._ , , . *|, * _ _ -+--+- _. _|* _ || | (_](_) | | (_] (_]|(/, ._| , , ._ . . . . . _ . . _ _ -+--+- _. |,. . _.;_/*._ _ |*. , _ _| _ _ _| \_|(_)(_| (_](_) | | (_] | (_|(_.| \|[ )(_] || \/ (/, (_](_)(_)(_] ._| ._| ._| A N O V E L B Y M A R T I E " M U R D S " M O O D ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ef-aye-cue (version: final) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: (11/20/25 1:41 a.m.) "Listen, don't obsess over words so much. Find the meaning behind the words, then decide." -Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) FADE IN: 1. Introduction .................................... [1111] 2. How to Read the Book ............................ [2222] 2a. The Short Answer ............................ [2a2a] 2b. The Pretentious Answer ...................... [2b2b] 2c. Ten Spoiler-Free Clues ...................... [2c2c] 3. Basics of the Novel ............................. [3333] 3a. Synopsis .................................... [3a3a] 3b. Setting ..................................... [3b3b] 3c. Characters .................................. [3c3c] 3d. Themes ...................................... [3d3d] 3e. Appendix .................................... [3e3e] 3f. Video Hyperlinks ............................ [3f3f] 4. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) ................ [4444] 5. About ef-aye-cue ................................ [5555] 5a. Version History ............................. [5a5a] 5b. Legal Information ........................... [5b5b] 5c. Credits ..................................... [5c5c] 5d. About the Author ............................ [5d5d] 6. How The Binding of Isaac Uses Homages Effectively [6666] {Sidenotes: Press ctrl+f, then type the bracketed code to reach the desired chapter.} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- 1. Introduction -- [1111] -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Welcome to my guide on "if i gotta die you gotta fucking live dood", a novel written by Martie "Murds" Mood and arranged by Matt Perez. This is a full book hosted on Neocities that includes the manuscript, side material, and a guide! I wanted to make a full FAQ/Walkthrough, but I'm not good with words, and I can't describe how to finish the goals. That, plus I really want to make a FAQ, and a full FAQ/Walkthrough will take a while. I'm really good at this book and have beaten the entire novel to completion several times. So, I can tell you how best to go about reading it. {Sidenotes: This introduction is a plagiarization of a GameFAQs guide for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, written by someone nicknamed "SpacePirate" between 2003 and 2004.} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- 2. How to Read the Book -- [2222] -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A quick note if you're still reading: This game wasn't meant to be played mistake free. If you're hoping to enjoy the game, you might want to just tackle it on your own first using my tips and tricks to help you through some of the more difficult stages. Then afterwards, looking for perfection. But "if i gotta die you gotta fucking live dood" allows you to make mistakes and paves a unique path for your playthrough. If you are, however, super stumped or want to get five stars on each chapter, then look no further. {Sidenotes: And this is ripped off of SpacePirate's L.A. Noire guide, for what it's worth.} ********************************** **2a. The Short Answer -- [2a2a]** ********************************** When you buy an air conditioner, you get a stack of documents, one of which is a "Quick Start Guide" that lets you skip all the stuff that comes second to getting a piece of heavy machinery on to your window sill. Below, you will find a broad overview of the major milestones of "if i gotta die you gotta fucking live dood" to help give insight on when you may quit reading the book...don't. ->-> The Prelude partly exists to show the different styles of formatting you will experience throughout the novel. It's okay if you feel lost. ->-> Chapter 1 plays out like an episode of The Wire. Focus on the main law enforcement figure introduced early on while learning about these other disparate characters. The conclusion will wrap up some story threads and hint at the main relationships throughout the book. ->-> If you get through Chapter 1 and feel interested in this world, keep reading through the entirety of Part One, which leads to a dramatic midpoint of the novel that leaves two main characters in a stasis. ->-> Part Oonoh asks a lot of the reader, frankly, as a previously small role takes over the narrative and begins brainstorming ideas around a high school ska band and the relationship between two of its members. Let it wash over you and don't feel discouraged by the sheer amount of information being delivered to you. It should pay off in the end. ->-> I also implore you to push past any tedium felt in Part Oonoh so you can reach Part Two, the second half of the story making up Part One. At this point, all sorts of emotional payoffs should be going off constantly, right up until the close of this section of chapters. ->-> While much of the novel may remain cryptic to first-time readers even after Part Dosetraes, the two chapters that make up this section hold the most direct answers to the biggest existential questions at hand. ->-> The Outro straight-up explains why the fucking novel exists at all. {Sidenotes: This may actually be original writing.} **************************************** **2b. The Pretentious Answer -- [2b2b]** **************************************** Dada is an artistic and literary movement formed in response to the disasters of World War I (1914-18) and to an emerging modern media and machine culture. Dada artists sought to expose accepted and often repressive conventions of order and logic, favoring strategies of chance, spontaneity, and irreverence. Dada artists experimented with a range of mediums, from collage and photomontage to everyday objects and performance, exploding typical concepts of how art should be made and viewed and what materials could be used. An international movement born in neutral Zurich and New York, Dada rapidly spread to Berlin, Cologne, Hannover, Paris, and beyond. ... For the disillusioned artists of the Dada movement, the war merely confirmed the degradation of social structures that led to such violence: corrupt and nationalist politics, repressive social values, and unquestioning conformity of culture and thought. From 1916 until the mid-1920s, artists in Zurich, New York, Cologne, Hanover, and Paris declared an all-out assault against not only on conventional definitions of art, but on rational thought itself. "The beginnings of Dada," poet Tristan Tzara recalled, "were not the beginnings of art, but of disgust." {Sidenotes: I don't think this counts as stealing, but these are just two paragraphs taken from the Museum of Modern Art's site.} **************************************** **2c. Ten Spoiler-Free Clues -- [2c2c]** **************************************** "Clues are beautiful because I believe we're all detectives. We mull things over, and we figure things out. We're always working this way. People's minds hold things and form conclusions with indications. It's like music. Music starts, a theme comes in, it goes away, and when it comes back, it's so much greater because of what's gone before." -David Lynch, in an interview with Chris Rodley (2005) David Lynch's 10 Clues to Unlocking This Thriller (included with French DVD release) 1. The GameFAQs formatting might not just be a clever aesthetic. If the novel is a "how to..." guide, what might it be schooling the reader on? 2. Who's the shadowy figure seen on the microwave door on the front cover? 3. Notice the dates along the sides. What is this marking -- and for whom? 4. Every chapter includes a quote from an outside work and a transcription of a YouTube video. Are the insights imparted relevant to the story? 5. The novel's title derives from a poem by a Palestinian writer killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2023. Does his message resonate in this story? 6. In Chapter 1, the format of the text changes early on. What is going on in the story at the time of the switch over? Does this occur again? 7. You can learn a lot from a name. Who is Mayor Stapleton in Chapter 2? 8. The reader knows more than the characters. Who is "Martie" to Manco? 9. Part Oonoh is written in the first-person. Who is being addressed? 10. Pay particular attention to the beginning of Chapter 5 Years: at least two clues are revealed before the opening quote from Magdalena Bay. {Sidenotes: This list was obviously not written by David Lynch. But rest in peace, king.} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- 3. Basics of the Novel -- [3333] -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When you see an asterisk (*) next to text, just know it's taken from the official "if i gotta die you gotta fucking live dood" instruction manual. {Sidenotes: I cannot confirm whether an instruction manual for this supposed book exists.} ************************** **3a. Synopsis -- [3a3a]** ************************** * An alcoholic bounty hunter searches the last vestiges of postwar America for someone thought lost long ago in the decades before the rise of the undead and the ushering in of the supposed Biblical apocalypse. * [Keep playing to unlock this story!] * [Keep playing to unlock this story!] ************************* **3b. Setting -- [3b3b]** ************************* * Colorado, 1949, 20 years into the Great Tribulations... * A dead-cold January morning in New Jersey... * Hey, it's 12:52 a.m... **************************** **3c. Characters -- [3c3c]** **************************** "Give a moment or two to the angry young man, with his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand." -Billy Joel, Prelude/Angry Young Man (1976) Here's the Character FAQ. It includes the character's bios, moves, stats, and how to use the characters. I won't put the Created Skaters stuff because you can change the moves and stats and they don't have bios. Legend: [U]p [D]own [L]eft [R]ight -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ALICE ALWAY | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | * A woman in her 40s, Alice is a drunken, chain-smoking member of the | | Nimrods, a bounty-hunter association concerned more with murderers | | than the undead they leave behind. She seeks a woman, Gwen Griffith.| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 7 | Overturn: [U] [D] Grind| | Hang time: 5 | The 900: [R] [D] Grab | | Ollie: 2 | Sacktap: [U] [D] Grab | | Speed: 6 |-----------------------------------| | Spin: 8 |Using the Character | | Landing: 5 | Alice can get height and she has| | Switch: 3 | some high-point-value grabs. | | Rail Bal: 3 | She's okay on street but try to | | Lip Bal: 6 | keep her on the ramps. And do | | Manuals: 5 | spins while you do tricks. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MANCO | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | * A Pueblo girl in her late teenage years, Manco is a brash smuggler | | with a vendetta against Nimrods like Alice. A studied reader, Manco| | is willing to toss away her life in the apocalypse to make a point.| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 6 | Hang Ten: [R] [U] Grind| | Hang time: 5 | Triple Kickflip: [U] [L] Kick | | Ollie: 5 | FS 540: [R] [L] Grab | | Speed: 6 |-----------------------------------| | Spin: 3 |Using the Character | | Landing: 5 | Manco is good at grinding and | | Switch: 5 | manualing and she can get | | Rail Bal: 6 | height. Manco is the best choice| | Lip Bal: 5 | if you're looking for an all- | | Manuals: 4 | around skater. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MILTON FREED | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | * The mysterious man from Mater, the middle-aged Milton Freed speaks | | like a holy man and cuts deals like a bloodless Wall Street broker.| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 7 | The Big Hitter: [L] [D] Grind| | Hang time: 7 | One Foot Japan: [D] [R] Grab | | Ollie: 3 | F. Airwalk: [L] [R] Grab | | Speed: 6 | | | Spin: 7 |Using the Character | | Landing: 3 | Milton isn't too hot on the | | Switch: 5 | street. But on the ramps, he | | Rail Bal: 3 | kills. You can get major height | | Lip Bal: 7 | and he has good grab moves. You | | Manuals: 2 | can also do some lips. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | EMMA RODRIGUEZ | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | * A would-be teenage anarchist, guitar player Emma Rodriguez starts a| | band with her best friend as a means to escape the doldrums of her | | existence in a war-hungry America. But her anxiety has other plans.| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 4 | Hurricane: [D] [R] Grind| | Hang time: 3 | Mute Backflip: [U] [D] Grab | | Ollie: 8 | M. Nose Manual: [R] [U] Grab | | Speed: 6 | | | Spin: 4 |Using the Character | | Landing: 7 | Emma is okay on the ramps and is| | Switch: 5 | okay on the street. She's a | | Rail Bal: 8 | little of both. Combine street | | Lip Bal: 3 | tricks with vert tricks to get | | Manuals: 2 | points with her. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ISAAC BROCKHAUS | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | * Depressed leftists fuel the worldview of Isaac Brockhaus, a teenage| | frontman for a band looking to make waves across the local scene. | | But the angry young man may sabotage his world before bettering it.| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 4 | N. Tailslide: [U] [D] Grind| | Hang time: 2 | T. Heelflip: [U] [R] Kick | | Ollie: 8 | H. Late Flip: [U] [D] Kick | | Speed: 4 | | | Spin: 5 |Using the Character | | Landing: 7 | Isaac is the same as Emma except| | Switch: 5 | you'll want to do more street | | Rail Bal: 8 | moves. | | Lip Bal: 4 | | | Manuals: 3 | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -=- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MARTIE "MURDS" MOOD | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Bio | | Originally from Roswell, NM, army brat Martie "Murds" Mood is ready| | for action. If it's hard...like skateboarding...he's on it! Creator| | of such classic skate moves as the Ho Ho-Ho and Somi Spin, Martie | | "Murds" Mood is always ready for some stiff competition. | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Stats |Specials | | Air: 6 | Double Splits: [R] [D] Grab | | Hang time: 6 | Fifty-5 Ho Slide: [R] [D] Grind| | Ollie: 5 | Ho Ho Handplant: [L] [R] Grind| | Speed: 6 | | | Spin: 5 |Using the Character | | Landing: 5 | Martie "Murds" Mood can get good| | Switch: 5 | air and can get awesome points | | Rail Bal: 7 | on the ramp. And he can get some| | Lip Bal: 7 | points on street. He's a little | | Manuals: 8 | of both. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ {Sidenotes: Once again, the ASCII formatting is taken wholesale from SpacePirate's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 guide. I mean, everything outside the bio is obviously just for show.} ************************ **3d. Themes -- [3d3d]** ************************ "In an of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" -Chuck Klosterman, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (2003) What you are about to read is an evening book. It was written in those fleeting evening moments just before I fall asleep, and it's built on this ethos: Nothing can be appreciated in a vacuum. That's what accelerated culture does; it doesn't speed things up as much as it jams everything into the same wall of sound. But that's not necessarily tragic. The goal of being alive is to figure out what it means to be alive, and there is a myriad of ways to deduce that answer; I just happen to prefer examining the question through the context of Clint Eastwood and Final Fantasy and ska music. It's certainly no less plausible than trying to understand Kant or Wittgenstein. {Sidenotes: Well, see here, Chuck Klosterman is credited in the quote above, but the bulk of this chapter also plagiarizes additional text from the book, with the only edits being references to Final Fantasy. It's meant to name Pamela Anderson, The Real World, and Frosted Flakes. This whole guide is shameful.} ************************** **3e. Appendix -- [3e3e]** ************************** "What the heck is thrust?" -Matt Perez (2014) The "uh pen-dix" on the sidebar -- below "vir-jawn hi-storeigh" and "disco" -- is a small collection of side material supporting the novel. Most of the items are self-explanatory, but because of morons like this Matt Perez above, we feel the need to explain each term to brain-rotten fools of similar caliber. * inspired by... A link to the main inspiration behind the novel. (Please take a look.) * front cover The front cover of the novel if it were a vinyl record. * insert The insert sleeve of the novel if it were a vinyl record. * back cover The back cover of the novel if it were a vinyl record. * ost A playlist based on section and chapter titles, along with in-text references to particular songs. * content warnings The novel is fucked but it appears way more fucked up based on this doc. * ef-ay-cue You're reading it, dummy. Say it out loud. Do it. Uh...do you get it? * contact I'm not entirely sure who owns the email account associated with this link...I'm sure it's completely safe, though. (It honestly is safe.) * guestbook Weary travelers of the web may mark their scent here. It's encouraged. ********************************** **3f. Video Hyperlinks -- [3f3f]** ********************************** Just so it's out there, "The Intro Stage in Mega Man X" refers to Egoraptor's episode of Sequelitis posted to YouTube on Oct. 31, 2011. The more you know... Prelude ======= The Intro Stage in Mega Man X [ https://youtu.be/a97BPi1UMlw ] -------------------- Unfinished Business Episode 5 (Jet Force Gemini) Part 1 -- Darkness on the Edge of Town ====================================== Chapter 1 Timothy 1:8 [ https://youtu.be/IvbPpLo26gw ] ------------------------------- How Religion Fits Into The Last of Us Chapter 2 Hearts [ https://youtu.be/6MyhR4X-tOw ] -------------------------- How Broken Age Utilizes its Dual Narrative Chapter 3 Summers [ https://youtu.be/-m9Vm6yq_48 ] ----------------------------------------- Her Story -- Story Analysis Chapter 4 Horsemen [ https://youtu.be/E5YpdhHKCBE ] --------------------------------- How David Lynch Influenced 17 Games Part Oonoh -- Dancing in the Dark ================================= Chapter 5 Years [ https://youtu.be/rLTzv-mqiKE ] ------------------------- Why You're a Scumbag in The Stanley Parable Chapter 6 * 9 [ https://youtu.be/_C6qTYxpMeI ] -------------------------------- What Bastion Says About Human Nature Chapter 7 Fold [ https://youtu.be/ajqz5KAMuEQ ] -------------------------------------- Why Utopia Fails in Transistor Part 2 -- The Ghost of Tom Joad =============================== Chapter 8 .1 [ https://youtu.be/BvvqiQFwcX8 ] ---- METAL GEAR AND THE COLD WAR: Proxies, Parasites and Phantom Pain Chapter 9 to 5 [ https://youtu.be/mKYsUMd2K8c ] ---------------------------- How Dark Souls Relates to True Detective Chapter X [ https://youtu.be/_1OewU5Ge3Q ] ----------------- Unfinished Business Episode 7 (Super Mario Bros. 2) Part Dosetraes -- Land of Hope and Dreams ========================================= Chapter 11 Bankruptcy [ https://youtu.be/GzY--NRKC7c ] ----------------------------- How Brothers Follows the Hero's Journey Step 12 [ https://youtu.be/AUuOWL1C5PM ] -------------------- Why You're Not a Scumbag in The Beginner's Guide Outro ===== Into the Reprise [ https://youtu.be/a8ZtYEGfv3s ] --------------------- Unfinished Business Episode 2 (Resident Evil 2) {Sidenotes: All of these videos come from someone named "strummerdood" on YouTube. Some, but not all, of the videos are edited by Martie "Murds" Mood, the author of the book and a character in the story. Sure. Why not?} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- 4. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) -- [4444] -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Send in questions and I'll post the most common ones I see, I guess. Q: Should I be lost while reading this novel? A: Eh, sure, sometimes. There's generally a through-line to follow, though. At the very least, you should keep an eye on Alice and Manco. - Q: Why is the format busted on mobile? A: I'm working on it, but back in my day, we didn't have no fancy phones to browse the internet with. We sat our asses down in front of the desktop! (A workaround is available by hitting "Print" on the .txt files and saving to your phone's files. The chapters should fit neatly on letter-sized paper.) - Q: What's up with all the mispellings? ef-aye-cue? A: Look at the top quote and consider what it means...or don't, I don't care. - Q: Is there a tl;dr? I got shit to do. A: So the fuck do I!! But sure, just read the Outro. - Q: Whats up with this FAQ, guide, whatever anyway? A: I don't know, it's 7:49 a.m. and I thought it'd be a good idea. - Q: Having read the story, uh, are you okay? Like are you fucked up? A: Sure. - Q: Is this published anywhere else? A: Where the fuck else would I publish this thing? - Q: Wait, who is strummerdood? A: Stop asking questions. None of it matters, anyway, it's just made-up shit. - Q: Then what am I supposed to believe in? What am I going to leave behind when I'm through? A: We can tell other people about having faith, what we had faith in, what we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong but how much faith you were willing to have that decides the future. The patriots are a kind of ongoing fiction too, come to think of it. {Sidenotes: For that last question and answer, the author ripped off Solid Snake.} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- 5. About ef-aye-cue -- [5555] -=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Suck on my Murakami." -Old Klingon Proverb {Sidenotes: jfc.} ********************************* **5a. Version History -- [5a5a]** ********************************* version: final 11-21-25 3:41 a.m. Thought about it. I ended up re-doing the guide again. This is the fnal update. Version 3.2 6-13-04 I fixed some minor problems like spelling, lining up the stats, and I messed with the art at the top also. I might make a full movelist soon but I have to think about it. Version 3.0 5-31-04 I re-did the FAQ yet again. I've added boxes and ASCII art at the top. I also made the chapter titles bigger. This will probably be my last update. Version 2.0 9-27-03 I took Masterzero's advice and totally re-did the FAQ. I combined the bios, stats, specials, and how to use the characters. I added dividers to separate the characters to make it easier to read. And I added to the title. Version 1.0 7-7-03 The complete version of the FAQ. I thought that would be the final version but it wasn't. *********************************** **5b. Legal Information -- [5b5b]** *********************************** This document is copyrighted by me, SpacePirate. If you steal this game without my permission, then I will take serious action. If you wish to post this guide on your site, then email me at --------------@------.--- and make sure you read the contact information section. If I don't allow you to use my guide on your site, then don't steal it. That's the worst thing you can do besides not asking and just straight-up stealing it. If you do, be prepared to pay. I have my connections! Another thing you can do that can land you in some major trouble is alter this guide. Whether I allow you to use my guide or not, do not change anything in the guide. I don't give a crap if there's a spelling mistake and you thought it would be nice to fix it, don't change anything. It's my work, not yours! If I allow you to use my guide on your site, then you must stay up to date with the version updates. If you are too lazy to switch the old guide with the new, then I will take my guide off your site faster than a slutty teenager dies in a slasher movie. Now, these are the sites that are allowed to use this FAQ: https://iamstrummerdood.me/ https://iamstrummerdood.com/ https://iamstrummerdood.neocities.org/ Again, don't steal, alter, or do anything else with my guide. And ask before you post. Copyright (c) SpacePirate 2004 ************************* **5c. Credits -- [5c5c]** ************************* SayainPrince, Masterzero, and Sweet Vengeance for critiquing the guide. CJayC for making GameFAQs and accepting my guide. Martie "Murds" Mood for making such a book. ********************************** **5d. About the Author -- [5d5d]** ********************************** Most of the formatting for the entire novel, as well as this guide, was stolen from this old GameFAQ user...whose guide on Metroid is shit by the way. I'm pretty sure they just based the walkthrough on a stolen ASCII map, because at a certain point, what is written ceases to make sense while running the game. https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/community/SpacePirate CUT TO BLACK. ******************************************************************************* (11/20/25 11:18 p.m.) EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a transcript of a video edited by Martie "Murds" Mood. Title: How The Binding of Isaac Uses Homages Effectively -- strummerdood [6666] Description: https://iamstrummerdood.neocities.org/ Length: 3 minutes, 21 seconds Visibility: Public Restrictions: - Date: Aug 10, 2013 Views: 14,179 Comments: 31 Like (vs. dislike): 316 (98.1%) Hyperlink: https://youtu.be/r8H-PfLOs1A Hey, I'm strummerdood or Matt or whatever, I don't know. Let's talk about The Binding of Isaac and how it uses homages differently than most games...and it might be pronounced homages, I don't know, sorry if it's wrong. BOARD: Oh yeah, and there are some spoilers ahead. Like his commercial hit Super Meat Boy, developer Edmund McMillen's follow-up The Binding of Isaac wears its influences proudly through various little nods to 8-bit titles like Castlevania 2 and Bomberman. However, in the case of Isaac, these homages are more than curtain dressing to pander to gamers. BOARD: Homage: Something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another. I feel they go a long way to enhance not only the world, not only the protagonist, but the theme of the title. Looking past the cryptic nature of the plot, you have Isaac, who is simply escaping into his own world in order to deal with the issues of his actual reality. This is one of the few details confirmed by McMillen following an excellent write up of the game's story by Justin Robert. BOARD: Escapism: Habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine. With this in mind, he populates this pseudo-reality with what he's familiar with: his religious upbringing, his mother, his general fears, and of course, video games. Much of his imagined basement is evocative of The Legend of Zelda. The HUD, the dungeon layouts, and really just the general functionality of the game. This one tribute is effective on a number of levels, most obviously in creating the environment, but also consider that this world is the brainchild of a little kid sitting in his room. I mean think about the stories you wrote when you were grounded and stuck in your room as a kid. I know most of what I wrote was derivative of the games I was into at the time. I made an entire comic book series that followed the plot and aesthetics of Star Fox 64 to a T. Once I got into Final Fantasy, I began making large overworld maps to tell my stories within. And I can't even give an accurate estimate on how many variations of the Master Sword popped up in my own adventures. Having elements from other games effectively illustrates its protagonist as a creative little kid and throws some legitimate nostalgia into the mix as well. These cribbed details also go a long way in making Isaac more universally relatable. You might not share the same fears or upbringing, but you likely play video games as a means to escape or to better understand your world and the issues you face everyday. It plays into the game's theme which is a general observation of how kid's deal with problems through forms of escapism, and I think it's safe to say that video games are one of Isaac's greatest coping mechanisms. BOARD: "Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience." -Robert McKee It's his security blanket, and I like the idea that without video games, Isaac's avatar really has no means of confronting his demons as they make up the fundamental tools he utilizes to progress through the game. At the same time, the dual nature of the box or chest that Isaac retreats to is representative of the big chests in Zelda, which brings up an interesting counterpoint that getting stuck in these worlds could have adverse effects. This makes jumping into this character's shoes easier because, again, you are literally playing a video game to experience this story. In film, capturing an emotion or major plot movement visually is far more satisfying than simply blurting out the change. BOARD: Think of the introductions of Up and Watchmen and how much ass they kick. In gaming, having all these details built into the basic design helps drive home its point more effectively, and I believe The Binding of Isaac does just that with its use of homages. And hey, if none of this matters to you, um, BOILeR is pretty rad. I'll probably go watch that now.