Games

The Binding of Isaac

Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl

2011•Shooter•About 167 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventurecomedydramahorroranimalsdetectivemonster/alien/supernaturalmusic/dancerobots/ai/spacefastfresh & originalunsavouryimaginarylinearglossyemotive & stirringall consuming questcomplex relationshipfighting evilfish out of water/culture clashhuman spirit/resilience/survivalinjustice/tragedy/vengeancerescue/escape/jeopardytroubled leads

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeA fantastical shooter that is inventive, pacy and morally murky. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday.

Pace: fast · Originality: very fresh · Tone: dark · Weight: balanced · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: very linear · Look: glossy · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: stirringHow we score

IGDB rating

81 / 100

440 ratings

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Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

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.

Summary: IGDB

Story

The Binding of Isaac‍ 's plot is loosely inspired by the biblical story of the same name. Isaac, a child, and his mother live in a small house on a hill, both happily keeping to themselves, with Isaac drawing pictures and playing with his toys, and his mother watching Christian broadcasts on television. Isaac's mother then hears "a voice from above", stating her son is corrupted with sin, and needs to be saved. It asks her to remove all that was evil from Isaac, in an attempt to save him. His mother obliges, taking away his toys, drawings, and even his clothes. The voice once again speaks to...

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureComedyDramaHorrorAnimalsDetectiveMonster/alien/supernaturalMusic/danceRobots/ai/spaceAll consuming questComplex relationshipFighting evilFish out of water/culture clashHuman spirit/resilience/survivalInjustice/tragedy/vengeanceRescue/escape/jeopardyTroubled leads

Keywords

GhostsMonstersBloodyWizardsMurderDrugsMagicRoguelike

Where to play

Steam

Details

Developers: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Publisher: Edmund McMillen
Released: 28 September 2011
Series: The Binding of Isaac
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Time to beat: 9h rushed, 167h normally, 117h complete
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.