There aren’t many games where you’ll hope to find the body of your dead pet cat, a blood clot, a bottle of ipecac and your Mum’s wig. What sounds like the most unholy collection of items could make all the difference between success and failure in what may well be the greatest 2D rogue-like/rogue-lite of all time.
Calling The Binding of Isaac a 2D action-adventure is like calling a Bacon Double Cheese XL a sandwich. Whilst technically correct, it doesn’t quite convey just how fantastic it actually is. TBOI is the reason we saw the explosion of the genre throughout the 2000s. From humble beginnings as a flash game in 2011, it’s gone on through multiple iterations, from the complete change of game engine with the release of Rebirth to the huge expansions of Afterbirth, Afterbirth Plus and Repentance bringing us almost up to date. Now, following the PC release of Repentance Plus in 2024, console owners can now also bask in the glory of what is the most complete collection of Isaac content to date.
A top-down shooter built on procedural level generation at heart, where The Binding of Isaac truly shines is in its item synergies and sheer volume of content. Items collected in each run will bolster or hinder you, depending on your build and playstyle. Whilst more difficult to do in the early hours of play, the aim of the game should always be to break the game, turning your small sobbing child into a weapon of mass destruction. There’s no better feeling in videogames than taking your tiny, tear-shooting toddler to meet Satan himself but now you’re blasting out multi-coloured, explosive scythes across the room whilst dressed in a dunce hat and your Mum’s best pearl necklace, all whilst being trailed around by a zombie baby, a robotic spider and Super Meat Boy. What could easily have been a tense, bullet-hell encounter has now been transformed into a cacophonic blast ending the fight in second and god-damn that feels good.
With 34 characters to unlock (each with their own completion checklist), over 700 items to collect and experiment with, 22 different endings to see, let alone hidden bosses and levels to find and unlock, TBOI Repentance Plus offers a truly remarkable amount of content to enjoy. That’s not including multiple game modes to battle through and set challenges with gameplay limitations to complete. This is the game that will keep on giving back the more you put in.
The most obvious addition to the series in TBOI Repentance Plus is online co-op play, allowing up to 4 players to battle their way through hordes of enemies on their way to a final face-off. It took a little getting used to, given many hours of solo play, but I clicked with it more after realizing that the game encourages a more tactical style of gameplay. Items can be more limited meaning than you’ll have to decide which pick-ups are more suited to a character’s build. Clever character choices can negate certain obstacles, a flying character making for an easy solution to otherwise awkward areas. Teamwork, as always, makes the dream work.
The co-op game mode offers a new level of accessibility for new players via multiple angles including the option to play with veteran Isaac lovers, respawn points using in-game currency and players being resurrected upon completion of a boss. What could soon be an absolute visual barrage, as bullets fly around an already packed play area, can be negated somewhat with an option to make other players and their projectiles more opaque, for a cleaner look and a screen that is easier to read in the heat of the moment. Online play itself has run pretty flawlessly, even when playing with friends on another continent, with an in-game option for input lag proving to solve any issues instantly.
On top of this, TBOI Repentance Plus adds a slew of in-game mechanics and bug fixes, new sound effects, trinket behaviours, additional options and more. There’s just so much that it would be a fool’s errand to try and list them here, but suffice to say there are numerous sources available online should you wish to dive into the minutiae of the update. One that I find worthy of mention is item descriptions, now added after your first won run. Rather than having to actually remember the effect or synergy of each and every item (or refer to a wiki every 5 minutes) descriptions will appear after you collect them for the first time to remind you what to grab or what to leave behind. It’s a genuinely excellent addition and makes onboarding new players even easier.
The Binding of Isaac Repentance Plus is easily my first choice of desert island disc. Offering replayability in spades, more content than you would ever believe, an all-timer of a soundtrack and now the ability to experience it all with a friend or three, it deserves a place on everyone’s shelf of truly epic games. It’s legendary for a damn good reason. The Binding of Isaac was already my favourite game of all time and Repentance Plus somehow inexplicably manages to improve upon perfection.
