Anyone willing to delve deeper into the subtext of Isaac can tell that McMillen went to great lengths to create a very personal and tragic story based on his own religious upbringings.

Hidden beneath the scatological surface is also a gripping tale of a young child who is struggling with religious beliefs and a broken family setting. There are a number of disturbing subjects and items, but there are never moments of downright disgust that other games with more crude humor might invoke. At the same time, the strange story and setting help give Isaac an identity completely unique to itself that no other game has come close to replicating without setting out to gross the audience.

When first describing Isaac, the concept may be an instant turn-off for most due to the grotesque and bizarre nature of the game. The Binding of Isaac opened the door for many other Roguelike games… Using a variety of items found throughout the basement, Isaac must challenge the many hideous creatures he encounters on the way to the fight against his own mother. Overhearing this conversation, Isaac panics and jumps into his basement, which turns out to be a dungeon full of grotesque monsters and a lot of fecal matter. One day, Isaac’s mother hears the voice of God, which orders Isaac’s mother to murder Isaac as a sacrifice because the child has been corrupted by sin. The Binding of Isaac follows the story of Isaac, a child who spends his time playing in his room while his religious mother listens to Christian broadcasts.

Rebirth was met with similar praise to the original and renewed interest in the franchise, which has not slowed down in the slightest since the release of Rebirth. Following the massive success of the original Binding of Isaac, McMillen worked alongside Nicalis in order to develop a more polished and refined version of Isaac, which culminated in the 2014 remake, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. What was supposed to be a niche hit that goes against contemporary gaming tropes turned into one of the most beloved indie games of all time - becoming the gold standard for Roguelikes and being one of the most popular indie games on the market over 7 years after release. The Binding of Isaac was released in 2011 by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl as a risky game-jam project following the release of the critically acclaimed Super Meat Boy.

Binding of isaac the stars