The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Developer(s)Nicalis
Publisher(s)Nicalis
Designer(s)Edmund McMillen
Artist(s)Edmund McMillen
Composer(s)Ridiculon
Platform(s)
Release
November 4, 2014
  • Linux, Windows, OS X
    • WW: November 4, 2014
    PS4, PS Vita
    • NA: November 4, 2014
    • EU: November 5, 2014
    New 3DS, Wii U
    • NA: July 23, 2015
    • EU: October 29, 2015
    Xbox One
    • NA: July 23, 2015
    • EU: December 9, 2015
    iOS
    • WW: January 11, 2017
Afterbirth
October 30, 2015
  • Linux, Windows, OS X
    • WW: October 30, 2015
    PS4, Xbox One
    • WW: May 10, 2016
Afterbirth+
January 3, 2017
  • Windows
    • WW: January 3, 2017
    Nintendo Switch[a]
    • NA: March 17, 2017
    • EU: September 7, 2017
    PlayStation 4
    • WW: September 19, 2017
    Xbox One
    • WW: October 24, 2019
Repentance
March 31, 2021
  • Windows
    • WW: March 31, 2021
    PS5, Xbox Series X/S[a]
    • WW: November 4, 2021
    PS4, Xbox One
    • WW: November 4, 2021
    Nintendo Switch
    tvOS
    • WW: October 4, 2023
Genre(s)Roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a roguelike indie game designed by Edmund McMillen and developed and published by Nicalis. Rebirth was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in November 2014, for Xbox One, New Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in July 2015, for iOS in January 2017 and for Nintendo Switch in March 2017. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in November 2021.

Rebirth is a remake of The Binding of Isaac, which was developed by McMillen and Florian Himsl and released in 2011 as an Adobe Flash application. This platform had limitations and led McMillen to work with Nicalis to produce Rebirth with a more advanced game engine, which in turn enabled the substantial addition of content and gameplay features. Since release, Rebirth has had three expansions: Afterbirth (2015), Afterbirth+ (2017) and Repentance (2021), with more game content and gameplay modes. Afterbirth+ also added support for user-created content.

Similar to the original The Binding of Isaac, the plot is based on the biblical story of the same name and was inspired by McMillen's religious upbringing. The player controls Isaac, a young boy whose mother, convinced that she is doing God's work, strips him of everything and locks him in his room. When Isaac's mother is about to kill him, he escapes to the basement and fights through random, roguelike dungeons. The player defeats monsters, using Isaac's tears as projectiles, and collects items which modify his appearance, attributes, and abilities, potentially creating powerful combinations. Unlike the game's predecessor, Rebirth has a limited multiplayer mode, allowing an additional player in Rebirth, later increased to three additional players in Afterbirth and Afterbirth+. Full local co-op support was added to Repentance, where up to four players are able to play as any of the playable characters. Online co-op support was added in November 2024.

Rebirth released to critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its gameplay and improvements compared to the original The Binding of Isaac, but criticized its graphic imagery. Afterbirth, Afterbirth+ and Repentance also had a generally favorable reception, with reviewers criticizing their difficulty but praising their added content. By July 2015, Rebirth and The Binding of Isaac had sold over five million copies combined. The game is regarded as one of the best roguelike games of all time.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ @NE_Brian (November 2, 2021). "The Binding of Isaac: Repentance launches on Switch this week". NintendoEverything. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Bentley, James (September 24, 2020). "Best roguelikes to keep you saying "just one more round"". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  3. ^ He, James (April 19, 2021). "The 15 best roguelike games of all time (updated for 2021)". Happy. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "The best roguelike games and roguelites on PC". Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Carroll, Austin (January 3, 2020). "The 15 Best Roguelike Games of 2021". Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Fernandez, Justin (March 9, 2021). "Best Roguelike Games 2021". Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Roach, Jacob (October 19, 2020). "The best roguelikes". Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Villafañe, Flavio (October 4, 2020). "The 10 Best Roguelike RPGs, Ranked". Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Donnellan, Jimmy (January 15, 2021). "15 Best Roguelike & Roguelite Games of All Time". Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.