{"id":75417,"date":"2022-01-15T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/18.134.249.59\/?p=75417"},"modified":"2022-01-17T10:15:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T10:15:53","slug":"the-binding-of-isaac-repentance-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/the-binding-of-isaac-repentance-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Binding of Isaac Repentance is a fitting end to an iconic roguelike"},"content":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s been several years since the last large DLC pack for Nicalis\u2019 legendary roguelike, The Binding of Isaac<\/i>. Nonetheless, our persecuted hero is back for more in The Binding of Isaac: Repentance, <\/i>which is without doubt one of the biggest drops the series has seen. There\u2019s a lot of content here and I doubt I\u2019ll get through it all, but one thing is clear \u2014 if this is the last DLC we see, then Repentance <\/i>is a huge way for the series to go out.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

For those who don\u2019t know it, <\/span>The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i><\/a>is a macabre roguelike in which the player takes on the role of the titular Isaac (initially, at least) and must work their way through a series of rooms and floors as they seek to escape Isaac\u2019s mothers basement (in which he has been imprisoned \u2014 don\u2019t ask!) To do this, they will fight a variety of grim enemies beginning with living turds, other abandoned children and God knows what else by shooting Isaac\u2019s tears using a twin-stick style.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i>has always had a questionable theme, and basically everything here has either religious, abusive or filth based connotations. Personally, I am not religious and therefore not bothered \u2014 but if you feel that what I am writing here sounds disgusting, then you should almost certainly check out some videos of the game in action before you drop fifty quid on it and risk being repulsed before you even begin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting on with the review, <\/span>The Binding of Isaac: Repentance <\/span><\/i>is a big one. The press-sheet that comes with this kind of release is so dense that it\u2019s a task even to read it. In short, it has something like 150-odd new items, two new characters (there\u2019s more to this than that, but I won\u2019t spoil anything), a couple of new endings, a new alternate path, a load of new bosses, a ton of new enemies \u2014 etc etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After this, we get into subtleties. The kind of subtleties that only a seasoned <\/span>The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i>player will really be able to dig into. You see, <\/span>The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i>is very, very random \u2014 so when you start each new playthrough you will see a new set of rooms, a new set of enemies and as you progress, you\u2019ll access random items \u2014 which rarely come with an explanation, and only sometimes obviously reveal their secrets.<\/span><\/p>\n

What this means is that only through hundreds and hundreds of plays will you see it all, and that\u2019s a bit of a problem for a reviewer. In the earlier releases, the trick was always (of course) to play the game on the hardest mode you had access to, then seek out one of several God-builds that effectively made Isaac close to undefeatable. This would be achieved by seeking out the best attack upgrades, items and buffs to give him an edge.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

In <\/span>The Binding of Isaac<\/a>: Repentance <\/span><\/i>these builds have been debuffed slightly, whilst enemies have been tweaked to be more difficult in turn \u2014 which for a returning player will either be great or frustrating, because you\u2019ll have to relearn the games or, erm, you\u2019ll rage quit because your old tactics no longer work. For new players, these balancing changes are neither here nor there really, and whilst I\u2019ve played <\/span>The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i>over the years, I can\u2019t remember enough of it to count myself as an expert.<\/span><\/p>\n

So with that said, I expect I will be playing <\/span>The Binding of Isaac: Repentance <\/span><\/i>in much the same way as you would, if you were to dive in now. So my experiences as described here will hopefully reflect that of the average player \u2014 rather than someone who is deep into Isaac and has very likely already bought and played this DLC extensively, and will likely be shaking their head at everything I write.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The first thing to note about <\/span>The Binding of Isaac: Repentance <\/span><\/i>is that it doesn\u2019t change the fundamentals of what <\/span>The Binding of Isaac <\/span><\/i>is about. If you\u2019ve ever dived into this game and felt frustrated at the speed in which you die, the randomness of the upgrades and how unfair it all is \u2014 then that\u2019s all still true. As I mentioned earlier, if anything <\/span>The Binding of Isaac: Repentance <\/span><\/i>is designed more to help experienced players get a tougher experience, rather than new players to have a better one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, if you soldier on, you\u2019ll start to pick up items that carry from one playthrough to the next, and you may unlock new characters, see new areas and learn new strategies. None of that means that you might not spawn a dungeon which is simply unfair or impossible (a cursed door into a cursed chest then back out through the cursed door, for example) but it does mean you\u2019ll be prepared for it and\/or willing to just shake that run off and try another one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

And I think that\u2019s where <\/span>The Binding of Isaac: Repentance <\/span><\/i>shows its real strength. The number of items, rooms, enemies and characters in this version is now so vast, and the experience so well-trodden and refined that you really can play this game <\/span>forever <\/span><\/i>if you choose to. I don\u2019t know how many runs it would take to see everything and in every meaningful combination, but it really would be thousands and thousands. If you enjoy the gameplay, then that\u2019s tremendous value even if the fifty quid price tag might not seem like it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is available on Steam, Xbox One Series X<\/a> and PlayStation 5<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n