I have long compared The Binding of Isaac to a slot machine, which maybe isn't quite fair. Unlike a slot machine, there is a decent amount of skill involved - understanding the mechanics, learning how to get deals with the devil, figuring out what synergizes with what. But at the end of the day, those flashy synergies are really the only draw of the game, and the only reason why I have a little over 150 hours in it. There's only so many times I can completely annihilate everything with screen-spanning laser beams before it starts becoming a chore. Isaac fails at what I'd consider the most important part of a roguelike - being challenging but fair. In Isaac, there is rarely a moment in which you feel like you are having a fun challenge. You are either insanely overpowered and nuking all of the bosses in less than 10 seconds, or you are the weakest baby alive, spending each encounter strafing around the arena for several minutes while doing a piddling amount of damage. It doesn't feel satisfying to attack and kill enemies until you've gotten enough items that the game starts to play itself. And on top of it all, most of the soundtrack is made up of boring atmospheric tracks, which is not what I want to be listening to when playing an action roguelike. At least some of the boss themes like "Infanticide" are good.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is an exceptional roguelike with never-ending replay value.

Every Binding of Isaac run is unique. In each run you try to fight your way through randomly generated floors of enemies and bosses by shooting them with Isaac's tears while picking up random items and power-ups along the way. These hundreds of different items and their countless unique synergies make sure that every run feels fresh and new. Even after 1000+ hours of playtime (PC & PS4) there are still plenty of item interactions I have yet to experience. Power-ups can range from simple damage upgrades to items that transform your tears into bombs or other deadly weapons. Once you possess the latter and manage to pick up other synergizing items such as "Pyromaniac" which causes explosions to heal you and "Mr. Mega" that increases your bomb radius in true Bomberman-esque fashion you suddenly got an extremely powerful run going capable of defeating bosses you never dared to dream of defeating.

Most of the items you need to unlock by advancing in the game, completing certain challenges or uncovering secrets (which there are plenty of). If you are a fellow achievement hunter then the myriad unlockables are what makes this game truly addictive. Most of them you will unlock automatically as you play the game, but some are locked behind harrowing challenges that truly test your skill and mettle. Even though the game is challenging, I believe that with enough dedication any player is capable of beating it, so do not be discouraged if you do not even reach the boss of the first floor on your initial attempts. Because the game does not hold your hand, you have to be daring and experiment. There are no item descriptions for example, which means that there will be moments in which you have to decide whether to pick up a new shiny item that could either propel you towards victory or sabotage your entire run.

Even though the gameplay feels a bit slow and dated especially compared to newer roguelikes such as Enter the Gungeon or Hades, it still serves its purpose. Being able to shoot in only four directions is limiting and might seem too basic. However, this same simplicity allows the game to be easy to pick up and understand. The game relies more on interesting item synergies rather than on flashy gameplay with dodge rolls and combos. The slow pace can easily cause a single run to take up 50 minutes once you unlocked all of the floors especially if you have a run that does not pop off. Fortunately, it is possible to quit and save at any point in a run, so you do not have to commit an hour of your time at once and you can immediately pick up where you left off.

In its presentation The Binding of Isaac is quite unique. The way in which grotesque monsters and mature religious undertones are blended with a cutesy aesthetic is iconic. The music is equally great. The game does have a story, albeit conveyed in a fragmented way through various cryptic vignettes that are unique to each playable character. It will go over most players’ heads but there is enough there to theorize and read up on.

The game does feature 2-player local co-op (4-player with Afterbirth DLC), but sadly is leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, co-op players can only join in as random babies with limited options. For example, they have less health and damage than Isaac and cannot pick up items or pickups. Mods to make the co-op experience more interesting do exist but do tend to require the Afterbirth+ DLC.

Ultimately, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth will provide you with absurd replay value and is the ideal game to either mindlessly grind for weeks on end or simply pick up for half an hour while you are on break.

Summary:
+ Unprecedented variety and replay value due to item synergies and randomly generated runs
+ Countless of secrets and unlockables
+ Addictive gameplay loop with rewarding meta-progression
+ Iconic aesthetic
+ Great soundtrack
+ Easy to pick up but hard to master

- The gameplay is not as action-packed or flashy as other games in the genre
- Flawed local co-op

The best version of a belter game. Has the pixel art, atmospheric OST and beefed up item/character pool improvements that the original flash game didn't have, whilst at the same time not being bogged down by the derivative new items and lazy endgame dungeon of the latter expansion packs.

If you don't know what Isaac is all about by now, you pick a character, you dungeon crawl through some dank depths and along the way you either turn into a one shotting invincible god or a miserable failed experiment that can barely shoot a tear correctly.

It's incredibly fun.