The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Achievement Completion: 89%

The Binding of Isaac has always been a game near and dear to my heart ever since I dedicated the time to playing the Flash version of Isaac. The first game was my very first introduction to what roguelikes are undoubtedly left such an impression on me. When I saw this game coming out words couldn't express just how hyped to play it and now that I'm so far in this game after winning countless runs and laughing at just how messed up Isaac ends up getting both in appearance and item synergy, it's no wonder looking back now that this game had such a grip on me when I first got my hands on it.
From just a little child you can quickly become a weapon of mass destruction so easily and it's such a dopamine rush overpowering the bosses that initially caused some headache.
Can't wait to change the achievement completion to 100%!

Our son was only 14 when he was diagnosed with Lukemia. The journey was long, filled with treatments, surgeries, and countless nights where we watched him battle not just the disease, but the overwhelming fear and loneliness that came with it.

But there was one thing that brought him back to life in those dark moments: The Binding of Isaac.

He found it during one of his hospital stays, and at first, it was just something to pass the time. But soon, it became more. As he played, he would tell us about his runs—how his items worked together, how he fought back against impossible odds. We saw him light up with excitement, a spark of joy we hadn’t seen in a long time. The game gave him a sense of purpose, a chance to be a hero, even when he couldn’t be one in his own life. For hours, he’d immerse himself in that world, and for a while, the pain seemed to fade.

Sadly, he lost his battle. But those moments, those hours spent with Isaac, were some of the happiest of his final months. We know that, for him, it wasn’t just a game. It was a source of strength. A way to feel like he was in control when so much of his life had been taken from him.

To the creators of The Binding of Isaac: Thank you. You gave our son a little piece of light when everything else felt so heavy. You gave him a way to feel like he could fight back, and for that, we are forever grateful.

The Binding of Isaac, what can I say about it? It's a decent game that touches on heavy topics that might not be suitable for some people. It's pretty grindy, but has a big payoff when you actually succeed. The story is quite moving in a way you rarely see with even AAA games, and I love it for that, I was brought to tears after seeing many of the endings, and a few times after dying very far into a run with good items. If you're any good at top-down shooters/rogue-likes, I'd recommend you buy it and the DLCs. Hell, I recommend it even if you aren't good at them, it's a good way to get better.

Edmund McMillen, I will become back my money...

*Ну, пацаны, ща будет разнос! Эта ваша "Биндинг оф Айзек" — просто лютая шиза! Ладно, запускаю... Думаю, ну ща будет какая-то фигня для детей. А потом бац — и я в аду! Ты тут, короче, школьник, которого заперли в подвале, и мамка за тобой гоняется с ремнём! Что за хоррор?!*

Геймплей

Лут и предметы

Графика и звук

Honestly? To me, this is one of the most influential games in regards to modern roguelite gaming. While it made some, perhaps unpopular, decisions, such as having many an item work against the player, it was a satisfying game, though it's the sequel to, iirc, a, (incredibly popular) flash game? This roguelite seems heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda(NES), even directly referencing it with the Ladder unlockable item. Within this game the player, as Isaac or a host of enjoyable alternate characters, navigates a labyrinth of randomly generated rooms, each floor holding secrets to discover, and plenty of, impure, enemies. You may notice some, not so understated, religious themes within the game, being a recurring theme within the storyline, after all, even the name is a biblical reference. It's s all the better for it, promise. This is not a promise nedessarily, but, this game, may help you work through some religious trauma, as it did me.

Hard recommend.

Difficult, there's no doubt about that, but rewarding. It has not only an interesting storyline, but hundreds of items and thousands of unique item combinations, as well was fun to use synergies.

It's well worth the price. Especially if you're one whom values replayability and/or playtime, as I'm pretty sure I have over 1000 hours played ;;

Not for the... fuck, what's the word, prude?s uptight? Christ. I think you get it though.

this game will always hold a dear place in my heart.

An Experience.Perhaps relevant side note: I *did* have 'hovieism(jehovah's witnessism) forced upon me from birth, never allowed to take part in holidays, nor birthdays, in school, until I rid myself of the label at age ten. Talk about religious trauma lmao

I love you Ed Mcmillan and um, the... Nicalis team!

Check out Cave Story+ if you haven't alredy. Also a great experience! Though running hell may wear on your sanity, should you choose pain x9 It's really cute and even tugs on the heartstrings, also a very influential game. I miss those Mimiga babies. The soundtrack is amazing, especially if you enjoy a chiptune or two, though of coure there are more modern asounetrack options

Sorry, I have adhd lol, I got rather distracted on a tangent, Play Rebirth. Buy afterbirth+, If you don't mind spoilers, the wiki is your best friend.

Never in my life that give me more dopamine when I entering a room and seeing a crying rock than a woman naked on my bed

do not play this game i have not played this game for a lot of time this game is too addictive it will get you hooked very fast help me i lost my job my family and my wife from this game... anyway this game is a 9/10 would play again

Incredible game. Definitely worth to grab at a discount including the dlcs (if you like the base game that is).

The perfect tragic comedy game! Story, sound, characters >>>

The Binding of Isaac – a game that answers the question: 'What if Zelda had a baby with a B-horror movie, and their grandparent was RNG?
You cry, throw poop, die a thousand times... and come back for more. Every run is like a Kinder Surprise: you either get something awesome or end up in hell with your build.
10/10 – best tear therapy ever.

The game that keeps on giving and giving. Played more than 600 hours and I still suck at the game. Feels like a toxic relationship, but i keep enjoying it since its launch.

True and Honest

This was easily one of the best games of its decade, now finally updated to include a proper cooperative mode, although it has its flaws what with input delay between players but hopefully that will be improved. But The Binding of Isaac was yet another indie title which proved that, sometimes, these passionate developers are serious about delivering awesome experiences that can be unmatched by AAA studios. It's amazing what indie developers can accomplish sometimes despite their low budgets and when not being pestered by upper managers and deadlines to meet the expectations of shareholders. Something that should never have mixed with video game design to the extreme that it has.

I've never played a game with more replay value than this one. It has so much content between dungeons to explore, enemies to fight, bosses to conquer, and combat to master. It's perhaps one of the greatest examples of a proper roguelike video game, where each run is different and unique and completely randomized where you never know what the layout of the maps will be, where the secret walls are going to be, which items you might get and whether they will synchronize well together, etc. You could sometimes get lucky and find yourself being rewarded with rather OP items from the very beginning that will help you finally beat the game, or the chaos of the RNG element may give you more than a few crappy items and so you just have to press forward to see how much of the run can be salvaged. Unlike many other games of this genre, The Binding of Isaac has 500+ items to unlock and find, lots of characters to unlock, and plenty of secrets to hunt for and it all ties together cleverly for its story.

The Binding of Isaac is about Isaac, a kid who ultimately blames himself for the divorce of his parents despite how his father was the one to walk out on him and his mother due to alcoholism and money problems, and so he copes with the situation by entertaining himself with the imagination his father encouraged him to have with cardboard that he has access to while his mother forbids it and even abuses him while turning to religion to also cope in her own way with the divorce, creating this narrative in his own little imaginary world that his mom hates him and holds him responsible for the divorce. As you continue to play and slay the bosses, it becomes an extremely dark, sad story that comes about in short pieces of narration from the voice of his father and the context clues you can gather. It's one of those games that perfectly employs the "show, don't tell" technique to tell a story that is so rich with how interpretive it is. The story itself (and what happens to Isaac) can be interpreted in different ways but it's very much about a child being mistreated and abandoned and escaping into a fantasy world, and I don't blame anybody for just searching the story explanation online due to the narrative complexity. It's rife with religious imagery and text and dark themes but this is really what makes the video game as great as what it is. It's a type of boldness that doesn't really exist in a lot of AAA video games because a lot of these companies are too scared to be creative and want to do everything they can to avoid offending the perpetually offended crowd, but this game is proof that some video games can still be art and that the form isn't entirely lost.

For anybody who owns the device, it's also a perfect game for the Steam Deck. I spent many hours in bed late at night just playing this game on my mobile device because I couldn't get enough of it at the time. It's a challenging game that makes you want to overcome the challenge for your own personal achievement and it's a game which I'd consider very addictive for a time. I would honestly classify The Binding of Isaac as a game which every gamer should play.

The gameplay itself is simple and easy to understand but the combination of mystery, intrigue, challenge and the fun in its simplicity just keeps you coming back for more until you've mastered it, and its developer, Edmund McMillen, does well to even continue the story in other ways with his other video games even though it's not a direct sequel which I think is pretty cool as his other video games are also really good.

One of the best roguelikes of all time, endless content and every run feels different. Gold standards for roguelikes 10/10

Bought repentance for the online update and after release it has flaws. I believe future updates will fix all of our issues.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (with all DLCs): A Roguelike Gospel According to Isaac

In the beginning, there was The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. And the developers said, "Let there be Afterbirth. And Afterbirth+. And Repentance." And it was good. Yea, verily, with all DLCs combined, this game becomes a holy scripture of roguelikes, filled with trials, tribulations, and just enough poop jokes to make even a stoic prophet giggle.

Prepare thyself, o gamer, for this review shall walk thee through the valley of Isaac’s misery and into the kingdom of item synergies divine.

Gameplay: And Isaac Wept
As Isaac—or one of his many unlockable friends—you flee from your deranged, God-fearing mother, who has heard a voice telling her to "sacrifice" you. (Apparently, she skipped the part of Genesis where God stops Abraham.) You descend into procedurally generated dungeons that feel like the Dead Sea Scrolls were rewritten by a deranged toddler with access to crayons and nightmares.

The gameplay is simple but heavenly: dodge enemies, cry at them (yes, tears are your weapon), and collect items to become either a divine avenger or an unholy abomination. With all the DLCs, the possibilities multiply like loaves and fishes—there are now more items than there were Israelites fleeing Egypt. And just like Moses, you’ll spend hours wandering the wilderness of RNG, praying for a miracle.

The Lore: Old Testament on Steroids
The story is an unholy blend of Genesis, Revelations, and a midlife crisis. With the DLCs, the narrative becomes as deep and confusing as the Bible itself. Angel rooms, devil deals, tainted characters, and multiple endings make it clear that Isaac’s life is basically the Book of Job, but with more flies and less divine consolation.

Repentance, the final DLC, is like the apocalyptic sequel to the game’s gospel. It adds new bosses, levels, and a true ending so intense it makes the Book of Revelations feel like a bedtime story. By the time you unlock everything, you’ll have pondered the nature of sin, redemption, and why there’s so much poop in this game.

Graphics and Atmosphere: And It Was... Grotesque
The visuals are like a medieval fresco painted by a monk who ate too many psychedelic mushrooms. It’s colorful, grotesque, and oddly charming. The monsters are biblical plagues personified—flies, locusts, and pestilence abound. If the Ten Commandments included "Thou shalt not design creepy bosses," the developers missed that memo.

The soundtrack, composed by the angelic Danny Baranowsky (and others for the DLCs), is a celestial choir of despair and triumph. It’ll stick with you like a psalm sung on repeat during a very long church service.

Difficulty: Thy Cup Runneth Over
Make no mistake: this game will smite thee. Even on your best runs, RNGesus might deny you good items, leaving you to suffer like a desert wanderer without manna. But when the stars align—when you get Brimstone and Sacred Heart in the same run—it feels like the heavens themselves have opened.

With the DLCs, the difficulty reaches new heights. Tainted characters and alternate floors are like the Book of Leviticus: punishing and filled with strange rules you barely understand. And the new bosses? Abaddon himself would hesitate to face some of these monstrosities.

The DLCs: Lo, They Are Abundant
Each DLC adds more layers to this already rich scripture:

Afterbirth: Adds new items, bosses, and the Greed mode—a brutal trial where you hoard coins like Judas counting his silver.
Afterbirth+: Brings mod support and even more chaos, as if the Tower of Babel wasn’t confusing enough.
Repentance: The magnum opus. It’s the Apocalypse of Isaac, complete with alternate paths, new endings, and content so vast it feels like the game was resurrected.
Together, these DLCs make the base game feel like the Old Testament: foundational, but incomplete without the New Testament’s promised fulfillment.

Final Verdict: The Good News for Roguelike Fans
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (with all DLCs) is a roguelike epiphany. It’s endlessly replayable, darkly hilarious, and rich with biblical references twisted into something both horrifying and delightful. Whether you’re smiting foes with angelic power or selling your soul for a devil deal, every run feels like a pilgrimage toward enlightenment—or at least the next absurd boss fight.

Rating: 10/10 Golden Trinkets
(One deducted for making me question my salvation every time I enter a devil room, but added back because it’s fun to shoot lasers out of my face.)

Blessed is the gamer who picks up this game, for theirs is the kingdom of Isaac. Amen, and pass the Brimstone.

Waste of time, waste your life to play thousands of runs to unlock thousands of items and unlock special characters and to win this game.

Great game now with the onliojne ulit paayer game it even netter no wayyy been year bujt im ready to copm backl hehhehe

Reviewing because I hit 100 hours of playtime. This is the first roguelike I've ever played and it doesn't seem like I'll be putting it down anytime soon. At the time of writing this , I've still got a lot of content to go through and items to unlock, and the DLCs add even more stuff apparently. Looking forward to getting them! The game is fantastic~

very good i recomebd playing ina dark enviroment and with a few spare candles

One of the best games I have ever played, probably the best Rogue-like game out there in my opinion. It just has SO many items and fun synergies, also this new update is really amazing... buffed a bunch of useless items into actually fun/viable items and the co-op is actually so much fun to play. Going for DEAD GOD took me almost 500 hours and you would think after hundreds of hours on the same game you would get burnt out but I never did, it was fun the whole time. I can't recommend this game enough!

Best game for autistic people. Mods make it even better. (That's a compliment. I'm addicted.) Almost endless possibilities.

New online achievements are trash. Should not lose my perfect steam achievement for this game because of this shit

Grew up with this game and probably shouldnt have lol. Its in my opinion the best rogue like out there buy it. I dont suggest buying all the dlc first buy rebirth and play through it then, if you like it a lot buy afterbirth and repentance.
wonderful game

This game is AMAZING. TONS of replayability.

I have never put this game down since the original flash version. I never played with external item description when I was new, and learning about every item and unlock was one of the reasons I feel so attached to this game. The most luck based rogue like, but that's why there is an 'r key'-- oh yeah and there are just some items that are just bad.

This has to be the game I come back to the most, and I think you should too.

Unlocking all the good items because an incredible chore with the amount of bloated tear effects with no actual increase in damage. Have fun with cubes of meat and bandage balls more often than you want.

This game will make you develop a love and hate relationship with it. The Binding of Isaac is like a dysfunctional relationship between you and your ex. It either gives you good items and everything that you need or beats the hell out of you harder than your step dad coming home after drinking four packs of beer and hitting your head over with an empty bottle asking for more beer.

10/10 rougelike, its still a good banger game. Get this game and it's DLCs as soon as possible if you get a chance.

Around 250 hours across 3 platforms so far, haven't got close to finding all secrets, items or endings. Game is immense value for money and the update should make it even better!

cant freaking way to play this online with my gf! ^^ 10/10 game now with freaking online multiplayer?? totally worth it

if u wanna 100% a game, this is your best and worse option

After hundreds if not thousands of hours on console I finally got this game again on PC. Easily one of the best rougelike games you can play or find on steam. No run will ever be like the previous.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

please make fourth DLC where i can beat up isaac's bum ass father

Beat it for the first time and I'm still playing directly afterwards. Fun game. It's THE roguelike so do yourself a favor and just get it. 'Nuff said. Worst case you just have a copy of The Binding of Isaac you don't use.

one of the few games which i pirated and then gladly bought and rebeat. hands down the best roguelike you'll ever witness, with years worth of content, story and optimisation (and now even more upcoming) Isaac remains as one of my favourites to this very day

youll ruin your life by playing this game and you will want to become back your money

Jokes aside, I've played this for a couple months before FINALLY getting this + all 3 DLC on Steam. This game is pretty neat and touches on a subject that's practically a no man's land: religious trauma. While not that super focused on since you'll be focused on how your run will go and how you'll want to unlock the next shiny item anyway, I personally relate to Isaac in a sense.

(But yes, keyboards & desks should prepare for any physical abuse that's about to happen as a direct result of playing this game)

Movement and shooting can feel floaty at the beginning, but you'll get used to it. This game's reputation is very well deserved. It's so easy to pick up and play, and there's just layers upon layers upon layers for you to explore. I played just the base game for ~75 hours, dropped it and then recently purchased the Afterbirth DLC to play with a new save. Feels like a new game again. There's two more DLCs I can repeat this with :P

This is a good candidate for a "forever" game basically that you don't need to be a try-hard to enjoy. I recommend getting the mod to see item descriptions after you've played enough of it blind. It gets too tedious remembering/looking up descriptions of each item when there's so many of them.

So, solid recommendation overall. I do think it does not deliver the same sort of highs as something more focused like Spelunky can, but it will engage you for way, way longer.

This game is like the binding of issac rebirth. I just recently bought the binding of issac repentance so these games are very similar 10/10 i would reccomend if you like the binding of issac rebirth

Edmund McMillen, you absolute legend.
You crafted a masterpiece with The Binding of Isaac.
It's mind-bendingly good, this gem of a game.
Every penny spent was worth it, and I'd happily buy it again.
I hope in your next life you're showered in with endless praise on an artist's paradise farm you genious.

I just recently bought this game after watching a friend play- and my god is this game fun. It's really cool seeing how long this game has been around for and just seeing all of the new things still being added on! Honestly a super fun dungeon crawler!

Edmund McMillen, you little badass!
You made a piece of master with your perfect Isaac. It's fucking great this awesome game!
I will become shake your hand!
I hope in your next time a person, on a better planet, you amazing person!

Steam should really add some kind of "Mixed Feelings" option for reviews. I'm giving this a negative review because I personally don't enjoy it, but I don't quite think it's a "bad" game and it's not something I would warn people away from or anything. And I do think there are plenty of good things to say about it.

I know it's weird to only realize this after 455 hours, but I'm starting to think that I don't like this game.

My main problem is how luck plays such a huge factor in your success. Worse, it the main determiner of whether or not the game is fun. Playing this game feels like playing a slot machine; the only time your having fun is when you're getting lucky. And you will be unlucky very often, to the point that it feels like the majority of the time.

If you happen to not get any DPS upgrades, which is a common occurrence, the game will be extremely frustrating and unsatisfying. If you get Curse of the Blind (which happens at random) and you decide to pick up an item, you can easily end up with some worse-than-useless item that ruins your run. Sometimes you'll just never get keys for the shops or item rooms. This is especially bad for new players, since most of the good items are locked behind achievements.

This is compounded by the fact that the enemies and bosses are just downright obnoxious. I'm sure part of this is just that I suck, but many of the enemies and bosses range from unfun to fight to annoying to straight up bullshit. If you have a strong run it's not that bad, but if you have a mediocre or god-forbid a bad run, then the enemies that suddenly leap across entire rooms in random directions or teleport on top of you or fire lasers in unpredictable patterns will really start to grate on your patience.

So why did I play this game for so long when it's so frustrating? Because, much like a slot machine, it's undeniably addictive. Because when you finally DO get a good run, it feels awesome. Getting Tammy's Head + Brimstone in Isaac is like the vidyagaming equivalent of getting 4 aces in Poker.
But, for me, those highs just aren't making up for the lows anymore.

One of the best games ever made. It is the perfect combination of simple game design and complex items. Has extremely good replayability. It will also get online coop soon.

i love the binding of isaac it is the best game i have ever played i think. please get tboi NOW! you will not regret binding your get your binding of isaac

Ive purchased this game on 2 separate steam accounts. On my switch. And on my Xbox. Logged hundreds of hours over all the platforms. A masterpiece. Truly one of the best games ever made.

playing this game because an old friend used to stream it to me now ima finish the game for him LOL
he was the chillest dude i knew :}
this games hella fun

Very nice rogue like game with alot of suprises. Gross but fun to play !!!

If I could fuck a game, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth would be "the one." It’s not just that it’s endlessly fun—it has an allure that keeps you coming back for more, over and over again. Something about its twisted art style, dark humor, and the thrill of never knowing what’s coming next makes it insanely attractive to anyone who loves a good challenge.

With hundreds of items, secrets, and bizarre synergies, the game rewards curiosity and patience in ways I didn’t know I craved. Each item you pick up can alter your playstyle entirely, adding new abilities, bizarre effects, or jaw-dropping combinations that make your character look—and feel—stronger, stranger, and cooler.

This is one game that doesn’t just hook you—it draws you in, keeps you, and somehow becomes more fascinating the deeper you go. Every successful run makes me feel like a genius, while every failed run teaches me to be better. Plus, if you’re a fan of dark themes and unpredictable gameplay, Isaac has charm in spades.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself obsessing over just “one more run” every time you play—The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is gaming at its most alluring, seductive best!
I wanna fuck the mom.

Best roguelike I've ever played by far. The game is replayable as hell, I have a feeling its easy to get thousands of hours in this game if not tens of thousands.