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[ignaciobalbuena]

Well, I got the game yesterday, and played only for a little while. Like in super meat boy, the quirky art is excellent but feels like more of the same thing. I like the random items and dungeons, although I get the same laggy performance with many enemies on screen.

Is this a roguelike? I don't know, it has some roguelike elements, for sure, but it feels more like an top down shooter with elements of zelda. With random dungeon and item generation. It's probably easier to say it's a roguelike though.

Anyway, I haven't played the game too much yet, but I must that it doesn't feel as awesome as the super fast paced Super Meat Boy did back in the day.

[Golds]

I must that it doesn't feel as awesome as the super fast paced Super Meat Boy did back in the day.

Does a game released 10 months ago qualify as "back in the day"?
 

[alastair]

What if they're only 1 or 2 years old? That's like half a life time.

[trq]

It's probably easier to say it's a roguelike though.

roguelike-like

[allen]

oh, I feel I should mention Teknopants' game that is very similar (top down shooter with roguelike elements) but has much more of the qualities of a traditional roguelike. and it's coop.

http://teknopants.com/games/shootfirst/

so if you enjoy Isaac and really enjoy the more roguelike aspect of it, you'll love Shoot First

[Nix]

Shoot first is really fun

[Yougiedeggs]

This game has been closing itself on me if I alt+tab away for more than 30 seconds. That's got to be the worst piece of design here. Which is a shame, because I do like it, wonky projectiles and all.

When I'm in the mindset that this is an arcade game, those little niggles don't bother me, but when I can't alt+tab out to chat on IRC I have to draw the line.

I'm.....going to play some Spelunky to clear my mind.

[cynicalsandel]

I enjoy it for the most part. I also have lag issues. My only other gripe is that when you get the items for the space bar, it doesn't tell you what it does. I often waste it because I don't know what it is used for.

[Core Xii]

From a technical standpoint, the game's a disaster. It takes way too long to load and the performance is abysmal.

Otherwise, I'm actually pleasantry surprised. It's got a couple annoying quirks (mostly it's hard to judge where your hit box or enemy projectiles are and whether they're about to collide) but it's actually not that bad of a game. However, the gradual unlocking of content severely undermines the replayability aspect of the random generation. If you're gonna make a game about replayability, it's absolutely counterproductive to then proceed to lock most of its content.

[Yougiedeggs]

However, the gradual unlocking of content severely undermines the replayability aspect of the random generation. If you're gonna make a game about replayability, it's absolutely counterproductive to then proceed to lock most of its content.

I hadn't thought of that before, seeing as I've unlocked so little of it to this point. If a real roguelike I had played pulled that kind of stunt, I'd be a bit disappointed.

[alastair]

What kind of stuff requires unlocking?

[allen]

as far as I know the only unlocking are the characters?

[Alevice]

some items and bosses too

[sergiocornaga]

I find this game really enjoyable, and quite addictive. I encourage anyone on the fence with money to spare to get it. The only issue I've encountered is the framerate dropping when there are lots of projectiles on screen, which makes me wonder if some of the bugs are the result of a beta build being released at launch by accident.

I downloaded this at the same time as Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary and since their gameplay is similar I couldn't help but compare them. In my opinion, The Binding of Isaac beats Four Swords (at least in single player, the only mode I've been able to play and probably the inferior one). It impresses me to see the game improving on one of the franchises that inspired it.

However, the gradual unlocking of content severely undermines the replayability aspect of the random generation. If you're gonna make a game about replayability, it's absolutely counterproductive to then proceed to lock most of its content.

I hadn't thought of that before, seeing as I've unlocked so little of it to this point. If a real roguelike I had played pulled that kind of stunt, I'd be a bit disappointed.

I see it as more of a Super Crate Box style design choice. When you are learning the basics of the game, being bombarded with everything the game has to offer isn't so great. There are more quirks to using the unlockable characters and some of the unlockable bosses would have no doubt killed me had I faced them on my first playthrough. I also predict it will help keep the game fresh when I get to the point where I can reach the end regularly. I personally agree with the decision.

[MisterX]

Great game. Bullet velocity influenced by movement is a very nice touch, I haven't found any issue with the hitboxes.
I think unlocking game elements is a good idea. It doesn't seem as far fetched as in Desktop Dungeons, where it's great, but for me it just adds to the motivation.

The only issue I have is the terrible performance. It never lags, but depending on the window size the whole game can slow down to a crawl when a screen gets a bit busier with enemies and bullets. Now, this doesn't make the game less fun to play, but it seemed to me that it actually makes it a whole lot easier, because it gives you a lot of reaction time in what would otherwise be frantic battles.
Apparently it's a flash game, so I have no hopes for any changes in that regard, but I hope they can make it better somehow. Playing it in a small window isn't nearly as nice as playing fullscreen.