The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

I recently beat all the Rebirth endings (finally lmao), and with having all of the DLC, this is one of the most replayable games I've ever had the pleasure of coming back to every day. There's just something so fun about how chaotic the RNG can be, and how everything ties in to the narrative, and the vibes are simply immaculate. I know this games been out for eight years just about but I swear with the Repentance DLC this has just breathed a new life into it. What a treat it is to play this game for way too long.

Rebirth perfected the idea, abandoning flash player in favor of a beefier engine that enabled more and more outrageous combinations. This huge update allows for a virtually limitless array of builds, whose replay value relies on the potential for even crazier possibilities. Runs played out like miniature, deformed versions of Diablo 2 campaigns, but at triple the speed and prone to sudden mutations at any time. New upgrades radically change the context of other upgrades with ever-increasing complexity & frequency - and at its best, culminates the player experience in the role of a god-like figure, careening through rooms and their inhabitants at a breathless, dizzying pace.

The "rebirth" of The Binding of Isaac breathes new life into this game, but with the glaring flaw of a lack of replay-ability with the small item pool and just general low difficulty of this game it makes playing through it a fun breeze, but wins feel less rewarding as winning it what you'd usually be doing, it's more of a surprise if you die.

Isaac is a point blank excellent roguelike. It feels good to play, the items are fun and flexible and make runs feel substantially difference, the learning curve is balanced and gives a tangible sense of progression as you get better and unlock new items, it's genuinely pretty funny at times, and the game has an incredibly distinct personality and a sense of self awareness that makes it a joy to play. However with about 200 hours into it I have definitely hit the point where the game (especially in the early levels) doesn't feel very challenging or unexpected, to the point that I kind of lost much interest in continuing to play it consistently, and beyond the humor there's not really much to get emotionally invested in here. Still, it's definitely a great game and, in my opinion, completely worth the price.

Recommended To: Fans of roguelikes, games with a sense of humor
Not Recommended To: People who struggle with difficult games, anyone looking for a serious narrative