Binding Of Isaac Remake To Have 16-Bit Graphics, Co-op

I suppose it's only fitting that, just as one of the holliest, jolliest, holiest of holidays begins to descend upon us, we've suddenly struck a blood-and-pus-spewing vein of Binding of Isaac news. First there was a completely mad (in a good way) looking Team Fortress 2 mod, and now Edmund McMillen himself has reclaimed the stage to present a hellish heap of details about the upcoming Binding of Isaac remake. In short, Nicalis - they of the recent Cave Story console remakes and NightSky - are handling the heavy lifting while McMillen cracks the whip from the lead designer nightmare throne. Non-Flash graphics, local co-op, and a Wrath-of-the-Lamb-sized expansion are the standout features, but it wouldn't be Binding of Isaac without a million-billion other gleefully gruesome things. And on that front, McMillen and Nicalis intend to deliver.

McMillen laid down the blueprint for the remake, subtitled "Rebirth," on his blog - noting, however, that it's only barely begun development and could change quite a bit before its planned end-of-2013 release date.

"The remake will feature all the content featured in BOI+Wrath, but will also feature another Wrath sized expansion over the top that will feature a new final chapter, ending, 2 new playable characters, and tons more items, rooms, enemies, bosses and the like. The goal will be to make replaying the whole game not only worth it, but also make it so it feels very fresh and new."

"The game will be getting a full 16-bit makeover. I'm doing this because I think the art is tired and I'm sick of looking at it. I think a fresh coat of paint is needed, and I think it's kinda appropriate/funny to do a demake for the remake."

Flash, meanwhile, was the bane of Isaac's tear-stained existence, leading to all sorts of jankiness and performance issues on even the sturdiest of machines. McMillen claims, however, that the new engine will run "perfect/fast finally!" As a result, local co-op's in, but online's not on the table because "that will just extend the release by another forever." And I think we can all agree that it's already been way too many forevers.

But what of Mew-Genics, Team Meat's new mysterything that's probably a game unless it's not? Well, according to McMillen, it's in full-time development, so that's why he's entrusting Nicalis with BoI's remake - to keep his full focus on moving forward. So yes, 2013's set to be a good year for fans of blood, guts, poop, and kitties (!!!). And no one else.