So, I’m sat here scratching my bearded chin and I’m thinking to myself, how on earth have I managed to rack up 120 hours worth of gaming time on an indie title that cost me £1.49 to buy?
If you’ve not heard of BoI and you’re a gamer, then you’ve been living under a rock. Designed and built by a two man team, the title has garnered international support and success in equal measure.
It’s a top down maze game harking back to an 8 bit era where games were simple and endeavours achievable. It’s this simplicity that makes the game so compelling, with nearly 200 power ups in the game and an infinite amount of combinations to these powerups, every single play through becomes a unique experience.
And it’s hard. So hard. I believe the game has introduced the term ‘trolling’, when the map and monster combos are randomly generated are so ridiculously impossible, you feel like mashing the keyboard to a pulp. Except instead you simply restart from the beginning, fresh with naked ambition and renewed curiosity for what that very first treasure room will reveal.
It’s also a game that’s frightfully addictive to just watch other people play, as the recent Twitch.tv figures will show.
I love it as it flies and spits in the face of modern video game convention. Games do not need teams of 100’s of people and budgets of millions of pounds to be successful. Each time I play this, it feels fresh. Good game Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, good game.
0
Leave a Reply