The Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac is an indie roguelike video game designed by w:Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, initially released in 2011 for Microsoft Windows; the game was later ported for OS X, and Linux operating systems. The game's title and plot are inspired by the Biblical story of the w:Binding of Isaac. In the game, Isaac's mother receives a message from God demanding the life of her son as proof of her faith, and Isaac, fearing for his life, flees into the monster-filled basement of their home where he must fight to survive. Players control Isaac or one of eleven other unlockable characters through a procedurally generated dungeon in a roguelike manner, fashioned after those of The Legend of Zelda, defeating monsters in real-time combat while collecting items and power-ups to defeat bosses and eventually Isaac's mother.

Intro

Isaac and his mother lived alone in a small house on a hill. Isaac kept to himself, drawing pictures and playing with his toys as his mom watched Christian broadcasts on the television.

Life was simple, and they were both happy.

That was, until the day Isaac's mom heard a voice from above: "Your son has become corrupted by sin! He needs to be saved!"

"I will do my best to save him, my Lord," Isaac's mother replied, rushing into Isaac's room, removing all that was evil from his life.

Again, the voice called to her:

"Isaac's soul is still corrupt! He needs to be cut off from all that is evil in this world and confess his sins."

"I will follow your instructions, Lord. I have faith in thee," Isaac's mother replied, as she locked Isaac away in his room, away from the evils of the world.

One last time, Isaac's mom heard the voice of God calling to her:

"You have done as I asked, but I still question your devotion to me. To prove your faith, I will ask one more thing of you."

"Yes, Lord. Anything," Isaac's mother begged.

"To prove your love and devotion, I require a sacrifice. Your son Isaac will be this sacrifice. Go into his room and end his life as an offering to me, to prove that you love me above all else!"

"Yes, Lord," she replied, grabbing a butcher's knife from the kitchen.

Isaac, watching through a crack in the door, trembled in fear. Scrambling around his room to find a hiding place, he noticed a trapdoor to the basement, hidden under his rug. Without hesitation, he flung open the hatch just as his mother burst through his door and threw himself down into the unknown depths below.