Hell it is me, with some big news! Patch 1.9.7.13 launches TODAY, and let me tell you: this is one tasty update packed with new features, balance changes, and quality of life improvements - including some that folks have been asking about for a LONG time. Ever been hesitant to grab an item or activate that card because you can’t quite remember what it does, exactly? Well no longer – because we’ve added ITEM DESCRIPTIONS for every collectible, consumable, and trinket in the game!
One of the foundational elements of Rogue and Roguelikes (that is so polarizing it isn’t part of The Berlin Interpretation) is the idea of randomized and unknown item effects. It goes back to tabletop gaming where you would find a potion and have no idea what it does, so you would give a sample to a rat you keep in a cage or splash it on a goblin prisoner. For obvious reasons, that shit went away in favor of skill checks. But in game that manifested as, on every single run, keeping a notepad next to you to know what Red potions did on that play through.
The BoI items were very much in that vein. Theoretically you would memorize them over the course of runs and learn the synergies that helped you. In practice… ain’t nobody had time for that shit.
But it is a design philosophy that wasn’t uncommon for roguelites/likes of the era.
Binding of Isaac items are explicitly in that vein, in fact, given that its version of potions (pills) are indeed randomized on every run. I haven’t checked out the new update yet but insofar as I’m aware those still are.
It is maintained through pills and cards (potions and scrolls in other rougelikes). Pills are randomized at the start of the run, cards you have to remember what each does. But also tabletop rpgs have changed since then. 2e era fantasy Vietnam isn’t what most people want to play anymore and so while random potions still exist these days you’re more likely to be able to figure what they do before being turned into a chicken
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To elaborate:
One of the foundational elements of Rogue and Roguelikes (that is so polarizing it isn’t part of The Berlin Interpretation) is the idea of randomized and unknown item effects. It goes back to tabletop gaming where you would find a potion and have no idea what it does, so you would give a sample to a rat you keep in a cage or splash it on a goblin prisoner. For obvious reasons, that shit went away in favor of skill checks. But in game that manifested as, on every single run, keeping a notepad next to you to know what Red potions did on that play through.
The BoI items were very much in that vein. Theoretically you would memorize them over the course of runs and learn the synergies that helped you. In practice… ain’t nobody had time for that shit.
But it is a design philosophy that wasn’t uncommon for roguelites/likes of the era.
Binding of Isaac items are explicitly in that vein, in fact, given that its version of potions (pills) are indeed randomized on every run. I haven’t checked out the new update yet but insofar as I’m aware those still are.
It is maintained through pills and cards (potions and scrolls in other rougelikes). Pills are randomized at the start of the run, cards you have to remember what each does. But also tabletop rpgs have changed since then. 2e era fantasy Vietnam isn’t what most people want to play anymore and so while random potions still exist these days you’re more likely to be able to figure what they do before being turned into a chicken