The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth/Afterbirth - PS4 - Review

[Ohio Joe]

Where to begin with this game... OK, the beginning I guess.

I'd heard and read a lot about this one, all of it good. I finally saw it in the PS store on sale and picked it up... hmmm, a long time ago but never really got around to it. The base game is The Binding of Isaac, Rebirth is an expansion pack and Afterbirth is a content pack that adds more items (that is it as far as I know) and I got all of it for under $10... Looks like they are going for about $10 each right now today, so maybe look for a sale.

The game is a roguelike... Meaning you get one life and you either die or win so the games are pretty short. The farthest I've made it is the fourth floor, I've yet to win one and I have a losing streak just over 100 games now... Sheesh.

The story is that you play as Isaac, a little boy whose mother becomes very religious. God tells her to kill Isaac so he hides in his room. As she tries to come in and kill him, he finds a hatch going down to the basement... And the game begins.

Yeah, right? WTF?

Anyway... Each time you play the 'dungeon' is randomly generated including rooms and power up items/cards/other stuff I'm not all clear on yet. You need to find your way through each level and at the end of each there is a random boss (the game has many to choose from) and at the very end of the entire dungeon you have to kill your mother in order to win.

There are TONS of items to pick up to help you on your way and even 'stores' where you can purchase things with pennies you can find. Some items are one use (with the triggers) and some permanently alter your weapon... Some for the better and some not really. The controls are very simply with the left joystick moving Isaac and the right firing your weapon (your weapon is your tears... Yes, you read that right) and the triggers to use special items. In between each level of the dungeon there is a mini cut-scene showing how horrible things are for Isaac... Like really awful stuff... His peepee falling off, people shitting on him... Just awful stuff. This game is dark in it's imagery.

Graphics are very simple but clearly show what is what. Controls are spot on and easy to get the hang of. Items are plentiful... Too plentiful almost... Since there are so many possible you can easily forget what something is by looking at it and/or even reading the description. It's surprising how often something does what the description says but it is not what you think it would be.

All in all, I really like this game, even the dark parts are done in an amusing way... If that is a thing... Maybe I'm just a bit weird

Not exactly a game you would sit and play for hours and hours on end but great as a warm up to a long play session of something else or for when you are only looking at 30-60 minutes of play. Look for it on sale and it is an even better bargain.