The Binding of Isaac stands out as one of the best Action/RPG titles in recent memory.
91
Verdict
95%
Steam
84
IGDB
Verdict score based on confidence-adjusted Steam reviews?
Very Positive on Steam (95% positive from 62K reviews)
Critically acclaimed (84/100 critic average)
Outstanding soundtrack
Steep difficulty curve may not appeal to casual players
The Binding of Isaac is a 2011 roguelike action-adventure game designed by independent developers Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. It was initially released for Microsoft Windows, then ported to OS X and Linux. The game's title and plot are inspired by the Biblical story of the Binding of Isaac. In the game, Isaac's mother receives a message from God demanding the life of her son as proof of her faith, and Isaac, fearing for his life, flees into the monster-filled basement of their home where he must fight to survive. Players control Isaac or one of the 6 other unlockable characters through a procedurally generated dungeon in a roguelike manner, fashioned after those of The Legend of Zelda, defeating monsters in real-time combat while collecting items and power-ups to defeat bosses and eventually Isaac's mother.
Runs well on modern hardware.
Last updated 18d ago
The only reason you would play this over rebirth is if your a masochist... ... Guess it's time to play flash Isaac, I'm getting that selfharm itch again >:3
I hate this game but I keep playing it. It also taught me the importance of gambling.
For me, The Binding of Isaac was never just a game. Frankly, I don't think this game is "just a game" for anyone who plays and enjoys it... This game is actually a depressive manifesto... The manifesto of every little child who grows up in brutal conditions, trying to forget or alter the miserable world they live in through their tears and imagination... Therefore, do not expect to find unnecessary sentences here like "the game's graphics are like this, its gameplay is like that." This game wasn't made for graphics, optimization, or achievements... It was made to narrate the final hours of a child trapped in dark despair, helplessness, and loneliness... The tragic part is that, even without seeing the ending on my first playthrough, I instantly understood what had happened to Isaac and why his tears were his only weapons... It is the only game that I haven't uninstalled from my computer for years, and the one that I play repeatedly after long breaks... For those who truly feel it... @developers: You have created an unprecedented piece of art while depicting "grief". Congratulations.
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Data sourced from RAWG, Steam, IGDB, CheapShark, Wikipedia, HLTB, and GX Corner. Sources: rawg, steam, igdb, wikipedia.
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