The Binding of Isaac (2011)

Developer: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Publisher: Edmund McMillen
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 62,592 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 6.1 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense and punishing dungeon crawl where each run feels fresh but precarious, blending dark humour with genuine dread.

darkdisturbingpunishingaddictiveprocedurally generatedtop-downbullet hellatmospheric

What players say

Players are split: some call the original a charming, difficult classic, while others say it shows its age and recommend Rebirth instead. Many find it harder than the sequel, with unbalanced rooms and clunky Flash controls, but the item system feels more rewarding and the dark tone keeps people coming back.

Screenshots

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More by Edmund McMillen

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.