The Binding of Isaac

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1122 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 898 out of 1122
  2. Mixed: 148 out of 1122
  3. Negative: 76 out of 1122

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  1. JaydenPickens
    May 22, 2019
    4
    My friend recommended this game to me and It's just not my kind of thing. Did not enjoy the gameplay... guess I don't like roguelikes. I will be avoiding such games, so I won't waste my time on this kind of garbage. Pickens condemns.
  2. Kackur
    Oct 31, 2011
    4
    If you enjoy mashing your keyboard or find poop and blood to be a refreshing stylistic feature you may briefly enjoy this game. However, if that's not the case I suggest you pass this game by. The gameplay is mindnumbingly uninteresting. The style of this game while somewhat unique is rather lame. Controls are horrible, you basically just mash the keyboard. The use of a gamepad isn'tIf you enjoy mashing your keyboard or find poop and blood to be a refreshing stylistic feature you may briefly enjoy this game. However, if that's not the case I suggest you pass this game by. The gameplay is mindnumbingly uninteresting. The style of this game while somewhat unique is rather lame. Controls are horrible, you basically just mash the keyboard. The use of a gamepad isn't support, the menu system itself points you towards using another peice of software to map your keyboard keys to a gamepad. Now that's just lazy programming. Don't let the high score fool you. People have a tendency to over compensate when rating inexpensive games. This game has only two things going for it in my opinion. First the introductory sequence is enjoyable, but only so much as anyother well done flash animation. Which makes sense since it is a flash animation. Second it is hard. Which is refreshing in this day and age of super easy hand holding games. However forcing you to reply the same boring game play over and over each time you die beings to quicly feal like torture. 0.99 would be a far better price as the content much more closly resembles a smartphone app priced at that level.… Expand
  3. Brumbek
    Jan 2, 2012
    3
    A few fun ideas but the lazy design ruins it. This should have been a free flash game because although it has a passing resemblance to Zelda, it's shallow and frustrating. There's barely any UI, no explanation for items (and some even kill you with no warning), no ability to save, and it is random to a fault. You have to keep playing it over and over to basically memorize how enemies fightA few fun ideas but the lazy design ruins it. This should have been a free flash game because although it has a passing resemblance to Zelda, it's shallow and frustrating. There's barely any UI, no explanation for items (and some even kill you with no warning), no ability to save, and it is random to a fault. You have to keep playing it over and over to basically memorize how enemies fight and what items do. This could have been great if it was fleshed out into a proper game. I get wanting a "hardcore" game, but this is just sloppy. As it is now, the creator opted for lazy, pathetic design not worthy of the $1.25 I paid for it.… Expand
  4. SoylentHolger
    Dec 1, 2011
    2
    I bought this game after masses of positive critics. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. The story is kinda cute, but this game does not motivate me to play longer than two or three hours.
  5. HarryWebbinger
    Nov 3, 2011
    2
    A flash game ,but nothing of it reminds me on super meat boy, which has an extraordinary control !
    the music and sounds are not very likeable. The idea is a strange story with strange figures.
    You can see hanged figures on rooms where to buy or upgrade. I don´t find it culty or very original. the controls is extremely rubbish espec. when more than 2 enemys are to fight... in    A flash game ,but nothing of it reminds me on super meat boy, which has an extraordinary control !
    the music and sounds are not very likeable. The idea is a strange story with strange figures.
    You can see hanged figures on rooms where to buy or upgrade. I don´t find it culty or very original.
    the controls is extremely rubbish espec. when more than 2 enemys are to fight... in the forum people mean it´s, because of flash programming...Sorry, but I don´t understand the hype of Isaak dying on & on    … Expand
  6. Greggor
    Dec 29, 2011
    4
    I gave this game an honest try for approximately two hours of uninterrupted gameplay, and I must say that I remain unimpressed. The exploration is reminiscent of old-school roguelike games (like ADOM or Nethack), and the combat is reminiscent of old-school Zelda games, only with shooting. The story is slightly interesting, but not anywhere detailed enough to call it a major aspect of theI gave this game an honest try for approximately two hours of uninterrupted gameplay, and I must say that I remain unimpressed. The exploration is reminiscent of old-school roguelike games (like ADOM or Nethack), and the combat is reminiscent of old-school Zelda games, only with shooting. The story is slightly interesting, but not anywhere detailed enough to call it a major aspect of the game. So what you get, in the end, is a mediocre shooter-game with some RPG elements. Unfortunately, as modern games evolved to become more gamer-friendly, this one didn't seem to get the message. It's extremely punishing and unforgiving of mistakes. You die, whatever the circumstances, and you start over from scratch. No continues, no extra lives, nothing. You don't even restart the same level; you restart the game. Add that to the fact that the game is completely and entirely random and you get some levels that are painfully easy and some that are painfully difficult, and it's a complete matter of luck as to whether or not you can finish the game. I didn't have the patience to keep trying because the game didn't lure me in. It's sad. I really wanted to like this game, but I cannot, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone.… Expand
  7. Tweed
    Oct 3, 2011
    2
    A poor marriage of Legend of Zelda, Nethack, and Smash TV that's sure to appeal to younger gamers with it's immature grotesque art style, "dark and edgy" plotline and atmosphere sure to offend mommy and daddy, and deceptive advertisement of randomly generated levels that all start to feel similar after about the third play through. The poor control design control makes it difficult to useA poor marriage of Legend of Zelda, Nethack, and Smash TV that's sure to appeal to younger gamers with it's immature grotesque art style, "dark and edgy" plotline and atmosphere sure to offend mommy and daddy, and deceptive advertisement of randomly generated levels that all start to feel similar after about the third play through. The poor control design control makes it difficult to use power ups on the fly, none of which are detailed at all which leaves the player guessing in the middle of combat about what each ones does, this wouldn't be such an issue except that there is no continue feature which makes for frustrating gameplay.

    The only real redeemable feature about the game is the soundtrack, otherwise this title should have simply been released directly to Newgrounds. If poop jokes, fecal filled dungeons, urine spewing bosses, fetus sidekicks, severed cat heads as well as dirty maxi pad powerups, item collecting and achievement hunting are your idea of the makings of a good game then you won't find better than this one, otherwise look elsewhere.    … Expand
  8. GhostROF1DooM
    Nov 8, 2011
    3
    Compared to other 'flash' games like Castle Crashers you see how boring this game really is. Unless you really love **** blood and dungeons, give this crap a miss
  9. hit925
    Nov 22, 2011
    4
    I loved Super Meat Boy but I hate this. The shooting is so generic. Super Meat Boy felt like a properly brilliant game despite essentially being a Flash game and I felt like it was worth my money. This feels so unoriginal in its gameplay that it doesn't deserve a price, it should just be an online free flash game. Not to mention the fact that it is just twisted and just weird.....I don'tI loved Super Meat Boy but I hate this. The shooting is so generic. Super Meat Boy felt like a properly brilliant game despite essentially being a Flash game and I felt like it was worth my money. This feels so unoriginal in its gameplay that it doesn't deserve a price, it should just be an online free flash game. Not to mention the fact that it is just twisted and just weird.....I don't mind the violence but just....the weirdness..… Expand
  10. wallcat
    Nov 25, 2011
    1
    The goal is not obvious or interesting enough to keep you wanting to play. The controls are not very fun to use, and I find at first it can be confusing with the walk controls being A, S, W and D and the arrows keys being used to fire (sort of like rubbing your belly and patting your head.) I am also not a fan of the music or grotesque art style which felt very immature and did my eyes in.The goal is not obvious or interesting enough to keep you wanting to play. The controls are not very fun to use, and I find at first it can be confusing with the walk controls being A, S, W and D and the arrows keys being used to fire (sort of like rubbing your belly and patting your head.) I am also not a fan of the music or grotesque art style which felt very immature and did my eyes in. Was recommended it by a friend, but the only perks selling this game seem to be the difficulty and randomly generated rooms, which in my opinion are also below par.… Expand
  11. Geed
    Apr 12, 2012
    3
    This game plays frustrating and not in that good way that makes you want to keep playing. Controls are shoddy and unplayable when there are too many characters on screen and it has some of the worst randomizations I have ever seen in a game and I've played video games for 35 years. Even when you build up a decent offensive, inevitably the controls will screw up and cost you most of yourThis game plays frustrating and not in that good way that makes you want to keep playing. Controls are shoddy and unplayable when there are too many characters on screen and it has some of the worst randomizations I have ever seen in a game and I've played video games for 35 years. Even when you build up a decent offensive, inevitably the controls will screw up and cost you most of your hearts. It's also silly you have to remember what all the pills do and even then, you on occasion get a different effect than you thought that color combo did. Giving it a 3. Needs some major fixes in the controls.… Expand
  12. upi
    Dec 19, 2012
    2
    If you are hoping to find a 21-century version of nethack, simply move on, there is nothing to see here. Nothing, that is, but ugly, uninspired graphics and badly designed mechanics. Some games are *good* because you are at the mercy of a Random Number God, but it takes good design and atmosphere to make that work.
  13. gabriot
    Jul 14, 2012
    2
    This game will make you rage, and for all the wrong reasons. Where do I begin... The idea of randomly generated dungeons is a good one... but it ends about right there. The level design in this game is ATROCIOUS! You wanna know the difference between a good game like Link to the Past and an awful one like Binding of Isaac? Everything has purpose in the dungeon. Not in BoS though, hereThis game will make you rage, and for all the wrong reasons. Where do I begin... The idea of randomly generated dungeons is a good one... but it ends about right there. The level design in this game is ATROCIOUS! You wanna know the difference between a good game like Link to the Past and an awful one like Binding of Isaac? Everything has purpose in the dungeon. Not in BoS though, here you'll have COUNTLESS play-throughs where there will be items and areas that are just completely in-accessible because of the way the dungeon is "designed". For instance, if you don't give even one key or bomb in the entire first dungeon, why oh WHY would you have a bunch of locked chests, boulders that block areas off, and locked doors? That's **** AWFUL design, and it's a complete cop-out to call this level of randomness a "feature". It's just lazy, sloppy programming at its finest. On top of that the powerups and items are so imbalanced that on some playthroughs I will go so far as to say that it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to beat it with what's given you. For instance, there are enemies in later dugeons that are so fast that if you didn't get enough speed upgrades (or got screwed by pills or items that permanently slow you) you will have NO CHANCE of outrunning them, and thus cannot beat them without taking TONS of damage. Moreover, if you didn't get proper firepower upgrades randomly generated for you, there will be rooms with hordes of beasts that can't actually be beaten. That is **** INEXCUSABLE. That doesn't scream "feature" to me, it screams "MAJOR DESIGN FLAW" to me. Most enemies can fire diagonally, but you can't. Your best bet is to slightly angle your shots by running in the direction. It's just plain awful, and there are SO many god damn things that can screw you over in this game. For instance if you beat a boss and happen to be standing on the place where the "stairs" open up, you immediately get thrust into the next level BEFORE you ever get a chance to collect your much needed powerup. This is also **** awful design, horrible horrible horrible horrible. Put a **** delay in at least for christ's sakes. Overall this game is just plain ass. There are not many redeeming qualities, it really should be a free game because I already regret the 1 dollar I spent on this piece of **** and the 20 bucks I'll have to pay to buy a new god damn keyboard from slamming it in frustration. **** this game and **** the developers for knowingly releasing such a piece of trash. Didn't the release Super Meat Boy? How did they go from THAT to THIS??!! Makes no sense, maybe they bumped their head somewhere along the way and got brain damage.

    Avoid this game at all costs, I am convinced the people who enjoy it don't actually enjoy it, but are rather buying into the hype because it's made by the SMB developers. If they took one god damned second to critically look at this game they'd realize how **** awfully designed it is.    … Expand
  14. drSpockwa
    May 4, 2013
    3
    The introductory movie was interesting and entertaining, but that is about all I can put in the pros column. The game play is something you'd see 15 years ago. I know, nostalgia is becoming all the rage, but it feels like a cop out that indie developers are using to put out poor production value. I'm not slamming all indie work, there is quite a bit of good stuff out there. Next, thisThe introductory movie was interesting and entertaining, but that is about all I can put in the pros column. The game play is something you'd see 15 years ago. I know, nostalgia is becoming all the rage, but it feels like a cop out that indie developers are using to put out poor production value. I'm not slamming all indie work, there is quite a bit of good stuff out there. Next, this is a rougelike. Again, I know rougelikes are becoming popular. But I just don't find it fun to loose all progress and start over from the beginning with a randomized map. It makes me feel like I wasted my time. I got a bit intrigued about the various items and collectibles, but you apparently have to use them to find out what they do, and even then I wasn't sure what happened. You can't jump on the Apple bandwagon of providing no user assistance, when your user interface is not intuitive. There may have been an interesting story here, but I'm not going to punish myself to unfold it.… Expand
  15. fhouse
    Oct 1, 2012
    1
    Very-very disappointed. Controls are bad. Shooting sucks with Joytokey either. The visuals are nice, but overall it's an unfair, almost completely luck based, cheap flash game. (Today I learned what "rouge like elements" mean.)
  16. Faundleroy
    Jan 3, 2013
    2
    There is a trend emerging in the last years for loving games just for them being hard. Be it "Dark Souls" (which is a great game in itself without taking the difficulty into account) or McMillen's previous hit "Super Meat Boy" (which also is a great game DUE to its very rewarding level of difficulty), and apparently this is the reason why everyone hails "The Binding of Isaac" as much asThere is a trend emerging in the last years for loving games just for them being hard. Be it "Dark Souls" (which is a great game in itself without taking the difficulty into account) or McMillen's previous hit "Super Meat Boy" (which also is a great game DUE to its very rewarding level of difficulty), and apparently this is the reason why everyone hails "The Binding of Isaac" as much as they do. However, there is a major flaw that keeps the difficulty from beeing rewarding: It is the system of randomization. While beeing a great asset in theory because it may increase the replayability, it just doesn't work out with a rogue-like game of this difficulty and in these dimensions. Rogue-like is usually all about trying out different builds, improving your strategies and skill and thus doing better and better in every try. In "The Binding of Isaac" however the majority of your runs will end so early that you aren't able to become any better, and that is not necessarily your fault. If you just get bad items on the first levels (or close to none because no keys dropped) and pick some of the harder bosses for the first level then you are going to have a very bad time. Also there is no choice of character build which means you are even more reliant to good drops. Another major problems is that many of the items have disadvantages that you don't know of before picking them up, and there is no way I know of to unequip picked up gear. The trinkets introduced in the expansion "Wrath of the Lamb" are even more of a pain in the butt because their effects are passive and it is incredibly hard to find out some of them. Some other items render a majority of dropps useless because they change your form.
    The general tone of the game is very dark and straight out nasty. While that may appeal to some, for me it is mindlessly provocant. I don't get the point of crying on turds and using a used and rotten sanitary napkin as weapon.
    The enemy design is good mechanics-wise and all have different patterns to accustom to, but the bosses all look generic. They are all just huge hunks of meat and/or maggots with some blood splattered in. Some of the bosses also require specific gear or they are incredibly hard, which is unfair considering that its just pure luck if you have said gear or not.
    In summary, I guess the majority of people loving the game so much in their reviews never played the games which "The Binding of Isaac" considers itself a homage to, and think it makes them some kind of retro-god to have finished the game. I for my part will just stick to "Dungeons of Dredmor" when I want some modernized piece of rogue-like. Or I will just play one of those old games instead.
    2 points is all I can give.    … Expand
  17. ColGamers
    Jan 20, 2013
    0
    As ColombiaGames said this game should be for a cell phone, the story makes no sense.

    for me 0 because you need to pay to 10 dollars for this game.0
  18. grbolivar
    Jun 18, 2013
    2
    WARNING: this game is luck-based, meaning you can beat it ONLY if you are extremely lucky, like the lottery. Most of the time (99%) the game is uber-difficult and almost unbeatable. There are only 5-6 levels to beat but at level 4, if you weren't lucky enough to get "good drops", the game gets insanely difficult and if you die you have to start over AGAIN, making this a total frustrationWARNING: this game is luck-based, meaning you can beat it ONLY if you are extremely lucky, like the lottery. Most of the time (99%) the game is uber-difficult and almost unbeatable. There are only 5-6 levels to beat but at level 4, if you weren't lucky enough to get "good drops", the game gets insanely difficult and if you die you have to start over AGAIN, making this a total frustration to play.

    I'm 8 hours in and I still can't pass level 4 and I haven't beat the game yet, and it's not because I suck at it, this game has little to do with skills, it's because "I'm not lucky enough" to get the essential drops that will help me kill a boss that fires constantly in 8 directions while jumping around dropping flies and vomiting acid, all at the same time, and you only have 2-3 hearts meaning you can only endure 2-6 hits before you are death.

    Very good game ruined by insane difficulty and luck-based chances of winning. Don't waste your time with this, specially if you like, you know, beat and see the endings of your games. It gets 2 points because of the concept, gameplay and good music.    … Expand
  19. SlyguyTheCritic
    Sep 30, 2013
    4
    The Binding of Isaac has a neat idea, but in the end it's not worthwhile and boring. Some people will like it, but I feel quite a few people will be bored to death with the simple combat, dumb story, dumb, pandering humour, and item drops which often feel unfair or stupid. Did I mention, the item drops often just result in the game taking a long time to beat, as opposed to making the gameThe Binding of Isaac has a neat idea, but in the end it's not worthwhile and boring. Some people will like it, but I feel quite a few people will be bored to death with the simple combat, dumb story, dumb, pandering humour, and item drops which often feel unfair or stupid. Did I mention, the item drops often just result in the game taking a long time to beat, as opposed to making the game harder? Yeah, it just gets boring for me. But, some people might get a kick out of it if they really really like rogue likes.… Expand
  20. Tulk
    Jul 30, 2013
    1
    I never understood the appeal of this game. The graphical theme is disgusting, to say the least. The atmosphere depressing. The gameplay is overly frantic. And nothing, nothing is explained to the user. Look, you found a thing. What does the thing do? We won't tell you! You have to play hundreds of hours to find out for yourself! On top of that, you get Steam achievements for findingI never understood the appeal of this game. The graphical theme is disgusting, to say the least. The atmosphere depressing. The gameplay is overly frantic. And nothing, nothing is explained to the user. Look, you found a thing. What does the thing do? We won't tell you! You have to play hundreds of hours to find out for yourself! On top of that, you get Steam achievements for finding random stuff. No skill involved, just luck. Look ma, I played this game for 200 hours until the random number generator gave me that elusive last achievement! Meh.… Expand
  21. debigman
    Aug 4, 2014
    0
    This game is so ridiculously difficult that it makes Dark Souls set on hard look like a kid's game. You can expect to live about 3 or 4 minutes on average. I don't know how people can think this is a good game when you can only play 3 minutes before dying. It is not even fair how poor the controls are. You have basically no chance to win. Look at the stats. On Steam, 37% of the playersThis game is so ridiculously difficult that it makes Dark Souls set on hard look like a kid's game. You can expect to live about 3 or 4 minutes on average. I don't know how people can think this is a good game when you can only play 3 minutes before dying. It is not even fair how poor the controls are. You have basically no chance to win. Look at the stats. On Steam, 37% of the players couldn't even get the EASIEST of the 84 achievements. How sad is that? Unless you are a masochist, please don't waste your money.… Expand
  22. Draculamarth
    Nov 5, 2013
    2
    To the person who says that people who hate this game "don't get the concept of a roguelike", please stop talking. I've played roguelikes. Hell, Nethack is one of my favorite games of all time and I consider it the best RPG ever made (Keep crying, Skyrim and FFVII fanboys). This is nowhere close to a roguelike. For one thing, Roguelikes don't constantly rely entirely on luck. Skill has noTo the person who says that people who hate this game "don't get the concept of a roguelike", please stop talking. I've played roguelikes. Hell, Nethack is one of my favorite games of all time and I consider it the best RPG ever made (Keep crying, Skyrim and FFVII fanboys). This is nowhere close to a roguelike. For one thing, Roguelikes don't constantly rely entirely on luck. Skill has no place in The Binding of Isaac. They had to leave it out for more references to poop and Newgrounds videos. If you get dealt a bad hand, you can't make the most of it. You will get killed to the point of frustration. At least in Nethack, you rarely can blame the game for your bad playing.

    The graphics? Do I even need to explain why they are bad? I don't mean in an artistic sense, even. If you like naked formaldehyde babies in a "cutesy" art style, then you might like this game. Also, I never want to meet you. I mean in a technical view. It is literally made in Flash. Flash is an AWFUL animation program, especially when you want to look professional. You mean to tell me that Edmund McMillen couldn't use any of his Super Meat Boy money to buy actual animation software? How lazy is he?

    Speaking of Flash, did you know that this game is also CODED in Flash? So when your game crashes or has inconsistent performance (Achievement sounds loudly blaring when you turn off sound and music), thank Flash for that.

    The "indie sense of humor" (toilet humor and "funney innernet joeks") is in full. References to meme faces, poop, and a bunch of Newgrounds games make up the humor. It's like Epic Movie except people who aren't entrenched in internet culture won't get the jokes and nerds like it because it "appeals to them". Give me a break. Binding of Isaac sucks. It's $5 and often goes down to a buck. Not even worth it at that price. You can get a real roguelike like Nethack for free.    … Expand
  23. Nintendont
    Jan 23, 2015
    1
    This "Game" made me seriously consider quitting video games from its very dark thems and its barbaric depictions of mutilated babies. I'll give it a one because uninstalling it made me feel better. Lets try out the sequel!
  24. Moosegoat
    Dec 27, 2014
    1
    Shows potential if it's ever finished, having a lack of things like an exit button in the menu ... ??? seriously??? If you can get this game for $3-4, go for it, not worth anything more, too many real games out there to dive for this one.
  25. SilverOrlov
    Nov 30, 2019
    0
    I know that a lot of people liked the game. I watched and read reviews before the game, so I know and why all these people liked it ... but since this is my rating for my taste: This game is terrible ... all the meaning and surroundings that the author gave to the environment of Isaac, it was just disgusting. In all other aspects, if you are not repelled or vice versa, if you think that itI know that a lot of people liked the game. I watched and read reviews before the game, so I know and why all these people liked it ... but since this is my rating for my taste: This game is terrible ... all the meaning and surroundings that the author gave to the environment of Isaac, it was just disgusting. In all other aspects, if you are not repelled or vice versa, if you think that it is interesting and/or funny, you can try to play it.… Expand
  26. basegokufan400
    Feb 2, 2023
    0
    oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best PC Game of 2011
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. GamingXP
    Mar 19, 2012
    83
    The Binding of Isaac looks like an old school game like the original Zeldas, but with a dark scenario and dark humor. It has the typical difficulty of a McMillen game, which is not found anywhere else these days. This game will motivate you to try and try again in such a simple way – just brilliant. If you like the style and the old school gameplay of The Binding of Isaac, you'll have a lot of fun with it.
    Read full review
  2. GameCritics
    Mar 10, 2012
    90
    One may play for an hour or two, but they're constantly tempted to go back in and uncover the scads of remaining secrets. It's a style of game that really intrigues me, and one I want to see more of
    Read full review
  3. 4P.de
    Feb 28, 2012
    87
    Zelda meets Robotron: Isaac celebrates old school topdown action in randomly generated dungeons.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »