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User reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (28,300 reviews)
Release Date: 28 Sep, 2011

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Buy The Binding of Isaac

Packages that include this game

Buy The Binding of Isaac Collection

Includes 2 items: The Binding of Isaac, Binding of Isaac: Wrath of the Lamb

 

Recommended By Curators

""Like the 2D Legend of Zelda dungeons, mixed with the bible. Not the funky Jesus bit at the end, I'm talking about the fun bit where it's all BURNING!""
Read the full review here.

About This Game

When Isaac’s mother starts hearing the voice of God demanding a sacrifice be made to prove her faith, Isaac escapes into the basement facing droves of deranged enemies, lost brothers and sisters, his fears, and eventually his mother.
The Binding of Isaac is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety.

Key features:

  • Randomly generated dungeons, items enemies and bosses, you never play the same game twice.
  • Over 100 unique items that not only give you powers but visually change your character.
  • 50+ enemy types each with the ability to become "special" making them extra deadly but they also drop better loot.
  • Over 20 bosses.
  • 4 full chapters spanning 8 levels
  • 3+ unlockable classes
  • Multiple endings
  • Tons of unlockable items, enemies, bosses and more.

System Requirements

Windows
Mac OS X
    • OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7
    • Processor: 2.5 GHz
    • Memory: 1GB
    • Hard Disk Space: 50MB
    • Video Card: Direct X9.0c Compatible Card
    • DirectX®: DirectX® 9.0c
    • OS: OS X version Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later.
    • Processor: Intel Mac 2.5 GHz
    • Memory: 1GB
    • Hard Disk Space: 50MB
Helpful customer reviews
1,531 of 1,825 people (84%) found this review helpful
3.8 hrs on record
Posted: 11 October
>stroll into my local GameStop
>looking to pick up a copy of Binding of Isaac
>grab the game and take it to the charming maiden at the register
>"Pardon me, milady...but could you ring me up? A shame I don't have your number or I'd ring you up instead..."
>she giggles and takes the game, blushing as her fingers brush mine due to my fingerless gloves
>her eyes widen as she reads the game's title
>"Wow, I've never seen anyone buy this before! You must have special taste!"
>I smile and ready a witty response when suddenly a voice rings out from behind
>"Hahaha look at what this ♥♥♥♥♥♥ is buying! That's not Call of Duty! What a piece of ♥♥♥♥!"
>I quickly turn around, my cloak billowing behind me, to discern the source of the rude outburst
>generic dudebro caricature with a sports team cap and "the guy that beat you up that one time behind the school in early October" shirt is standing there guffawing
>"Excuse me sir...you may disparage my person if you wish, but it is untoward to swear in front of a lady."
>"♥♥♥♥ you ♥♥♥♥♥♥!"
>I smile quietly and tip my fedora low across my eyes, concealing them
>"As you wish..."
>I quickly swing my cane into his kneecap before he can react
>he bellows and charges forward
>I expertly sidestep him and the cashier screams as he crashes into the counter
>I draw my sword-cane and mutter a quiet oath as I drive it deep into his back
>"...requiescat in pace..."
>As I clean my blade the girl walks out from behind the counter, twirling her hair with her fingers
>"So...maybe you'd like to come over to my place to play that game sometime...?
>"No thanks, milady, it's single player only. Besides..."
>I sheath my sword
>"You're not my type."
>skate away on my Heelys
Was this review helpful? Yes No
876 of 1,069 people (82%) found this review helpful
19.8 hrs on record
Posted: 12 November
>stroll into my local GameStop
>looking to pick up a copy of The Binding of Isaac
>grab the game and take it to the charming maiden at the register
>"Pardon me, milady...but could you ring me up? A shame I don't have your number or I'd ring you up instead..."
>she giggles and takes the game, blushing as her fingers brush mine due to my fingerless gloves
>her eyes widen as she reads the game's title
>"Wow, I've never seen anyone buy this before! You must have special taste!"
>I smile and ready a witty response when suddenly a voice rings out from behind
>"Hahaha look at what this ♥♥♥♥♥♥ is buying! That's not Call of Duty Advanced Memefare! What a piece of ♥♥♥♥!"
>I quickly turn around, my cloak billowing behind me, to discern the source of the rude outburst
>generic dudebro caricature with a sports team cap and "the guy that beat you up that one time behind the school in early October" shirt is standing there guffawing
>"Excuse me sir...you may disparage my person if you wish, but it is untoward to swear in front of a lady."
>"♥♥♥♥ you ♥♥♥♥♥♥!"
>I smile quietly and tip my fedora low across my eyes, concealing them
>"As you wish..."
>I quickly swing my cane into his kneecap before he can react
>he bellows and charges forward
>I expertly sidestep him and the cashier screams as he crashes into the counter
>I draw my sword-cane and mutter a quiet oath as I drive it deep into his back
>"...requiescat in pace..."
>As I clean my blade the girl walks out from behind the counter, twirling her hair with her fingers
>"So...maybe you'd like to come over to my place to play that game sometime...?
>"No thanks, milady, it's single player only. Besides..."
>I sheath my sword
>"You're not my type."
>skate away on my Heelys
Was this review helpful? Yes No
226 of 268 people (84%) found this review helpful
56.2 hrs on record
Posted: 26 October
I hate this game and it hates me, but dammit I can't stop playing it.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
564 of 757 people (75%) found this review helpful
56.2 hrs on record
Posted: 12 August
Wander naked in your mothers basement, cry a lot and cosplay with whatever items you find.

Great neckbeard simulator.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
104 of 115 people (90%) found this review helpful
204.3 hrs on record
Posted: 15 October
A stream-lined rouge-like, filled with morbid imagery and religious overtones. Gratifying combat and a punishing yet fair system of bosses and enemies. The few glitches that it holds are more than made up or with a mind bending story, compelling social commentary and a wonderful community.

Pros- Consistent, skill based combat
- A multitude of bosses and enemies
- Hundreds of items (Each with their own individual effects)
- Different characters supporting multiple playstyles
- Complex metagame to master

Cons- Glitchy
- Learning curve like a brick wall
- Extremely punishing of mistakes and deaths
- Thick subtext (Overkill at time [Having to literally kill yourself as a boss])

A rewarding experience which captures the journey so perfectly, the destination is rendered irrelevent.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
240 of 312 people (77%) found this review helpful
104.9 hrs on record
Posted: 4 September
The only game where you are happy about having cancer.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
106 of 124 people (85%) found this review helpful
4.8 hrs on record
Posted: 2 November
-
Click for Gameplay Trailer - Review
-
Players control young protagonist Isaac, escaping his fanatically Christian mother. Upon hearing sacred words from the Lord, she attempts to play Abraham and sacrifice her son for the greater good. Escaping through his home's scary basement, Isaac has only his many tears to defend himself against not only his mother, but legions of creepy-crawlies and some other genuinely disturbing monsters.

Gross humor and questionable setting aside, The Binding of Isaac still has a certain graphical charm. You’ll notice the fluidity of animation more than anything else, though the actual environments are still well-done – a cut above the Super Nintendo Zelda era the game very consciously tries to spoof.

Speaking of audio, the game has very good music for setting the mood. The sound effects are passable, with some of the sounds of the tormented child-monsters being appropriately disturbing.

Each visit to The Binding of Isaac develops organically into a distinctive experience. The game possesses a huge array of weapons, power-ups, monsters, mini-bosses, treasures, and traps. Even if you conquer all of the dungeons on a given playthrough, you'll only see a fraction of the possibilities.
The power-ups that affect said tears come in many forms, want to cry faster? Pick up the Sad Onion. Want to cry harder? Pick up a dead puppy's head. Want to cry farther? Why, pick up Mom's Lipstick, her Underwear, or her Heels.
You have flies orbiting you and protect you from most projectiles and trusty meatboy running around the room and eating your enemies while you cower in fear in a corner, or you run around black as hell itself with your psychic powers guiding your hunka big ♥♥♥ tears right into your enemies with a poop on your head so all them unfriendly flies love you.

Isaac's only given three hearts-worth of life to begin with and once that's gone, it's game over; you lose all your progress and have to start over again without health upgrades, weapons or collectibles. Perma-death adds suspense and randomly-generated content provides a lot of replayability. On the other hand, the fact that your potential for beating the game is ultimately dependent on the luck of the draw can be more than a little frustrating. I beat the game only once in 4 hours. YES im very bad :)

This is one of those games which is easy to learn, yet hard to master!
The Binding of Isaa is so cleverly designed and so deliciously replayable that I cant stop to play. i love it!


Sorry for my bad english. This is my review account, because the low playtime.
Thanks for reading! If you Like my Review, give me a Thumbs up in Steam.
Your help is greatly appreciated :)

My Curator Page:Sub
My Steam Group:GameTrailers and Reviews
My YouTube Channel:Steam Reviews
Was this review helpful? Yes No
197 of 278 people (71%) found this review helpful
8.2 hrs on record
Posted: 27 October
Got killed by a fly

11/10
Was this review helpful? Yes No
96 of 126 people (76%) found this review helpful
74.9 hrs on record
Posted: 2 November
Good until you lose and then you go into an intense mental breakdown.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
81 of 108 people (75%) found this review helpful
9.4 hrs on record
Posted: 3 November
You are a naked child that walks on ♥♥♥♥, while crying and running from your mom that wants to kill you, because Jesus demands it.

Child Life Simulator: Biblical Version
Was this review helpful? Yes No
350 of 537 people (65%) found this review helpful
261.1 hrs on record
Posted: 13 June
A deformed boy shoots tears at slabs of meat in his mom's uterus.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
189 of 281 people (67%) found this review helpful
5.8 hrs on record
Posted: 3 November
I don't know what to write as a review for this game so instead here is a recepie on how to make a pancake, enjoy c;

Basic pancakes recipe
A delicious and easy pancake recipe that is fast to get on the table and better tasting than any convenience pre- packaged mix.

Serving Size:
8

Category:
Basic recipes, Breakfast, Budget, Cakes & Baking, Dessert, Easy recipes, Kids cooking, Kids food, Lunch box, Pancake recipes, Snacks

Prep Time:
5 mins

Cook Time:
10 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
50g butter, melted
Method:
In a bowl mix flour and sugar.

Beat in the egg and then milk at little at a time until batter is smooth and lump-free.

In a hot pan or flat grill, brush butter over cooking surface and pour 1/4 cup measures for each pancake.

When large bubbles form on the surface, flip over and cook until lightly golden on the other side.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
40 of 44 people (91%) found this review helpful
300.0 hrs on record
Posted: 19 November
What can I say about The Binding of Isaac. This is by far the best indie games of 2011 I have played. Old school NES Fans, you will not be disappointed. This game has a somewhat resemblance to The Legend of Zelda's dungeons. Even newer gamers will appreciate this addicting, simple yet complex Rogue-Shooter. Coming from the makers of Super Meat Boy, this is a sad comedic gore fest full of surprises. Note that You will die a lot at first but as you keep playing, there are a lot of things to unlock and discover. This game's price value is also a must get for your steam game collection. At 4,99€ you can't go wrong no matter what. Dungeons filled with disgusting and gory, yet funny and sad enemies, will leave you wanting more and more. I found myself a lot of times putting other games aside to go play this game. I will end this review short and simple.

A little game with some really good working dark humor. It's very difficult but that's what makes it lasts for soo long. Very addictive game with a high replay rate.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
88 of 124 people (71%) found this review helpful
16.8 hrs on record
Posted: 19 October
Play this game. Die. Play again. Die again. Repeat until satisfied.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
34 of 39 people (87%) found this review helpful
15.1 hrs on record
Posted: 10 October
I love this game! This is one of the best games I've ever played. This game gets even more fun when you download the Community Remix mod to play this. I have most of my hours in the Community Remix mod.

This game is epic and nothing but flawless victory, but there are cons which is a minor part:

Pros:
+Great design
+Unique art-style
+Epic combinations of items (gets better in Rebirth)
+Challenges
+Many endings
+Epic soundtracks by Danny Baranowski
+Gives great challenge
+Humorous sound effects, as well as epic ones

Is good and bad:
+/-Is extremely hard on the beginning, but gets easier overtime once you get used to stuff
+/-Some bosses are easy to abuse with some item combos

Cons:
-Is extremely frustrating sometimes
-Overall a bit limited once you've played enough (but this is normal for any game)
-Wave of bullets is literally impossible to dodge from the gaps of them because of hitbox
-Flies

Little breaks sometimes are highly recommended, because it makes it extremely frustrating if you play it alot and keep constantly failing, because failing is a part of games like this.

Would recommend to anyone who likes to have a challenge.

9.5/10 dying often makes you have a feel of banging your head to the keyboard and scream for help.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
65 of 91 people (71%) found this review helpful
69.2 hrs on record
Posted: 14 September
How to play:
1. Get good items
2. Pass half of the game
3. Died by random spider/fly
4. RAGEQUIT
Was this review helpful? Yes No
45 of 59 people (76%) found this review helpful
25.3 hrs on record
Posted: 28 September
Found a cat head, and a paw, was super op, killed anything i fought, died to my own bomb.

10/10
Was this review helpful? Yes No
26 of 28 people (93%) found this review helpful
25.5 hrs on record
Posted: 21 November
Turned into a flying, demonic, crying god that had shotgun tears. Got killed by a fly. 10/10
Was this review helpful? Yes No
24 of 27 people (89%) found this review helpful
19.3 hrs on record
Posted: 24 November
Few games can truly claim to walk the fine line between fun and frustration as much as The Binding of Isaac, another hellishly difficult title from Edmund McMillen: the man behind Super Meat Boy. It’s a title that delights in pushing players to the point where they want to start taking swings at their computer before attempting another round guiding its titular tyke through a series of nightmarish and randomized dungeons.

A brief animated intro sets up the threadbare plot: Isaac is a young boy living a happy life at home with his mom until she starts hearing the voice of God and hiding him from the evils of the world. It isn’t long until Isaac is permanently locked in his room and awaiting execution at the hands of his mother at the almighty’s behest. Escaping into the basement, Isaac begins his bizarre journey.

The Binding of Isaac somehow manages to be disturbing as it is endearing with its balance of gruesome monsters and matching setting with its adorable, wide-eyed sprites. Dungeons are splashed in every foul bodily fluid imaginable—blood, guts, tears, urine, and even an uncomfortable amount of feces. Imagine Hellraiser filmed through the lens of a Saturday morning cartoon for kids. The bestiary is equally grotesque. Armies of maggots and flies are frequent foes, and headless children spewing fountains of blood from their necks are a common sight.

Bosses take things a distasteful step forward: fetuses, conjoined twins, fat slugs urinating on the floor, and even Isaac’s mother are just a few of the end-level bosses that need to be dealt with. Keep in mind that the protagonist is also a perpetually-naked boy using his tears as projectiles. The Binding of Isaac is a pretty sick game with aesthetics that would appeal to one’s inner horror fan and Splatterhouse enthusiast. It isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, but those that enjoyed Super Meat Boy are probably going to find themselves like McMillen’s perverted sense of style.

Since the dungeons are randomized, there’s no telling what you’re going to find whether it be a useful power-up or more monsters. This makes memorization of each level impossible and keeps the experience fresh every time. On the downside, this means success depends on good luck and players will often lose because they were dealt a bad hand. Every time Isaac dies, players wind up right back at the start of the game and even the most patient of individuals will become infuriated by such a design choice. After putting in so much effort and acquiring a myriad of useful abilities, it feels way too harsh.

The randomness extends to the power-ups themselves, as there are well over a hundred of them and they don’t always have the expected effect. Some even hurt Isaac and if used in a tight spot are going to guarantee death. At the very least, they can be used in conjunction with other power ups and there’s not much of a limit on how many of them can be used at the same time. Still, there’s nothing worse than getting bad power-ups and items with no end in sight. At that point, it’s probably best to just quit and start again.

There’s even some replayability to the title with extra characters that can be unlocked and a bit of exploring to see if there’s anything particularly useful in a given dungeon. The Binding of Isaac is a purposefully short title designed to be played many times over, not just due to its unforgiving nature, that will yield a surprise here and there when players think they’re seen everything. Its ability to keep you guessing is its greatest strength and weakness as it violently seesaws between an enjoyable 2D romp and unbridled frustration.

The Binding of Isaac is not for those that are easily deterred, and it’s a safe bet that any Super Meat Boy fans are going to sink their teeth into it. For such a small title, there’s a lot of content packed into it and it’s an experience that isn’t always the same from one playthrough to the next. Players will question whether it was their own skill that carried them through to the end or if it was sheer luck, but regardless of the difficulty it’s an approachable game with a unique charm that boils blood just as easily as it encourages laughter at Isaac’s cartoonish spectacle of childhood trauma.

10/10 - MUST PLAY - Highly Recommended

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Was this review helpful? Yes No
138 of 223 people (62%) found this review helpful
91.5 hrs on record
Posted: 20 July
Went inside my mom's vag and cried on her heart until it exploded.

11/10.
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