Topic: The Binding of Isaac

[sirean_syan]

Strange rogue-like from one of the Team Meat dudes.

I've been tinkering with it for the past hour and it's kinda cool. Think something that plays a bit like the original Zelda and a bit like Smash TV, but with the fucked up sensibilities of Gish and the Super Meat Boy cutscenes and you've got the general idea.

For $5 it's worth a look.

[Quemaqua]

I saw that and wondered... but hard for me to make the leap on anything, these days.

[W7RE]

So I finally had time to get in a few games of this. I haven't made it past floor 3 yet haha. There's tons of items. Some are usable, some give you upgrades, some are cosmetic, and I think some don't do anything.

play 1: I got a wire coat hanger, which ended up stuck through my head. I also picked up a needle called "the virus" which gave boils and made me look sickly.
play 2: I got a needle that gave me "roid rage", which made me permanently move faster for the rest of the game.
play 3: I got "technology", which gave me an electronic eye that shoots lasers instead of tears. I also got roid rage and something called "boom" that put a fuse coming out of my head like a bomb.



EDIT - A little more detail on how the game plays:
you use WASD to move, and the arrow keys to shoot in the 4 cardinal directions. Each floor of the basement has several rooms, each room is one screen (no scrolling), and the number of rooms and arrangement of them is randomized. You can drop bombs to blow up rocks that block off items, but they're limited so you can't always get everything. You also collect keys to open doors and chests, and coins to spend at item shops.

[sirean_syan]

Every item does something, which is half the fun since the game has a boatload of items. That coat hanger, for example, makes you shoot tears faster and that virus give you poison touch.

I've put several hours into the game now and I'm convinced it's awesome. It's fucked up to boot (there really is no other way to put it).

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, there's no other way to put it. I bought it yesterday during a total inability to write and edit anything, and I don't regret it. Easy to spend just a little time with and it's completely crazy but also a good game in its own right.

Only problem? Horrendous fucking slowdown, and apparently this is all over the place. People are really complaining, and I can see why. I almost beat the game my first try because halfway through every room it would slow to a crawl and make it almost impossible to lose. Sometimes this became an issue, but mostly it made things easier. I'd still have been fucked if I hadn't traded 2 hearts for 9 lives (I love the dead cat), but jeez. It's pretty fucking bad. I upgraded Flash and whatever, and it helped a tiny bit it seems, but not nearly enough.

[sirean_syan]

Huh. I've had a little bit of slowdown, but only while several bombs are going off or if I'm doing a lot of high speed shooting in rooms with more than six or seven enemies jumping around It never lasted for more than a few frames though. I hadn't looked at any boards so I didn't know this was a problem. That sucks and I'd guess it won't be fixed.

Oh, some advice for anyone looking into the game: get a duel analog gamepad working. It doesn't take too much effort with Joy 2 Key to get the 360 controller going and it's that much better with it.

[Quemaqua]

It's totally fine with keyboard if you're used to it, too. I've been using the default WASD+arrows without issue.

Played a couple more games and the game is definitely awesome. My laptop may be to blame for the severity of the slowdown, but it's still weird for something so lo-fi. The Flash upgrade does seem to have helped, though. It doesn't seem nearly as bad now as it was the first time I loaded it up. The last game I played went all the way to the very end, and while there was some slowdown and speedup (the latter being the more aggravating, like the game was trying to catch up to itself), it wasn't enough to ruin the experience or make me too angry. The game itself is just great fun. It's almost strange that things are so weird and dark and grotesque, because the game itself is just gleeful fun, and the items are hilarious and awesome. This is definitely worth the money, problems aside.

[W7RE]

Oh, some advice for anyone looking into the game: get a duel analog gamepad working. It doesn't take too much effort with Joy 2 Key to get the 360 controller going and it's that much better with it.

I'm actually finding the face buttons better for shooting, since the game just have 4 shoot buttons instead of omnidirectional shots.

Am I the only one who's still yet to make it past cave level 2? I keep doing better and better the more I play and the more items I come across, but I've still yet to see the end of the game. I found a dollar bill a few games ago, which unlocked the playable character Cain. He's got less HP, but is faster and I think does more damage. He also starts off with a lucky foot to increase luck, which I think makes more/better items drop. I've been doing a bit better with him.

[Quemaqua]

I've gotten all the way to the end twice out of the three games I've played. Both times I had the 9 lives cat. I find I generally sacrifice health for power. I spend those hearts at the devil shrines like no tomorrow.

[Quemaqua]

First victory! Apparently there must be multiple endings. And I'm sort of not clear on a couple things that appear to have unlocked? Something about harbingers and something about mom, it moved by so fast I barely caught it.

Pretty epic, though. I had so many upgrades by the time I got to the end, I was kicking serious ass. I had multiple damage and tear ups, plus brother bobby, so I was sending out a sick stream of death, and I had a bunch of hearts and like 18 bombs. Even with all that the last fight was no slouch. I won't spoil it for those who haven't gotten there yet.

Anyway, looks like there's a good deal more reason to keep playing. Great buy, I'm glad I snagged this. It doesn't require a huge time investment but gives you the satisfaction of exploration and increased power. Plus it's just twisted as fuck.

[sirean_syan]

I've managed to get two mom kills under my belt so far. Best I can tell, the game increases in difficulty with each victory (and gets longer with the first). I've gotten close to finishing it a third time, but the last areas are just rough unless you get totally pumped up, and even if you are.

[Quemaqua]

Hmm. I didn't get a mom kill, so I guess the first one doesn't count as the real deal. Which makes sense, given the epilogue. Must play again!

EDIT - So glad I did. Best run ever. Fully upgraded laser, shitload of hearts, raped everything that moved. Couple rough spots but I also found the dollar bill and got 99 coins, raped an arcade and got some good stuff from a couple charity dudes. Awesome. Tore through the final battle and managed to unlock every character in a single run. Woo!

This game is so great.

[idolminds]

I need more practice but now that I set up my controller Im having an easier time with it. Its a lot of fun and messed up.

[idolminds]

Halloween update

-Added chapter 5 (unlocked after 10 mom kills)
-Added 3+ new bosses
-Added 4 new enemies
-Added 20+ new items
-Added one new unlockable character (Eve)
-Added one new “FINAL” ending.
-Added 6+ new achievements
-Added 2 new music tracks
-Added updated collection viewer
-Added 4 new tarot cards (finishing the major arcana)

[sirean_syan]

Well hell. I thought I was done with the game. A couple of weeks ago I got my tenth or so mom kill and was only missing a few items.

This is a good thing.

[Quemaqua]

Holy crap. I wish I had the time to play it.

[gpw11]

Man, I suck at this game.  I've probably played 20 times and only gotten to Mother once. 

[sirean_syan]

You know, I think this might have been my favorite game that I've played since the beginning of summer or so and maybe before then. Steam says I've put something like 50 hours into it and while I think it's high (I leave games running a lot), I've probably put in about 30-40 hours. For what the game supposedly is (a complete budget title), it's got loads of detail and nuance that I only came to appreciate after a few games.

Man, I suck at this game.  I've probably played 20 times and only gotten to Mother once. 

For me, the trick was to learn how to make the most of the first levels when keys, bombs, and money might be slim. The best thing to learn is where hidden rooms tend to be so that you can find that one extra bit which may net an additional item.

[gpw11]

Yeah, good call.  I find that I'm doing better with Cain unlocked, as long as I don't do stupid shit and die on the first two levels (damn you, lower health rating)...which always seems to happen when I have the best loot on those levels. It's almost just like a combination of poor risk management and a few runs with very bad item drops (and I checked again,30 something tries, not 9).  The one time I made it to mother, I did almost beat her with only half a heart when I walked into the room, so I don't think it's a problem with the actual game mechanics.  And yeah, the secret rooms help a ton.  I find that they mostly always have three entrances, which makes spotting them a ton easier.

All in all, great game.  Funny, because I didn't really think I'd be all that into it.

[gpw11]

Fucking finally beat it the first time. I did it with one of the worst loadouts I`ve come across as well.  Strange.