some of the greatest aesthetics and character designs in video games. telling character backstory through music is an inspired move. roman cancel is a versatile and fun mechanic to use.
expiration and mood are toppest of top tier. they don't apologize for throwing you deeper and deeper underground and hitting you with more and more atmospheric and eerie tracks. combat is clean and fun. great bosses
a charming and emotional story of time travel and ethics. the main advantage over the anime is the extended alternate routes, which considering the circumstances of canon, is very important. plus where else are you going to get 2000's era 4chan references played completely straight?
I would rate isaac at every stage of its life 4.5 stars. its fun, its gambling, its min-maxing, and it's bet hedging. it is a perfect encapsulation of the balance of powers that makes roguelites fun
GH1 honestly didn't activate my brain stems and provide any believability. GH2 is so old and yet delivers on setlist and audio/visual/controller synchronicity
pretty much saved the genre. deep and satisfying mechanics with a lot of meat on the bone. dev support is usually great, but has declined a bit the bigger they've gotten
gameplay is rough around the edges but still functions well as a roguelite. obviously if you're playing this game it's for the vibes and art, which remain cool even on your 50th run