User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1122 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. Feb 14, 2012
    9
    I really like this game. It hasn't got the best graphics or gameplay, but the atmosphere is epic. It's got a very dark sense of humor and every single enemy and item has some fun aspect about it. Don't let its looks deceive you. Try it, and stick with it for a while even though it's a bit hard at first. You'll find it's a lot of fun... probably. :)
  2. Nov 9, 2011
    9
    The best deal (prize) i ever made ...i bouth it on steam for 5 euro and already played around 75 hours ! It´s charming and humourous,although the main reason to play this game on a nd on is testing the dozens of different randomly given items amd to chieve every damn achievemt in this game...it´s great...the story is thrown at you in a few sentences,the graphicsThe best deal (prize) i ever made ...i bouth it on steam for 5 euro and already played around 75 hours ! It´s charming and humourous,although the main reason to play this game on a nd on is testing the dozens of different randomly given items amd to chieve every damn achievemt in this game...it´s great...the story is thrown at you in a few sentences,the graphics are nothing phenomenal nor anything like that as you can see in screenshots,and the sound is nothing more than ok...but somehow the gameplay,even if its as simple as pressing for keys for walking,4 keys for shooting in different angles adn space for the use of items it always gets me back playing this game... Expand
  3. Nov 10, 2011
    9
    This game is fun, lots of items that you can get/unlock lots of monsters. It has quite much content. It is damn hard at the start and you will die a lot, but keep trying!
  4. Nov 21, 2011
    9
    This game is amazing! And for only $5! It starts out hard and a little slow but once you figure out what your doing and really get into it you will have a blast! Theres a bunch of different items and power ups, the bosses are original and have a lot of variety and the graphics aren't perfect but they do the job and they have there own little shine to them. Something that I find interestingThis game is amazing! And for only $5! It starts out hard and a little slow but once you figure out what your doing and really get into it you will have a blast! Theres a bunch of different items and power ups, the bosses are original and have a lot of variety and the graphics aren't perfect but they do the job and they have there own little shine to them. Something that I find interesting about this game is the extreme amount of satanic themes and references. I also love how they took a lot of influence from classic Zelda. Definitely worth the $5. I reccomend this to anyone. Expand
  5. Jan 17, 2012
    9
    This game is really striking, visually strange, "disgusting" and impressive. The sound effects are very rare, making a spectacular audiovisual setting, including some really good soundtracks. It's very addictive and is one of the games more replay value there (Over 10 endings, items, monsters, powers, and many other things unlockable in each game), adding secrets / accomplishments andThis game is really striking, visually strange, "disgusting" and impressive. The sound effects are very rare, making a spectacular audiovisual setting, including some really good soundtracks. It's very addictive and is one of the games more replay value there (Over 10 endings, items, monsters, powers, and many other things unlockable in each game), adding secrets / accomplishments and updates on the way. It is based in the "Roguelike", ie when they die or leave the game you have to start again, but keep all records obtained things logically. It's really a strange jewel addictive and absolutely worth a try. Expand
  6. Nov 27, 2011
    9
    This is a great game, I found the story to be quite amusing and (unlike some others) I realised that it was almost completely satirical and that most of it shouldn't be taken too seriously.
    For a game made by just two people this is really great.
  7. Jun 26, 2012
    9
    What do you get when you cross a roguelike with the original Legend of Zelda, and throw in the twisted style of Edmund McMillen? The Binding of Issac is the answer to this bizarre question, the result is a surprising satisfying experience. Each play through of the randomly generated dungeon will include a different combination of rooms, crazy loot and bosses. The game starts out veryWhat do you get when you cross a roguelike with the original Legend of Zelda, and throw in the twisted style of Edmund McMillen? The Binding of Issac is the answer to this bizarre question, the result is a surprising satisfying experience. Each play through of the randomly generated dungeon will include a different combination of rooms, crazy loot and bosses. The game starts out very easy in the early levels, but the difficulty ramps up quickly. The game is pretty short, but new items are unlocked by playing, giving it a lot of replay value. The music is excellent, although McMillen's art style is a bit of an acquired taste. Overall, it's a fun little game for a cheap price. Expand
  8. Nov 18, 2012
    9
    Awesome game. It's so addictive I mean it was until I got platinum god and that took like over 80 hours to get that. There are so many different items, every run is different, nice music and yeah. This game can be kinda tough at first but soon you'll learn all the tricks and controls can be hard too at first. Game is luck based but I think that's awesome. Great game overall and it's so cheap.
  9. Jul 8, 2014
    9
    This is a great game, that can give you hundreds of hours of varied gameplay, for a low price of admission. I would best describe this as a Rogue-like meets the original Legend of Zelda, but it really goes way beyond that simple description. Basically, you play through randomly generated dungeons reminiscent of the dungeons from LoZ using a choice of six different characters, w/ eachThis is a great game, that can give you hundreds of hours of varied gameplay, for a low price of admission. I would best describe this as a Rogue-like meets the original Legend of Zelda, but it really goes way beyond that simple description. Basically, you play through randomly generated dungeons reminiscent of the dungeons from LoZ using a choice of six different characters, w/ each character playing like a traditional RPG "class" like the Warrior, Druid, Cleric, etc. There are a total of six "chapters" for each play-through, and each "chapter" contains two floors. On each floor you will find at least one treasure room, 2 secret rooms, and one boss room, w/ a lot of other possible "bonus rooms" thrown in like the Shop, Arcade, or Library. The general idea of the game is to battle your way through each floor collecting power-ups that do things like give you a different type of shot (for example homing shots, or turning your regular "bullets" into missiles), increase your stats (Health, Speed, Damage, Shot Rate, and Range), or give you other items that alter the way you interact with the world and the enemies. This is what some of the other reviewers here don't seem to get, this game is all about finding, and using, all the really neat and widely varied power-ups with the different characters to complete the game in different ways. It's easy to see that some of the other reviewers did not spend a lot of time with the game b/c the true genius of this game isn't apparent after just an hour or two, or even a play-through or two. Since the game features randomly generated rooms, strung together to form new dungeons every time you play, when you mix that with the literally HUNDREDS of items, and power-ups that significantly alter game play, you will never play the same game twice.

    I can understand not everyone "getting" this game, it IS quite difficult until you really get a hang of the feel of the controls, and there are certain points where the game actually makes itself harder (after defeating certain bosses, or completing the game a certain number of times) and for the longest time I played w/ the browser open in the background so I could look and see what a certain item did. Then there is the story...which is a bit, weird (to put it mildly). The story is loosely based off of the Biblical story of Abraham and his son Isaac, whom god ordered Abraham to sacrifice as a show of faith, fear and obedience. I don't see why anyone would take offense, but then again, I'm not a very religious person. But, imho, all these are very minor quibbles with what I have found to be one of the best values for my gaming dollars EVER.

    If you ever see this game on sale during a Steam sale, do yourself a favor and grab this game, you can get both the original + the xpac for like $3 when they have it up at 75% off. At that price, this should be a no brainer.
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  10. Jun 9, 2012
    9
    For only $9.99 (About 8 euros,) this game is a gem. When Isaac's mother hears the voice of God, telling her to murder her own son, Isaac hides in the basement, bracing the evils and terrors to come...
    TBOI is a randomly generated dungeon-crawler with a sense of humor. There's nothing like that adrenaline rushing through your veins when you defeat a boss. That tingling sensation when you
    For only $9.99 (About 8 euros,) this game is a gem. When Isaac's mother hears the voice of God, telling her to murder her own son, Isaac hides in the basement, bracing the evils and terrors to come...
    TBOI is a randomly generated dungeon-crawler with a sense of humor. There's nothing like that adrenaline rushing through your veins when you defeat a boss. That tingling sensation when you come across a treasury. Very few games, especially indie, capture that feeling that TBOI does. As you delve deeper into the basement, the enemies get tougher, and your chances of survival slowly but surely narrow. My only problem is it's difficulty. TBOI is so damn hard, I wanted to throw my laptop at the window sometimes, usually when you're so close to beating it. In short, The Binding of Isaac is a hard-as-hell game that really can't be missed, whether you're a Zelda or Super Meat Boy fan.
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  11. Jun 13, 2012
    9
    Great game at a $5 price. Cute little animated movies, creepy monsters, awesome power-ups and hours of playing. This is what some people call "rogue-like" which is just where you spawn into a world, try to get as far as you can and if you die; well, you have to start over from the beginning. I'm not that type of player, although I do challenge myself sometimes and play games that are likeGreat game at a $5 price. Cute little animated movies, creepy monsters, awesome power-ups and hours of playing. This is what some people call "rogue-like" which is just where you spawn into a world, try to get as far as you can and if you die; well, you have to start over from the beginning. I'm not that type of player, although I do challenge myself sometimes and play games that are like this. (like on Minecraft/Hardcore mode) Enjoyable game and a moderately-high playback, meaning you'll wanna keep playing this game over and over again. Expand
  12. Jun 16, 2012
    9
    good game for its value. This is probably one of the indie games that I spent most of the time playing due to its replayability. Everytime I start a new game, I always hope to find a new item. This game's level randomization plus a vast array of item upgrades makes you want to play over and over again.

    If you are not offended by the theme of the game and focus on Gameplay, well, this
    good game for its value. This is probably one of the indie games that I spent most of the time playing due to its replayability. Everytime I start a new game, I always hope to find a new item. This game's level randomization plus a vast array of item upgrades makes you want to play over and over again.

    If you are not offended by the theme of the game and focus on Gameplay, well, this game might be for you.
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  13. Jul 2, 2012
    9
    Great game, check it out when on steam specials. It can get repetative, as the no-save system means redoing levels frequently. However, levels are randomly generated, so this keeps things interesting. Definately best with it's expansion. The amount of items is great for such a small game. Well worth it, you could do a lot worse.
  14. Jul 21, 2012
    9
    This is a highly difficult, but fun and addictive game. The game is short, but that fits the theme of the game, as there are no saves and you have to restart completely when you die, which happens a lot. Due to the dungeon's random loot and dungeons, your game play is very different each time, and never gets repetitive.

    The game presents you with some difficult choices as well. Do you
    This is a highly difficult, but fun and addictive game. The game is short, but that fits the theme of the game, as there are no saves and you have to restart completely when you die, which happens a lot. Due to the dungeon's random loot and dungeons, your game play is very different each time, and never gets repetitive.

    The game presents you with some difficult choices as well. Do you want to spend 2 hearts of health for some mysterious new power to aid you in battle? Do you want to enter the room with a spiked door, which hurts you when you enter or leave? Do you use your last remaining key to enter the shop, which might not even have anything you want, but could have the health you desperately need, or do you save the key to open a treasure room to get an upgrade of some sort? The game isn't just a hack 'n slash game, there's a lot of choices you have to make as well.

    The graphics are fine for the style of the game, and the way your character's appearance changes when you get loot is great.

    The music gets repetitive, but you can easily just turn the music off and listen to your own music instead, just leaving the sound effects on.

    The only downside is that most of the details about the hundreds of different items in the game are not explained very well in-game. I wound up going to the game's wiki to check what the item I just got did very often.

    To sum up, its a great game worth buying, just be warned that it is a very, very difficult game.
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  15. Feb 23, 2013
    9
    Fun, Hard, MAKES ME WANNA CUT MY BALLS OFF, GOD I LOVE THIS GAME WORTH ALL YOUR MONEYS,
  16. Aug 28, 2012
    9
    Funny, fast, hard. Hard. Hard. Hard. Funny. Funny. Funny. You'll lose days trying to get Isaac out of the dungeons. Really enjoiable game. Buy it! Now with a cheap dlc!
  17. May 13, 2013
    9
    After playing a game like Super Meat Boy, I wondered just how screwed up in the head Edmund was for making such a game that had no right being so amazing. "What could he think of next?" I would ask. The answer I got was disturbing but oh so pleasing, The Binding of Isaac. This game is as creepy and mental as the trailer leads it on to be. You fight demonic entities, decapitated bodies,After playing a game like Super Meat Boy, I wondered just how screwed up in the head Edmund was for making such a game that had no right being so amazing. "What could he think of next?" I would ask. The answer I got was disturbing but oh so pleasing, The Binding of Isaac. This game is as creepy and mental as the trailer leads it on to be. You fight demonic entities, decapitated bodies, giant worms, biblical figures, mirror copies yourself (it's complicated), and other abominations throughout the game while keeping a consistent tone for the most part. It can get comical how outrageous this game gets. References, scenes, and power-ups lighten the tone slightly as the game gets weirder and weirder. As you play, you get more characters, more bosses, and even make the game harder. There are lots of endings to spare as well as power-ups to find and unlock. The game evokes a feeling of satisfaction whenever I play it, giving me a great experience. The game is hard however, so you may wanna be careful. If I personally have one complaint, it's the engine. Flash is an engine that, in my opinion, isn't much more complex than the wheel. It's just as primative too. For the most part, the engine behaves, but lag, bugs, and worse can happen without a moment's notice. But I feel all this is fair considering a game that kicks THIS much ass is only $5. I love this game. Go buy it. Expand
  18. May 3, 2013
    9
    街机闯关风格的迷宫探索游戏,6个关卡因为丰富的随机要素使得次次的游戏体验都会不同。适当的长度,并不刁钻的难度,丰富的搜集要素会令你沉迷好长一段时间。主角丰富的外观变化是个亮点。
  19. Jan 8, 2013
    9
    An absolutely brilliant and well-polished game with very nice core mechanics and a fantastic art style. Only problem: THE DIFFICULTY IS FREAKING ABNORMAL. Seriously, I have died so many times that the number of deaths I have equals the number of times I was sent to detention in school, meaning a lot. Psuedo-9.5/10
  20. Jan 11, 2013
    9
    A fine game with a lot of replayability in this game. Tons of items to collect. I would recommend buying the DLC: Wraith of Lamb. It extends the game by a lot. The game takes only a bit to master and adjust to the controls. The story can and has been interpreted many different ways. I find it very entertaining.
  21. Mar 22, 2013
    9
    A quite smashing game, i love how creepy it can be at points with all of the satanic influence throughout it. i thoroughly enjoyed wasting countless hours on this game when i should've been doing my work
  22. Mar 31, 2013
    9
    The game is cheap at about $5 and it always seems to stay interesting when you find a new item or enter the next room. Though it does tend to get boring after awhile, but you will at least need to spend a good 32 hours before it gets boring. And I can't help coming back and playing it again time to time.
  23. Apr 2, 2013
    9
    With the wrath of the lamb, the 8€ cost of Isaac is still ridiculously cheap. I've played the game for ridiculously long, currently clocking at 84+ hours. Still, the game experience seems to be only enhancing as new items, bosses and areas are introduced. Through skill and tactics the player learns to master different floors, and the process is always swinging from tidious to extremelyWith the wrath of the lamb, the 8€ cost of Isaac is still ridiculously cheap. I've played the game for ridiculously long, currently clocking at 84+ hours. Still, the game experience seems to be only enhancing as new items, bosses and areas are introduced. Through skill and tactics the player learns to master different floors, and the process is always swinging from tidious to extremely enjoyable. The challenge is moderate and the controls are fluent enough, so there is no one to blame for your mistakes.

    The roguelike element can be pretty tiring at times, for a run can last almost a full hour. As long as you know what you are doing (or know how to google a item and/or floor guide) Isaac offers a really well balanced and nice retro-like rogue challenge. Its problems have not bothered me during my 84 playing hours, and I still return to it from time to time.
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  24. Apr 16, 2013
    9
    Great fun, lots of items and replayability, Randomly generated rooms,nice musics,good variety of monsters,cheap DLC with good amount of new content And the best thing, it is cheap for that good indie game. Solid 9.
  25. Apr 12, 2013
    9
    Personally, I am a huge fan of Edmund McMillen’s work. I’ve enjoyed all of the games I’ve played that he has produced/developed, but The Binding of Isaac is by far my favorite one. His interesting art style, paired with Danny Baranowsky’s amazing musical talent make this a this game a wonderful piece of art.

    The game starts up with a background story cutscene before the title screen,
    Personally, I am a huge fan of Edmund McMillen’s work. I’ve enjoyed all of the games I’ve played that he has produced/developed, but The Binding of Isaac is by far my favorite one. His interesting art style, paired with Danny Baranowsky’s amazing musical talent make this a this game a wonderful piece of art.

    The game starts up with a background story cutscene before the title screen, with the ability to skip past it. However, if you have not seen the cutscene, I highly advise that you do so. It gives a humorous take on the story of Abraham being ordered to kill his son Isaac in the bible. Isaac’s mother, a christian fundamentalist gets orders from God to purify her son and she does so by taking all of his belongings away to remove any chance of him sinning, but God is not pleased with that so she must kill him. However, Isaac escapes into a trap door in his bedroom that leads into the basement. This is where the game begins. The keys W,S,A and D are used to move the character and the arrow keys (or clicking the mouse) are used to shoot tears from your eyes at your enemies. You go around defeating these mutant creatures, like headless bodies that leap, floating heads that spit blood at you, maggots that charge at you, flies, spiders, and much more. The game is designed to get progressively harder as you get farther along, but this isn’t always the case. Occasionally you will run across a tough boss (such as Widow) on the first or second depth and you have a hard time winning (although this may be different for each player as the game is generally skill based). The enemies are mostly just annoying instead of difficult, and the bosses aren’t balanced very well. These aspects don’t detract from how addicting and fun this game is. It will piss you off from a cheap death, but you’ll just play again because it is just that good. When it comes to death, you will restart from the beginning no matter how far into the game you are which makes this game so difficult to beat, but that’s the point. You can die one thousand times and, unlike most games, you will have a different experience each time you play. The game is procedurally generated which means each level is generated at random every time. This gives the game its replayability. Every time you play, you get a different map layout and different items. Some times, you may get an item you’ve never seen, other times you’ll get one you’ve found plenty of times. With so many items in the game, you’ll play it with a different style each time. The way the items work is pretty cool too, the collectible items stack so you keep the abilities of the items you get until you die, then there are the activated items.You may only carry one activated item at a time, and after each use, you have to charge the item again by beating rooms. Then there are the pills and tarot cards which may only be used once after picked up. These items aren’t always helpful, and the pill effects change every time you play, so if you get a blue pill one time and it’s a health up, the next time you play, that blue pill might be something harmful like health down. There are also trinket items which work like the collectible items, but you may only have one at a time like the activated items. With all of the items, most of which give a cosmetic change to the character, by the end of the game you will have a up looking mutant baby, but you will be powerful. Even with your stats maxed out, though, the later levels are still very tough. After you beat Mom, you go into her womb and eventually fight her heart. Now that’s pretty up, but hey, it’s a game so who really cares? After beating Mom’s heart, you go to either the Sheol, or the Cathedral where you fight either Satan, or Isaac (respectively). That’s right, you can end up fighting yourself. The game is pretty up and weird, but that just makes it more interesting. Now personally, that’s about as far as I ever got, but I know there is still another level (the Chest). From what I read, the Chest is only accessible by taking the Polaroid trinket to the final boss room in the Cathedral and beating Issac. The Chest is filled with bosses and the final boss is and fights similar to Isaac.

    So all in all, the game is brutal, but very very fun, and very addicting. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good challenge that they can play over and over.
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  26. May 11, 2013
    9
    Incredibly fun game. It has an insane amount of replay value as the combination of weapons are endless. It's dauntingly difficult at first, but once you get more familiar with the controls, enemy movements, and the gameplay mechanics, it becomes a lot more enjoyable. I poured days into this game, I've gotten the absolute final achievement, but I keep playing this game. Every new game isIncredibly fun game. It has an insane amount of replay value as the combination of weapons are endless. It's dauntingly difficult at first, but once you get more familiar with the controls, enemy movements, and the gameplay mechanics, it becomes a lot more enjoyable. I poured days into this game, I've gotten the absolute final achievement, but I keep playing this game. Every new game is literally a new game. You'll never know what item you'll get on the first floor, and what kind of unique combination it'll have with the item you get on the second. Expand
  27. May 17, 2013
    9
    Easily worth it's relatively cheap price, Isaac is a brilliantly refreshing game. I really enjoyed it's controls and random generation. Great for casual pick up and play moments. Very difficult, but many would not call this a downside. Get it.
  28. Jun 15, 2013
    9
    I religiously play this game atleast once a day to see if I can finally defeat the final boss. I never succeed, but that's what keeps me coming back for more! each time you play through, the game gets randomized in every aspect. Different enemies, different map layouts, different items, healths, difficulty! almost everything. And I seriously love that aspect in games, it's what keepsI religiously play this game atleast once a day to see if I can finally defeat the final boss. I never succeed, but that's what keeps me coming back for more! each time you play through, the game gets randomized in every aspect. Different enemies, different map layouts, different items, healths, difficulty! almost everything. And I seriously love that aspect in games, it's what keeps gamers coming back for more. The thrill of having the game change when you come back to it. I've clocked up 24 hours of gameplay and I am still finding bosses that I have never fought before! suprises enemies, and items! the game's soundtrack is really nostalgic too, for some reason it reminds me of real old school gaming years. Since this game is also 3£ on steam, it is certainly worth picking up! you will not regret it! Expand
  29. Jun 23, 2013
    9
    In short: It's good. Buy it if you're into rogue-like dungeon crawlers with heavy Legend of Zelda elements.

    So I bought this game during a sale where it was $1.24, but originally it's a $5 game. You play as Isaac, a young boy who flees to the depths of his basement after his over religious mother hears God command her to kill her son. From there Isaac must gather powerups and items
    In short: It's good. Buy it if you're into rogue-like dungeon crawlers with heavy Legend of Zelda elements.

    So I bought this game during a sale where it was $1.24, but originally it's a $5 game.

    You play as Isaac, a young boy who flees to the depths of his basement after his over religious mother hears God command her to kill her son. From there Isaac must gather powerups and items to help him defeat his mother in combat.

    So it's simple, and fun. Fun. Well, it's basically the Legend of Zelda (the first one that is) on steroids. It's basically screen to screen rooms, fighting a boss and fighting enemies along the way. After you kill the boss, you can go down another floor, rinse and repeat. It's just addicting, as each floor gets larger and larger, with great boss battles and interesting secrets to be found.
    There are several characters to unlock by doing several little challenges, and each has their own little perks and stats.

    There's very few criticisms to think of at time of writing, besides that the game can be a little unforgiving at times. Death and Isaac go hand in hand and you will spend endless hours trying to outdo yourself and your own progress.
    The game has endless replay value and will have you playing for hours and hours.
    The score by Danny Baranowsky is just amazing, the music being unique and great to hear during the time you spend on this game. Credit goes out to him and his skill.

    If you like this genre, check out the demo, and if you like that, go ahead and purchase the game.
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  30. Feb 6, 2014
    9
    A great "five more minutes game". I'll just try it one more time. Oh, I almost made it to the womb. OK, I gotta try again. Oh, I unlocked a new item. Better go look for that.

    There is no stopping this game.
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 30
  2. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. Feb 28, 2012
    87
    Zelda meets Robotron: Isaac celebrates old school topdown action in randomly generated dungeons.