The game's mechanics and presentation is similar to the dungeons of The Legend of Zelda, while incorporating random, procedurally-generated levels in the manner of a roguelike game. The characters differ in speed, amount of health, amount of damage they deal, and other attributes.

The Binding of Isaac is a top-down dungeon crawler game, presented using two-dimensional sprites, in which the player controls Isaac or other unlockable characters as they explore the dungeons located in Isaac's basement. Gameplay screenshot of The Binding of Isaac, showing Isaac attacking (center) and two enemies (top left and top right) The game has been said to contribute to renewed interest in the roguelike genre from both players and developers. By July 2014, McMillen reported over 3 million copies had been sold.

The Binding of Isaac has been well-received, with critics praising the game's roguelike nature to encourage repeated playthroughs. McMillen later worked with James Id to develop The Legend of Bum-bo, which serves as a prequel to The Binding of Isaac. This remake has commonly been cited as one of the best roguelike games of all time. They had started working with Nintendo in 2012 to release a 3DS version, but Nintendo later backed out of the deal, citing controversy over the game's religious themes.ĭeveloper Nicalis worked with McMillen in 2014 to complete a remake of the game, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, bringing additional features that McMillen had planned that exceeded Flash's limitation, as well as to improve the game's graphics and enable ports for other systems beyond personal computers, including PlayStation 4 and Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and the Nintendo Switch. McMillen and Himsl released an expansion 'Wrath of the Lamb' in May 2012, but were limited from further expansion due to limitations with the Flash platform. The game soon gained popularity partially as a result of various Let's Play videos showcasing the title. McMillen had considered the title a risk but one he could take after the financial success of Super Meat Boy, and released it without much fanfare to Steam in September 2011, not expecting many sales. The game was the result of a week-long game jam between McMillen and Himsl to develop a The Legend of Zelda-inspired roguelike that allowed McMillen to showcase his feelings about both positive and negative aspects of religion that he had come to discover from conflicts between his Catholic and born again Christian family members while growing up. Players control Isaac or one of seven other unlockable characters through a procedurally generated dungeon in a roguelike manner, fashioned after those of The Legend of Zelda, defeating monsters in real-time combat while collecting items and power-ups to defeat bosses and eventually Isaac's mother. In the game, Isaac's mother receives a message from God demanding the life of her son as proof of her faith, and Isaac, fearing for his life, flees into the monster-filled basement of their home where he must fight to survive. The game's title and plot are inspired by the Biblical story of the Binding of Isaac. It was released in 2011 for Microsoft Windows, then ported to OS X, and Linux. Dungreed floors.The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike video game designed by independent developers Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl.

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