The Binding of Isaac Rebirth 2014 Q&A!

Ok so first off im making this QA so the fans are informed, i get a constant barrage of emails, tumblr questions and tweets about rebirth, and these seem to be the most common questions.

im doing this for YOU so all i ask in return is to be sure to post this QA places so fans can read it, and if you ever see someone ask one of these, just direct them to this post please :)

now on to theQ&A!

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Q:Why are you making a remake already!!??

A: Waaay back when we made wrath of the lamb we had planned on another expansion around the size of wrath, but because of flash limitations not only was it not possible, most of our flas got so corrupted that it took days to export simple patches of the game.

i was contacted by Tyrone of Nicalis (Cave Story, VVVVVV, etc) about a super meat boy remake for non xbla consoles, and since i had hit a wall with isaac i suggested a remake and we were off!

Q:Why did you change the art style for rebirth!? (ps i hate it!)

A: i have a few reasons for the change.. let me list them!

1. i didnt like the flash style, isaac was a big rush job and i did all the art in less than 2 months. i wasnt ever happy with it and hadnt planned on the game being so successful so i just got the job done so i could finish the game… aka the art was lazy and to me, just an eyesore.

2. i had always wanted isaac to be retro looking. the game was based on zelda and if i was any good at pixel sprites and had more time i would have done the whole game in a retro style. i had originally wanted to do more of an nes look, but after loads of testing and a few public opinion posts we decided on a gba (higher than 16bit) art style.

3. if i had to do all the art myself it would push mewgenics and rebirth back a ton. i didnt want to spread myself thin or half ass the art so i asked tyrone to put his best pixel artists on the job.

4. i like this style a lot more.

Q: Ive seen pics and i hate the way the game looks! why are you such a foolish mongo!?

A: the pics you have seen are still very early builds of the game, all the basic art is in place but non of the game’s new visual additions are at all in place.

when its all said and done rebirth will feature a shit load of very pretty animated pixel effects, from fog, lighting, moving grass and torches to non enemy creatures that wander, crawl, fly and eventually get stepped on. there will also be tons of other little effects like interactive puddles, smoke, subtle quakes, drips,drops and moving foliage.

so please hold your opinions till we finally release an official and final screen shot, and if you still hate it, i wont force you to buy the game :)

Q:Is rebirth an expansion? and what will make it different than the old game?

A: not only is rebirth a fully remodeled and revamped and greatly improved version of isaac + wrath of the lamb, but it will also feature so much content that the game will almost be doubled in terms of new enemies, items, characters, endings, secrets, rooms, chapters, challenges and a shit load of very new and unexpected additions.

Q:Will rebirth support my XYZ controller?!

A: yes, rebirth features all the support that any normal non-flash game would feature.

Q:Is rebirth still in flash!?

A:NO!

Q:Will rebirth be full screen and have resolution options that dont suck!?

A: yes rebirth features all the support that any normal non-flash game would feature.

Q:Are you taking preorders? and if i own isaac do i get a discount!??

A: not yet, but yes. when preorders start up, till its release we will be taking preorders and if you own isaac you will also get a very sizable loyalty discount. i cant say how much it will be just yet, but it should make owning the original very worth it.

Q:Are you doing early access?!

A: hell no, rebirth is a game loaded with secrets and fun stuff i dont want anyone to see before anyone else. i also hate showing my wip games.

Q:What platforms is rebirth coming out on?!! and why isnt it coming out on XYZ!!!!

A: as of now, Steam, Ps4 and Vita.. but the rest arent out of the question. we would love to release on all systems, the ball is in their courts though. we miiiiight also test the game out on ipad and see how it works, if it works ok then we will also release there.

Q:Why no Nintendo!!!! I FUCKING HATE YOU!

A: we want to release on 3ds, and will if given the option. isaac currently goes against Nintendos publishing rules due to its religious aspects.. but stuff might change, you never know.

Q:Can i switch art styles back to the flash look?

A: of course not, rebirth will only feature one art style.

Q:Will the music for rebirth get the same overhaul that the graphics and gameplay did or are you just phoning it in!?

A: we are for sure not phoning it in. rebirth will feature a fully updated score to go with the new lush environments that is sure to please.

Q:I hear there will be multiplayer! tell me more about it! or else!

A: there will be local co-op only. how this will work is still being tested so i cant give any details on it just yet.

Q: I heard a rumor that you will be adding some thing to the game that i hate! why are you doing that! why are you breaking the game i love so much you asshole!?

A: rumors are rumors till you hear them from me. im currently playing with a lot of ideas on ways to expand and improve isaac, some of them might not be appreciated by all but understand that i wouldnt ever do anything to ruin any aspect of the game and things will be heavily tested before anything becomes official.

Q :When will rebirth release? i want a fucking date! give me a date!!!!

A: i have no idea other than sometime this year, its done when its done.

Q: Will you be adding day one DLC!? i feel like the game is already ending and i need moar!!!! tell me you will be making dlc!!!!

A: NO! you have no idea how many times this is asked, the game isnt out yet. only assholes plan day one dlc that isnt included in the games release! i dont even plan dlc till a game comes out and i see what worked and what didnt. if rebirth does well and people want more, and i can dredge up more ideas.. then yes one day there will be more.. but dont ask till its out!

Q: I heard you arent even working on rebirth! what the hell are you doing on it anyway!?

A:i am very much so working on rebirth. im the lead designer of rebirth and have final cut, i approve/test every aspect of anything that goes into the game and nothing is final till i give the ok. i also sketch out enemies/bosses/items/item effects/etc out in flash for the artists to remake.

Q:Are you going to fix all those damn bugs?! you shit ass asshole!

A:yes, most are already fixed! some of them i didnt know existed! chances are neither did you!

Q:Will rebirth actually run well on my pc!?

A: it wont be in flash, so yes it should run quite well.

Q:Will you support daily runs or shared seeds so i can stream against other players online!?

A: yes, this is a goal of ours.

Q:Will i be able to show off my isaac once i finish a game?

A:yes, another goal of ours is an easy way to export an image of your final isaac form to share online!

Q:What stage of development are you?

A: beyond the half way point. id say 85% of the art is done and almost all the games old content has been remade in the new engine.

Q:How many people are working on rebirth? and is florian still working on it?

A: 3 artist and 2-3 programmers i believe. one of them is spider, creator of spider mod. he knows the game inside and out and has been a great asset to development. florian isnt workin on the remake because he doesnt really program much outside of flash, but is on call for the programmers and gets weekly builds to help test.

Q:Will rebirth feature new playable characters?

A: yes it will feature more than 3 new playable characters! (that also means new unlocks for each final boss + new chapter(s)item unlocks for all characters)

Q:Will rebirth feature more items, if so how many?

A:there are currently over 150 new items, bumping the item count to far beyond 300! on top of that there will be loads of new tarot cards, trinkets, interactive objects, room types, secret areas, and basic item pickups.

Q:Will rebirth feature more endings and chapters?

A: yes, yes it will.

now leave me alone!