Two Months of Halloween!: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
1The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is an indie roguelike video game designed by Edmund McMillen and developed and published by Nicalis. Rebirth was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, 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. A PlayStation 5 version is scheduled to be released in 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 new content and gameplay features. Three expansions have been released. Afterbirth and Afterbirth+, in October 2015 and January 2017, respectively, with more game content and gameplay modes; Afterbirth+ also added support for user-created content. The third and final expansion, Repentance, was released in March 2021.
Similar to the original 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 the eponymous 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 sacrifice 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 attributes and abilities, potentially creating powerful combinations. Unlike the game's predecessor, Rebirth has a multiplayer mode, allowing an additional player in Rebirth, later increased to three additional players in Afterbirth and Afterbirth+.
Rebirth released to critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its gameplay and improvements compared to the original 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. Tools for modding Afterbirth+ were criticized by users. By July 2015, Rebirth and The Binding of Isaac had sold over five million copies combined. The game is widely regarded as one of the best roguelike games of all time. #Horror #Retro #Gaming #Halloween #TheBindingofIsaac