not). Those who started watching at the first day of the excruciating 16 day excursion will be left with a Helix shaped hole in the heart, but it was fun while it lasted.
It wasn't all easy - there were plenty of hiccups along the way. A day referred to as Bloody Sunday, for example, where fan favourites Dux and xCabbage, to name a few, were released. This was, apparently, an act of the Dome Fossil sabotaging our plans, the Satan to our Lord Helix. The 'false prophet' Flareon was also involved in this. The Rocket Base, which took a whole day to complete, as there was a puzzle that was impossible without the dreaded democracy.
Those of you who watched it had a great time, and it is a true shame to see it finish. It proves that with a little direction, 40,000+ strangers can work together to complete a game.
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