The Binding of Isaac came out in 2011, and nearly a decade later it’s still going strong. The sleeper hit roguelike is set to receive it’s final batch of DLC, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance, on March 31. Described by series creator Edmund McMillen as adding so much content that it’s “basically a sequel,” Repentance will bring a slew of new items, levels, bosses, and mechanics to The Binding of Isaac.
Though Repentance has been delayed several times, the extra development time seems to be paying off. The new expansion boasts some of the games most gorgeous levels yet, as well as its spookiest tracks. With the game’s release coming this week, there are quite a few major additions that fans can look forward to.
The Binding of Isaac still boasts a committed modding community, which is partially responsible for the game’s continued popularity. Many of the features that will appear in Repentance were first introduced in a mod called Antibirth, and McMillen has been working with its developers since 2018 to bring their creation to the official version of the game. Many of the levels and enemies that appeared in Antibirth will be making the jump, as will two (technically three) new unlockable characters: Jacob and Esau, who are played as a duo, and Bethany.
Of course, the additions to The Binding of Isaac: Repentance aren’t limited to those found in Antibirth. The developers have been hard at work creating a bevy of new features, and a recent blog post from McMillen shows off some truly impressive numbers. Once Repentance has released, The Binding of Isaac will contain over 700 items, more than 300 enemies, and at least 100 bosses. The blog post also hints that a secret unlockable character might be added in a later patch, which would be par for the course for the Isaac series.
Though many of the new features coming to the game are enemies and items, many of TBOI‘s core roguelike mechanics are also going to be changing. Details about the specific changes have been hard to come by, but McMillen has hinted that the normal difficulty will be harder and that Hard Mode will receive significant changes.
A common criticism of the game is that many strategies revolve around finding broken combinations that allow to players to spawn infinite items or deal ludicrous amounts of damage. In recent interviews, the developers have hinted that most of these easily-abused combos have been removed from the game, forcing players to use the limited number of resources they come across rather than pinning all of their hopes on one or two carry items. This will also encourage seasoned roguelike players to try out all of the new pieces that Repentance includes, rather than allowing them to rest on their laurels with tried-and-true strategies.
Other upcoming changes include a rework of the collectible pills, as well as significant alterations to the Angel and Devil Rooms. The specifics have been somewhat murky, but it seems as though players will have more incentive to use the pills, even though they can cause negative effects. Meanwhile, the cost for items found in Devil Rooms is going to scale with players’ health, making them a risky prospect throughout a run instead of just at the beginning. These changes have the potential to make playing through The Binding of Isaac feel like a fresh experience, which is an impressive feat considering the game’s age.
The Binding of Isaac is an incredibly dark game, taking its title from the biblical tale in which Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son. Over the series’ many expansions, this tale has unfolded cutscene by cutscene, becoming increasingly grim with each iteration. Much of the inspiration for the game comes from McMillen’s own experience growing up in a religious household. He’s been candid about his intentions with the game in recent interviews, stating that it’s meant to criticize the negative effects that strict adherence to organized religion can have on children.
The story details included in Repentance are meant to be his final words on the subject. The included cutscenes will hopefully shed a new light on the story of the series, giving players more context about the environment of Isaac’s home. The Binding of Isaac has always been a bit like the Dark Souls series, in that much of the background lore is fleshed out through the items found in the game. Many of these details were inspired by McMillen’s life, and will likely give more context about Isaac’s experience.
The Binding of Isaac has had a multiplayer mode since Rebirth‘s release in 2015, but it never felt fully fleshed out. Additional players were able to float around the screen and shoot at enemies, but weren’t able to interact with items or the environment. Repentance is going to change that, offering a true co-op mode in which each player can use a fully functional character. The mode is currently only available as local multiplayer, but can be played online with friends using Steam Remote Play Together.
One caveat to note is that players will technically only be playing on a single save file, so items and achievements will only unlock for the player hosting the game — not for those connected to it. Even so, a potential workaround is to create a save file that will be solely used for co-op play, allowing groups of players to experience the game together from the very beginning.
The Binding of Isaac is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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