ITT: The General tells you about lesser known games you should freaking play.

[Milkyway64]

So yeah, I've wanted to do this for a while, and now that I've actually finished the games I want to propaganda to you guys, I'm doing it.

The first batch includes 3 games, at least one of which I've mentioned before but hell if I'm not gonna try again. I'll be starting with the best.

Remember Super Meat Boy? The guys behind that took their success with that, and turned around to release another gem. So what is this game? The most concise was to put it is it is Zelda, but without the overworld thing. It also contains traces of dual stick shooters (think Smash TV) and that random generation thing that games like Left 4 Dead and Minecraft has made popular. More noticably is it's very, very... offensive. If you are sensitive or other wise turned off by dark imagery and horrible fridge logic, this game is not for you. The title image shown above gives you a decent idea what sort of thing you're in for with The Binding of Isaac. That said, it's important to point out that despite the disgusting nature of the game, it's really, really good.

The story of The Binding of Isaac is a can of worms best left closed due to how confusing it is, but the adventure opens with a short cinematic that makes clear the second most offensive thing about this game; it's very, very religious. The bible savvy among you may have been able to guess that based on the title, but most of what we get as a plot, and a lot of the in game pickups relate to christian lore. Said opening is here;

The next thing to note, as seen in the intro/trailer there, this game has really, really good music. Seriously. Danny B. did the soundtrack for this game, and he did an amazing job. Check out the theme of the first floor of the dungeon.

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Spoilered because hyperlinking seems to have changed. Hell, just have the entire soundtrack here, be mindful of spoilers though. http://dbsoundworks.bandcamp.com/album/the-binding-of-isaac-2

Onto the actual game. The game plays out a lot like NES Zelda. You have hearts, keys, bombs, money, a rough map, your weapon, and an item slot. Typically, you explore the dungeon finding said hearts/keys/bombs/money by clearing rooms and defeating certain enemies. Keys are used to open doors and special rooms, particularly shops, the treasure room (in typical Zelda fashion, each 'dungeon' has an item to obtain) and golden treasure chests. Bombs are a potent weapon, but are more handy as a utility. They will blow open secret rooms, destroy rocks (some of which contain items and pickups) and create bridges if placed so a rock is between the bomb and the hole. At the end of each floor is a boss fight, of which defeating will open a trapdoor to the next level of the dungeon. Sometimes, a mini boss can be found. Very basic formula.

Where it gets interesting is the random generation. Despite being 20-40 minutes long per playthrough, The Binding of Isaac has enough content to fill out 120 hours. I know this because that's what my Steam reports my playtime as, and I had just hit 100% completion. It's one of those games meant to be played over and over again, and is designed around the random nature of the game. Absolutely everything is mixed up on a new game, room layouts, the rooms themselves, enemies, items, bosses only a few exceptions remain constant, such as the final boss. Each death (no checkpoints, the entire thing must be completed in one sitting) means next go around will have new items to play with, with even more unlocking as you play and complete various conditions. The game IS very much luck based, to a point. The game is hard, and while getting lucky with your items helps, ultimately skill, patience, and focus are the main tools you will need to prevail.

That said, the game does have SOME constant structure. I shall detail a bit about how the game flow works. Floor 1 and 2 are know as The Basement. The basement is easy, the enemies inside are weak, slow, and predictable, and the bosses are very simple, too. Default basement bosses include Monstro, Larry Jr., The Duke of Flies, and Gemini. These four bosses will never appear on floor 3 and on (except as midbosses, sometimes) as they'd be too easy by that point. Likewise, Monstro 2 or Loki, bosses that can be found in floor 5-6 "The Depths" will never appear in The Basement. Thus, while random, it's still linearly difficult and never throws things in your face you can't handle. The mini boss rooms containing personafications of the seven deadly sins even have varying HP depending how far in you are. It's very well designed.

Before closing, I need to cover the expansion.

Holy shit, where to start with this. Well, it almost doubles the game's size. Of course it adds more items and enemies, but it also adds a ton of difficulty. The game is not exactly made longer, just more random elements are present. The biggest change is in the new floors. How this works is each environment, like the aforementioned Basement, has an alternate incarnation. For the basement, it's The Cellar. I also mentioned The Depths, which has Necropolis as an alt. These are randomized like everything else. So, one, both, or neither of the Basement floors (floor 1 and 2) may end up being The Cellar instead, which while similar to the basement, is generally harder with tougher enemies, bosses, and different music.

In addition, Wrath of the Lamb adds super versions of the seven deadly sins, and several extras like a new type of secret room found with bombs, challenge modes, and without spoiling anything, a special surprise level only the most dedicated players will find. The expansion is a rather tiny 3 dollars on Steam, and the game itself is 5. This totals to 8 dollars for the complete package, which is not very much at all for the quality the game shows. Should you buy it? Hell yes, look at the thread title. However, there's a few things to consider, first.

First, the game was made in Flash. This means you will actually need a decent processor in your computer to play it with a decent framerate. It's horribly, horribly optimized and is my number one gripe with the game. Second, if luck based games turn you off, Binding of Isaac in the long run may not change your opinion, especially if you are not naturally good at oldschool games like this. Bullshit WILL happen, and the game is best played with the "losing is fun" mentality. Third, as stressed in the beginning of the article, the game is very gross, disturbing, and offensive. Again, do stay away if finding a dead baby sibling as an item does not sound like something you can accept, or if intense symbolism breaks your mind.

But maybe you can try anyway. Have a demo to try out floor 1 and 3.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/581168

I've talked about this one before, but for those that missed it, I'll sum it all up. Aquaria is an atmospheric adventure game akin to Super Metroid, set under the seeeaaaa. It also happens to be just as good.

And it does a good job, too. There's not all that many secrets to be found (not like bombing surfaces in Metroid, anyhow) but the game looks, sounds, and plays like butter. It's large, and this is the sort of game that will eventually draw you into its world as you explore and discover new locations, items, and bosses. The game is relaxing, but hell if that doesn't mean its hard. The boss fights in particular pose a significant challenge and you will likely get your ass handed to you on your first, second, third, and even beyond attempts at many of the game's bosses, especially the optional ones.

One point of praise I like giving this game is in true Metroid fashion, it can actually be beaten in very, very, very short order, and linearity goes out the window after the first handful of areas. Only 4 or so of the 15-20 bosses are required to kill to beat the game, but where's the fun in that?

The bad with this game is just that, though. Sometimes, it is impossible to tell what is required to progress in the game and what is not, so you may be stuck on a particular boss only to discover it was guarding a cosmetic costume anyway. Secondly, this game has one of the most abysmal romance subplots I have ever seen to the point of jarringly annoying me at the very very end, where it becomes relevent (as usual, you have to find this, and while it's required you may never know where he is until you have 95% of the game done. Thanks god for this. I'd hate hearing voiced narrative about that shit all game.) Lastly, the music, while great in game, is barely memorable once you stop playing. Not a downside so much as it is a shame.

This one is 10 dollars on Steam, last I checked. It's worth the price IMO, but it's not nearly the deal Isaac boasts.

Last on the list is Mystical Chain. Okay, so this game is not on Steam or legally available to, well, anyone outside of Japan, so it barely counts, but I just have to mention it. I'll keep it brief.

Mystical Chain is a touhou fangame (one of many) made by some dudes called Lion Heart. The game is easiest described as weeaboo Sub Space Emissary from SSBB. But god DAMN if it's not one of the most satisfying platformer-beatemups I have ever played in recent ye- no, gonna just go with 'ever.' I can't really talk about this one since it has zero plot or zero anything other than intense action, so I'll just leave a video of the final boss; one of the most incredible 2D boss fights I have ever, ever known.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvYmZcwDiw0

For those who are too lazy to watch or just want it in a single sentence, this is absolutely everything 2D Kingdom Hearts would be like but without the bullshit unskippable cutscenes and meaningless RPG elements. If you must play this game, google for it. Make sure to get version 1.21.

[Xortberg]

Ghost Trick is not mentioned.

Son, I am slightly disappoint.

[Milkyway64]

That was to be in the next batch stop spoiling things D=<

[DoctorAllosaurus]

I have two of these games but haven't touched one of them yet (Aquaria). I can whole-heartedly agree with Isaac though, great bang for your buck game.

[LoneWolf]

Issac is amazing. I have yet to play Aquaria though (I do own it).

[Xortberg]

That was to be in the next batch stop spoiling things D=<

tee hee I troll u

[Scourge]

You forgot Darwinia/Multiwinia...