Games: The Binding of Isaac: Wrath of the Lamb Add-On

'The Binding of Isaac' is one of my favourite games of recent years, if not because of its huge replay value, then for its all-out random weirdness! Of course, just because I love it, doesn't mean I'm good at it and those of you that play the game will see by the heart above that I haven't made it past Sheol yet D:  Anyway, my failures aside, the new download content / add-on - 'Wrath of the Lamb' - was released yesterday and, following a short wait of about 5 minutes to download and install, much pact-making, blood-splattering, crying at monsters fun ensued! I don't want to say too much about the DLC since it only just came out and I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to play it, so I'll just give a general overview and accompany it with a bunch of random screenshots that Madame Luciel and I took earlier :D

Jesus Juice! One of the many new items in Wrath of the Lamb

The pack costs £1.99 from the Steam Store and you also need to have the base Binding of Isaac game as well, which is 60% off until June 3rd (it's £1.60 at the moment; usually £3.99). The new content includes a new, unlockable playable character, loads of new achievements and items, new 'passive' power-ups called "trinkets", a Challenge mode and many new enemies and bosses too! To be more specific:

• 100+ new items! (now over 235 items!)
• 5+ new chapters!
• 20+ new enemies!
• 25 new achievements!
• 15+ new bosses!
• 6+ new room types! (Unholy rooms, boss duel rooms & "sacrifice rooms")
• 6+ new mysterious item drops (eternal hearts, playing cards, dimes and more!)
• 5+ new music tracks by Danny Baranowsky
• A new item type, Trinkets
• A new challenge mode with 10 unique challenges that unlock more content
• A new unlockable character, Samson (The Beserker)
• A new final (final) chapter and boss with new endings
• Tons of new random happenings, curses, blessings, npcs, fortune tellers and more!
• Also more super secrets than you'd probably expect... good luck finding them all.

Samson, the new character, is unlocked by passing on 2 treasure rooms in one playthrough and then defeating Mom. He only has one heart to begin with, but his attack becomes stronger with each enemy he kills in a room to make up for that. The attack power resets at the beginning of each room though, so if there's only 2 enemies in a chamber it doesn't make a lot of difference. However, the ability works well if you're fighting an enemy-spawning boss. There's also a slight bug with Samson, because if he dies it signs his note as 'Eve' and she also appears in some of his "vs." screens as well. It isn't anything major though!

Samson

Overall, I'm really enjoying the extra content so far and maybe I'll even be able to finish Sheol now. (HA!) 

I Am Error

More screenshots after the cut below. (If you want to know anything else about / see anything else from the game, let me know and Luciel & I will try and write about / show you it :D )

Games & Reviews: The Binding of Isaac

Released on Steam last September, and loosely inspired by the Biblical tale of the same name, 'The Binding of Isaac' is an independent 2D game, designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. A small boy called Isaac lives with his mother on a hill, where they live a simple but happy life. Isaac draws pictures, while his mother watches Christian TV shows. One day, Isaac's mother hears the voice of God, telling her that her son is evil and needs to be cleansed of the corruption around him. So she takes his toys, crayons, and even his clothes away from him in an attempt to purify him. 

However, this is apparently not enough, and she hears the voice of God a second time, telling her that Isaac is still a sinner. This time, Isaac's mother locks him in his room, hoping that this will please her Lord. Unfortunately for Isaac, it doesn't, and his mother once again hears the voice of God. He demands that she sacrifice Isaac in order to prove her love and devotion to him, and she agrees to comply immediately. Isaac hears her conversation though, and escapes into the basement just before his mother reaches him. Sadly for Isaac, the basement happens to be full of monsters!

You go through the game as Isaac (or other unlockable characters), making your way through the many rooms of the impressively vast basement, where he is forced to confront all sorts of horrors, both in the present and from his past. Whilst the plot sounds pretty serious and gloomy, it really isn't and the game is full of surprises, dark humour, and the bizarre. 

The controls are fairly simple and easy to remember, but are written on the floor of the first room in every chapter, just in case you should forget. 

It is honestly an addictive game, especially with the random enemy and terrain generator at work, ensuring that no two play-throughs are the same. Whichever levels you get though, you can be sure that they'll be filled with creepy-crawlies, blood (and other bodily fluids), utterly strange power-ups,  various secrets, and...poop.

Overall, 'The Binding of Isaac' is a fun, quirky game, that doesn't take itself too seriously and provides hours of entertainment. In addition to the gameplay being enjoyable, the music, written by Danny Baranowsky, is also fantastic and sets the mood of each area wonderfully. It's surprising, especially considering that the game only costs  £3.99 (or £4.98 if you buy it together with the soundtrack). Well worth it!

To play the demo, buy the full game, or find out more, check out the links below:

The Binding of Isaac Demo on Newgrounds

The Binding of Isaac Steam Page

The Binding of Isaac Wiki on Wikia