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[Update] iOS Version Of The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth Rejected From App Store
Update: Despite Nicalis' teasing of a mobile port of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, it looks like Apple might have just killed it (at least the iOS version) by rejecting the game for containing "depict[ions] of violence towards, or abuse of, children." Tyrone Rodriguez, the founder of Nicalis, tweeted out the rejection notice:
C'mon, wtf... Apple pic.twitter.com/aEygkjqH2b
— Tyrone Rodriguez (@tyronerodriguez) February 7, 2016
It's worth noting that other games (like Papers, Please) have been rejected from the store and then ended up making the storefront after some revisions. It seems unlikely that could be the case with The Binding of Isaac though, given that Isaac, a child, is the central character of the game and that removing the violence toward him would wreck the game.
Neither Rodriguez or McMillen have commented about the rejection since Rodriguez's tweet.
Original Story (February 6 at 10:00 a.m. Central):
It looks like the infuriating and addictive roguelike The Binding of Isaac might finally be getting an iOS port. Maybe.
A few years back creator Edmund McMillen mentioned the possibility of bringing the indie favorite to mobile platforms in a blog post about The Binding of Isaac remake, Rebirth, when the remake was in development:
Nicalis is working on the port for Ps3/Vita and PC (steam) and is also currently talking to MS and Nintendo about releasing on their platforms. we are also looking into an iOS version if its not garbage.
In another, more recent post, McMillen reiterated that he was interested in testing out a mobile version of the game after the remake's release. Rebirth was released in 2014 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC; the game was later ported to Xbox One, *New* Nintendo 3DS, and the Wii U in 2015. News on a mobile port has been quiet until last week, when Tyrone Rodriguez, founder of Nicalis, tweeted out this image of the game's title screen on an iPhone:
@Thor_Jensen no, not really pic.twitter.com/lNncQ7E4jl
— Tyrone Rodriguez (@tyronerodriguez) January 28, 2016
And yesterday Rodriguez tweeted out an image of McMillen actually playing Rebirth on an iPad:
— Tyrone Rodriguez (@tyronerodriguez) February 5, 2016
It's certainly not a confirmation that the game is coming to phones and tablets anytime soon, but it is evidence that it's at least technically playable on them. And it wouldn't be surprising to see Rebirth on mobile platforms eventually given that it's available on pretty much every other piece of current-generation gaming hardware.
You can check out our review of the original version of The Binding of Isaac here.
[Source: Twitter via Destructoid]
Our Take
The idea of being able to play The Binding of Isaac on my phone is kind of terrifying. That is one temptation I do not need to be carrying around with me in my pocket. However, I'm curious how well the game would control with a touchscreen given how precise you need to be with your movements to do well.
I'm also curious about how the game would fare under the App Store's review process, not only because of its grotesqueness but also because of its handling of religious themes since the guidelines are uh bluntly stated. The Binding of Isaac is also a game that's had release-blocking issues before thanks to its religious content, so it's going to be interesting to see how this will play out if and when this port ever goes up for review.
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