Michael Chintalan  

A&E Editor

The Binding of Isaac is a game that transforms the original story of Isaac in the Bible into a game full of religious symbolism and ambiguity. The game itself is ingenious and was originally released in 2011 but still holds up to this day as a great indie rogue-like game.

The permadeath mechanic may cause players to be dissuaded from pouring in effort and time.

Even so, there are various unlockables that can be earned through persistence and can keep players entertained for hundreds of hours of gameplay.

The story itself is complex, yet simple. At face value, the story is about Isaac escaping from his mother because she believes God has spoken to her and demanded Isaac be cleansed and sacrificed to him. She takes his words to heart and goes on a rampage, sending monsters and hellish creatures to kill him.

Isaac’s escape into the basement is where the game begins and players go through several procedurally generated floors until they come upon the final boss, which is Isaac’s mother.

Isaac is forced to fight her and defeat her to survive. The game then “ends” with Isaac’s mother being killed by a Bible that conveniently falls off a bookshelf.

The story is simple, but the complexity comes from the numerous alternate endings and even how Isaac is only a child who interprets the world around him in an unrealistic way.

The question that is undeniably hard to answer is whether the events of the game are what truly happens or not.

Multiple endings depict Isaac’s death or disappearance and numerous bosses are based off of Isaac’s fears and his emotional state.

The true final boss of the game is an amorphous monster called Delirium and gives an ending that raises more questions than answers. To get to him takes plenty of luck and skill since small mistakes could cause the player to lose and have to fight their way back to Delirium again.

My opinion of the game is overwhelmingly positive and I would encourage people to buy it if they are looking for a challenge or even a cheap game to have fun with.

From gameplay to story, the game is worth the time of casual players and people who enjoy analyzing games to figure out what the hidden story may be.

The heavy music, the cartoonish visuals, and even how adorable and simple the gameplay seems makes the game entertaining despite the grim reality of what is happening.

Even the monsters are childish and adorable with their unique attacks and animations. Players fight against the Seven Sins, the Horsemen, and even angels and devils that all have brilliant designs and attacks that reflect what they resemble.

Mother is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bosses. Each new play-through unlocks new content and even extra floors and secret bosses just waiting to be battled. The game is challenging and has a learning curve that seems impossible to overcome at first.

Players must have patience, a good memory, and also be able to persevere through the challenges they are faced with. The game rewards players who make smart choices and play with skill rather than just luck.

I have put in over twenty hours so far and have yet to finish more than half of what the Binding of Isaac has to offer.

I always find myself coming back after short breaks to push further into the game and to see what else there is in store for me to unlock.

There’s plenty of un-lockable characters, un-lockable items, and even little missions that give out rewards after being completed. Each challenge varies in difficulty, but in the end they are all worth completing.

There is even a “Greed” mode that is essentially a boss-rush mode that is fast paced, difficult, but overall fun.

With the amount of content packed into such a small game there really is enough content to keep players hooked for hours on end. This is a purchase that won’t be regretted!

Currently, the game goes under the name “Binding of Isaac: Rebirth” because it used to be a flash game. It was remade so that it could surpass flash’s limitations and even have expansions added to the base game since it was such a financial success.

The platforms it is currently on are PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, 3DS, and even the Wii U. Just about any platform people play games on has a chance at grabbing this game!

Email Michael at:

mchintalan@live.esu.edu