The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Overview -
'The Binding of Isaac' started as a Flash game developed by Edmund McMillen ('Super Meat Boy') and Florian Himsl that was first released for PC in 2011. In 2012, the 'Wrath of the Lamb' expansion was added, bringing a host of new features. An expanded remake, the Unity-powered 'The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth', was first released in 2014, featuring a new engine and soundtrack, all of the previous content, and even more items, characters, and monsters.
Video Review
Unlike the original game, which was created with Flash, 'Rebirth' has been remade using the popular Unity engine. In truth this doesn’t change much on the surface, but the new assets help to smooth out some of the edges and provide more color. The art style is dingy and bloody, and the game runs very well on the Xbox One.
Audio Review
The soundtrack was composed by Ridiculon, a band made up of Matthias Bossi (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) and Jon Evans (Tori Amos’ bass player). It has a heavy, echoing metal guitar sound, interspersed with eerie synthesizer stretches and epic choral pieces. The sound effects are much simpler and retro in comparison. There is little voice acting beyond cries and screeches.
Final Thoughts
I do so love a good roguelike, and that’s exactly what 'The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth' brings to the table. Lots of scary enemies, treasure chests, unlockable characters, challenges, and plain old-fashioned dungeon crawling await those brave enough to accompany Isaac into the basement.