Nuclear Throne

When I picked this up, I didn't really expect to be impressed. I have Binding of Isaac and I enjoy everything about it except the game play. I saw a review call this "An Impatient Man's Isaac" and decided to take a dive. I am so glad I did. This game rewards exploration, thought, and the ability to think quickly. It can seem quite mindless at first, but one is not just REacting through this game; one is putting together plans. Suddenly, a boss will randomly emerge from the wall and cause you to realize that thing that every general realizes: "the battle plan does not survive first contact with the enemy". Suddenly you have to change your strategy. I had no idea that I would be instantly sucked into this game as I have. Hell. Yes.

I have this on Steam because I wasn't aware it was coming to GOG. My son (12) and I both enjoy playing it. Local coop was a little buggy at times but all in all it is fun There are over 4000 positive reviews on steam. I regret buying it on steam and but I do not regret buying the game. It was worth the money.

Nuclear Throne is among my fav indie games, right behind Retro City Rampage and Torchlight 2 (DRM-free, HIB 14 version). My review is based on the Humble version, but I intend to grab the GOG version just for good measure. 5/5, easy. PROS: Fast, unpredictable, strategic, fun co-op, good sense of humor, gamepad compatible (Xinput/PS4), modest hardware requirements, Win/Mac/Linux compatible. CONS: No Linux version on GOG...yet. Not Direct Input (Logitech/generic) compatible.

10/10. I LOVE this game. For me, this game hits a total sweet spot of awesomeness. It may seem odd, but I'm going to compare this game to Tetris, as a lot of the positive characteristics of this game are in common with Tetris. Like Tetris, you can very quickly get into this game. Within seconds, you are playing the game, and learning the game from experience. You don't need a manual (though you will probably want to do some reading after you get your hands dirty for awhile). Just get in there and play! This is a skill based game. So much of the reward of the game is in realizing that YOU have leveled up, and learned to overcome challenges that initially seemed impossible. It's all about the gameplay. There is something zen about the experience (something I got with Tetris, too). Just shooting at stuff and dodging all kinds of crazy attacks... it sucks you in. It's a game that doesn't require absurd committment. It's not a deep story or deep world. You can pick this up and play for 15 minutes and put it down. It's SUPER replayable, owing to the randomly generated levels and the huge variety of characters and level up abilities and weapons and so on. Aside from that, this game just rocks. Just as an example, the weapons FEEL GREAT. The guns have real weight and power to them. It's a joy blowing stuff up with explosives, or whacking monsters with melee weapons. You will feel like a boss wading through levels with your guns blazing. The game is also very comical, and absurd things happen all the time (crazy unintended consequences owing to all kinds of powerful weapons and powerful enemies. The game rewards experimentation and careful strategy. It's a joy to learn all the nuances of the game. Pit your skill and your knowledge against a very challenging game. It is a hard game, but I personally found it to be fun at every stage. I highly recommend this. One of my all time faves.

This is my 3rd/4th (Desktop Dungeons, Tales of Maj'Eyal, maybe Isaac) favorite roguelike plus whichever suffix you care to affix. - Great OST. Check. - Makes you question your schkeelz t'pay d'beelz at gaming. Check. - Punishes you to the point you ponder taking up another hobby, like macrame. Check. - Forces you to learn some of the subtleties in order to be good enough to beat it. Check. - Completing (looping) rewards you for a learning curve and perseverance. Check. Exceptional stuff.