GAME · RELEASED

The Binding of Isaac

The original 2011 top-down action game sends Isaac through changing basement rooms, where tears are weapons and strange items reshape each attempt.

Action Roguelike

Release Date SEP 28, 2011

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Media

Isaac and skeletal enemies in a Basement 2 room, with health and item counters at the top.

Isaac beside pits in a Cave 1 room with a red beam crossing the floor.

Isaac fighting a large circular boss in Cave 2 beneath a boss health bar.

A large green enemy and green pools in a Cave 1 room of the original Isaac game.

Isaac beside a machine in a narrow Depths room bordered by pits.

Game Overview

Platforms

Made by

Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. Published by Edmund McMillen

Content rating

USK 16 (Germany, PC Unholy Edition)

The Binding of Isaac is the original 2011 game by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, published by McMillen. Isaac escapes into the basement after his mother becomes a threat. From a view above the room, you move him around enemies and fire tears to fight back. Random room layouts, bosses and item finds make each new attempt different.

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Items can change Isaac's attacks and appearance, while hearts, coins, bombs and keys affect what you can survive or collect. It is a single-player action game about reacting to danger and learning from a failed run, with unsettling cartoon imagery and bloody fights. The PC release date recorded for the original Steam product is September 28, 2011.

This is not The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the separate 2014 remake. The gallery uses the original game's official Steam screenshots, kept at their native size. Germany's confirmed USK 16 record is specifically for the PC Unholy Edition; it is not presented as a verified certificate for the standalone Steam release, and Rebirth's ESRB rating is not borrowed.

Fight from a top-down view with Isaac's tear attacks.Find items that change abilities and appearance between runs.Explore changing rooms with enemies, bosses, pickups and locked paths.Original 2011 PC game, separate from the 2014 Rebirth remake.

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