About
The Binding of Isaac is an independent video game initially created by game developers Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. It has a playing style similar to the orignal Legend of Zelda games and has had multiple remakes[1] and extensions[2] created for it.
Premise
All of the Binding of Isaac games revolve around the same basic plot. The main character, Isaac, lives alone with his mother. However, his mother receives what she believes is a message from god, which tells her to murder her son because he has “become corrupted by sin”. When she goes to do the deed, Isaac discovers a trap door in his bedroom, and escapes his mother to the caverns underneath his house[13]. However, depending on which ending cutscene the player manages to receive after beating the game, this plot has become open to interpretation[14].
Gameplay
Each level in the game consists of a floor, with monsters that Isaac must kill by using his projectile tears. These levels get exponentially harder, and the player must restart the entire game if they die. The game has some gruesome elements, and was rejected by Nintendo because of “questionable religious content[15].” However, in 2015, the game became accepted onto the Nintendo 3ds, WiiU, and Xbox One consoles, albeit with some edits[16]
History
Initial release
The Binding of Isaac was first hinted at when developer Edmund McMillen released a post concerning it on his blog[3]. He and Florian Himsl[4] worked on the game, and it was released on Steam on Sep 28, 2011[5] as a Flash game[6]. McMillen was previously known for his other games, such as Super Meat Boy[7] and Gish[8].
Wrath of The Lamb
The Binding of Isaac: Wrath of The Lamb is an extension of The Binding of Isaac, notable for its added levels and more complex gameplay. It was released on Steam half a year after the original, on May 28, 2012[9].
Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a wholly remade version of the original game. No longer made in Flash[10], this game had even more content than its precursors. It became available to the public on Nov 4, 2014[11].
Afterbirth
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth is an upcoming expansion for the Rebirth game. Little is currently known about it, but it will be released mid-summer 2015[12].
Reception
The games received multiple awards, including the PlayStation 2014 Best PS Vita Game of the Year Gold Award, which was awarded to Rebirth[17].
Fandom
The Binding of Isaac series has acquired quite a large fandom, with many fan fictions and fan arts in its community. Theses fan works often include crossovers.
":http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/111413 
Related memes
First-World Problem Isaac
First-World Problem Isaac describes an advice animal meme with a picture of a crying Isaac on it. The captions usually describes problems that players have experienced while playing the game. There are over 350 instances of this advice animal on Quickmeme[18].
":http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3qglvu Search Interest
External References
[1]Steam – The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
[2]Steam – The Binding of Isaac: Wrath of the Lamb
[3]Blogspot – New game announcement
[4]Komix games – Himsl’s site
[5]Steam – The Binding of Isaac
[6]Wikia – The Binding of Isaac: The Binding of Isaac Wiki
[7]Supermeatboy.com – Super Meat Boy
[9]Steam – The Binding of Isaac: Wrath of The Lamb
[10]Wikia – The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth: The Binding of Isaac Wiki
[11]Steam – The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
[12]Tumblr – McMillen’s Blog
[13]Youtube – Beginning Cutscene
[14]Youtube – Ending Cutscene
[15]Kotaku – Indie Game Blocked by Nintendo Over Questionable Religious Content
[16]Tumblr – McMillen’s Blog
[17]Blog – 2014 Playstation Awards
[18]Quickmeme – The Binding of Isaac Meme