Now after this the true God put Abraham to the test, and he said to him: “Abraham!” to which he replied: “Here I am!” Then he said: “Take, please, your son, your only son whom you so love, Isaac, and travel to the land of Mo·riʹah and offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will designate to you. - (Genesis 22: 1, 2)

The Binding of Isaac is a game that tugged at my conscious for some years before I finally decided to give it a try. Its obvious and blasphemous allusions to the Biblical story of Abraham and his son Isaac, along with its Satanic imagery, made me uncomfortable, to say the least. Its anti-religious themes and Edmund McMillen's somewhat cynical ideology against religion was all too obvious in my eyes, despite Edmund's insistence on the game not being Anti-Christian. I still beg to differ to an extent. Regardless, I eventually felt confident enough in my own beliefs and moral compass to where I was willing to at least give it a chance out of morbid curiosity. Certainly, an indie game this popular must have something going for it? Well, it only took about 2 hours of pointless trial and error before I decided that it just wasn't for me. I was not familiar with roguelikes back then, and as my introduction to the genre, the whole concept of having to start over from the beginning just pissed me off beyond measure. I put it down and was confident that I would never return to it.

Well, fast forward some eight years and I was sitting there bored and thought: "Hey, you know what? It's been long enough. My tastes have certainly changed. Maybe I'll finally get it?" I was close to giving up again after a couple of hours until I realized the reason I might have been struggling so much was because I had the Wrath of the Lamb DLC installed, which makes the base game much harder. Bless Steam's ability to remove DLC, because doing so really helped. I'm not necessarily saying the DLC is bad, but for someone who is still trying to get the hang of things and understand the game's mechanics, I really benefitted from the complete vanilla experience. Hell, it only took like 3 more hours to finally get my first clear, and let me tell you, that was probably one of the most satisfying clears I've ever gotten in a game. It's perhaps a hollow victory for the more experienced aficionados, but it was a major step for me. I could finally say that I get it.

I'm still not crazy about the rogue-like elements, but the game is short enough to where I can say that it's not a big deal, especially now as I keep improving. Is the original Flash version of TBOI clunky? Sure, a bit. But I've definitely gotten used to it, and I can definitely see how the learning curve can be addicting for many. The gameplay is simple, but there's the faint glimmer of deeper mechanics at play here, especially with the foresight of knowing how much Rebirth and its subsequent expansions added to the experience. The road ahead looks tumultuous, but I think I may finally be willing to give it a shot; that is, going through each version in order and experiencing this game's evolution. Wrath of the Lamb, you're going down next.

Still can't say that I'm a fan of the game's themes or imagery, but at least I finally found some enjoyment hiding underneath its ugly exterior.

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Yves Cousteau

It is estimated that we as a species have only explored about 5% of the world's oceans. On the other hand, I estimate that the average Backloggd user hasn't even cleared that much of their backlog. Hell, mapping the entire ocean floor probably sounds like a more probable inevitability than ever getting through your backlog. Well, what's one more gonna hurt? Though, I would like it if you actually played it.

Endless Ocean 2 (known as Blue World in North America) is a game that probably flew under most peoples' radar even on release. With about 870,000 lifetime sales globally for this title specifically, it's safe to say that the series is pretty niche. I'm surprised that we even got a third game recently, despite apparently not being all that great. But that's another review for another time. EO2 molded a strong core memory within me that fits neatly amongst only a handful of other vivid and emotionally meaningful gaming experiences I experienced in my youth. Mind you, I was always fascinated with marine biology and oceanography. There's something truly fascinating but also chilling about the deep ocean. So many areas that have yet to be explored and species that are yet to be discovered. This game feeds on that childlike curiosity and excels at immersing you in the beauty of nature's waters.

Yes, there is a story, and it's actually a lot more involved than you would expect for a game who's main selling point is its exploration-driven gameplay and educational merit. It takes a page out of Tomb Raider and Uncharted, placing you in the shoes of a college student studying folklore who becomes entranced in a certain Pacific legend, travelling to the South Pacific to investigate further. You take a job at a local diving company, and adventure ensues. Throughout the campaign, you will be tasked with exploring various locales that include shallow coral reefs, muddy rivers, arctic waters, and the deep ocean, at times even exploring abandoned ancient ruins. It's semi-open world nature gives it a sense of scale that has yet to be matched in terms of immersion. Maybe Subnautica? But that game is nowhere near as good, methinks.

Between uncovering and appraising lost treasures, discovering new species to add to the marine encyclopedia, and mapping uncharted waters, it feels like there's so much to do. I actually wouldn't be surprised if this was the only single-player game I've played where I've surpassed the 100-hour playtime mark. As someone who rarely replays games, I never really considered having a comfort game, but sitting here writing this review has made me re-evaluate that. In fact, I have the sudden urge to replay this.