How The Binding of Isaac Was Made and Designed to Fail

This The Binding of Isaac documentary details the development of the indie game The Binding of Isaac and goes behind the scenes of its creation. Discover more about indie developer Edmund McMillen and what inspired him to make his first roguelike after the success of his previous game Super Meat Boy. The documentary covers the entire development, from the original The Binding of Isaac all the way to the final DLC titled Repentance. It explores all the design decisions that Edmund made and why he designed Isaac to fail.
Furthermore, it also takes a close look at all the problems Edmund and his co-developer Florian Himsl faced during Isaac’s development that started during a relaxing game jam. For example, the original Isaac was entirely made in Flash and this caused quite a lot of technical problems to get it to run properly on PC. Lastly, the documentary looks to the future to see what’s still in store for The Binding of Isaac and when we can expect a sequel to the successful roguelike.
References:
thatguyglen.fun/video/how-the...
Outro song: Thank You R.G.E. - Joe Bagale
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#TheBindingOfIsaac #EdmundMcMillen #GameDevelopment

[@ThatGuyGlen]

What indie game would you like to see me cover next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below! Also, if you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing to stay up to date on future “How Games Were Made” episodes. Leaving a like and sharing the video also helps out! Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like Q&A sessions, ad-free content, access to my Discord server and more: www.patreon.com/ThatGuyGlen

[@ThePC007]

Trine would be cool. Or maybe some Zachtronics game.

[@gaby-bq1wu]

can you do Cave Story next? I rarely hear anyone talk about it...

[@theaavocado7963]

Idk if Little Nightmares is an indie game. I think it is, but I would love to see you check it out.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

Henry Stickmin please!

[@strawberryowl962]

Please tackle some RPG Maker games. My most wanted suggestion are OFF and Yume Nikki. Other great game suggestions would be Lisa: the Painful, To the Moon, Witch's House and Ib.

[@deantyoowon6439]

Edmund: "The game was designed to fail." Well congratulation! You failed successfully.

[@ciceroissad4821]

The game is going well and strong. And I still wonder how It was destined to fail...

[@woobgamer5210]

Considering it was made to fail, it's more likely Task Successfully Failed

[@CakeTastesGoood]

damnit i was gunna say that

[@heartofthefluft8541]

_*suffering from success_

[@kyonbrace5487]

TASK FAILED SUCCESSFULLY

[@henrique_212]

What a legend, instead of suing Antibirth modder creators, he made a partnership with them and they worked together to make another game, Edmund is one of the best game creators of the whole world...

[@ENFIKEFEPOKETC]

I mean, he made the mod support and antibirth was free, he couldn't sue them lnao

[@joshuavarela6569]

@@ENFIKEFEPOKETC most of romhacks and fangames of Nintendo characters are free but... Well, y'know

[@raven75257]

@@joshuavarela6569 Nintendo is an exception though. Nintendo's community team just seems to hate their fans

[@namenotavailable6879]

@@joshuavarela6569 there's a BIIIG difference between romhacks/fangames and officially supported mod creation

[@Mantosasto]

@@namenotavailable6879 The thing is Antibirth wasn't made with supported mod creation. Those dudes practically destroyed the original game and remade it from the ground. AB+ didn't exist at the time, Antibirth predates it.

[@zach11241]

When he said “designed to fail” I thought he meant getting into the curse room with one heart and then getting hit by a spider.

[@ExplosivePine]

Damn

[@xryeau_1760]

**Laughs in Lost**

[@lal6005]

yeah i also lol

[@toxic_shr00m]

Why would you go into a curse room with one heart anyway? You'd be doomed unless the secret room was next to it

[@xryeau_1760]

@@toxic_shr00m Soul hearts maybe

[@anonony9081]

Isaac is still the game that I got the most time for my money in my life. For the price the number of hours I've played is huge

[@ThatGuyGlen]

The amount of content in Isaac is mind-blowing. Much like Stardew Valley.

[@littlemoth4956]

@@ThatGuyGlen And Terraria

[@cgnfake6721]

@@littlemoth4956 was going to say that too

[@Radical_SeS]

Ikr! I just started playing a few months ago and I can’t stop!

[@klpliper5783]

@@littlemoth4956 terraria has content for 60+ hours. isaac has content for 500+ hour

[@wolfles4847]

The binding of Isaac had such a huge impact on my relationship with one of my older brothers. I didn’t have many memories of him when I was younger due to him being an addict at the time but besides some of the traumas that I associated with him, I can still vaguely remember sitting on my grandmas pullout bed taking turns with him playing wrath of the lamb, fast forward to now with repentance being released and him being about 3 and a half years clean from multiple hard substances, we’ve reintroduced a special moment of our relationship and bonded over playing repentance together, with a better relationship and both clean mindsets, just like we once did with wrath of the lamb 7-8 years ago.

[@roxsauce7862]

aww that's cute

[@funguy398]

I bet he's a Fun guy

[@wolfles4847]

@@funguy398 Ah man, hes a fun guy just as much as you

[@wolfles4847]

@@roxsauce7862 It really is, he's doing amazing for himself now and I'm glad that a game based on a baby crying out tears that kill abominations along a biblical context brought me and my brother closer together

[@kyan2632]

That's actually nice to read, and very wolesome.

[@keyb7431]

4:29 I think he did a great job with the "Mind of its own" part, whenever I play TBOI it truly feels like the game is purposefully trying to make me cry.

[@zach11241]

That’s because it is. As Northern Lion put it, rather succinctly, “the Binding of Isaac sometimes gives you items that let you fuck the game because every other time the game WILL fuck you”.

[@petkofuchalski9809]

@@zach11241 yep, there's no other game that can give brimstone in the first devil room, and then make you reroll it by picking up missing No. With curse of the blind.

[@corey3642]

@@petkofuchalski9809 that's why you never take blind items

[@houseofrandomgaming1525]

The binding of isaac, better with kinect

[@petkofuchalski9809]

@@corey3642 eh, after 5 times, you get used to it.

[@lanterns_glow]

His plan backfired so hard he got rich from it

[@mikearsen4580]

ikr what a loser 😂

[@veronnn.]

@@mikearsen4580 lmaooo

[@LunaMinuna]

@@mikearsen4580 lmfao bro

[@DrDeez-do9zo]

Mission failed succesfully

[@SuperRitz44]

Edmund is a treasure I got Tears Up at that last clip

[@petkofuchalski9809]

,"tears way up, you feel empty"

[@jackieChannel.]

@@petkofuchalski9809 NAW, IM NOT FEELING EMPTY IM FEELING LIKE IM WALKING ON SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@aGiantChimpmunk]

@Nicholas Nelson Dude, I just did too! Also, got Hot Potato done, it's been a fantastic week lol

[@lorenzomadriz2937]

Nice

[@haoh1523]

i saw indie game movie 2 times & it still got me to tears each fucking time

[@eduardogomezruiz9505]

The fact that Edmund gets emotional when speaking of a child that would wait for a game he developed to come out and then even skip school to play it because he/she loves it so much is so wholesome, and speaks for itself.

[@saquial]

2:19 Glad to see that the "Fuck You" cloud came back in Repentance.

[@Jonathing]

Favorite addition tbh

[@oxob3333]

@@Jonathing Same, that's hilarious

[@ciderstamp]

As someone awaiting the console port, the new areas, bosses, true local coop, items, and general overhaul of the game did not make me as happy as knowing that the "Fuck You" cloud is a canon Isaac phenomenon did.

[@Kyumifun]

My favorite cutscene

[@Steven-nq7fx]

The sad Isaac after that is adorably deppresing

[@Alikaoz]

Of course Northernlion would appear in this. The egg breathes Isaac.

[@Templarfreak]

the guy literally has like, nearly 3,000 hours in the game between WOTL and Rebirth *just in the videos he has uploaded to KZbin,* and is showing no signs of slowing down since the release of Repentance, already approaching like 250 videos in total on it. That's like almost two Isaac videos a day since Repentance's release. And he ALSO has a relatively short-lived Antibirth series that's about 60ish videos.

[@ponivi]

@@Templarfreak I love how you had to add the relatively before short, because it’s still absolutely ridiculous

[@Templarfreak]

@@ponivi yeah its still like 60 videos which is insane its just that its not like 2,000+

[@ponivi]

@@Templarfreak I know, it’s just mildly amusing to me so I felt I might as well joke about it

[@YuriG03042]

still commiting carrer suicide to this day!

[@doga5899]

It's crazy how old rebirth is, I started playing it in middleschool, and now I'm graduating high-school and still play it almost every day

[@triggerhappy4199]

Same

[@jakehoffmann9686]

Honestly though! I remember my brother showing me a video my senior year of high school and it was the first game I bought on my first laptop for college the next year. I still play it, and I'm still experiencing new things.

[@alishegamer8490]

i started playing original in school when the dlc already been a thing now when i say isaac ppl dont think dead space anymore

[@700x25]

i started playing isaac when i was in middleschool too! Around 2012/13... Now im on a university and i still play the game (A LOT) and i even have an isaac's tattoo

[@plaguis1391]

Wtf

[@muchotexto4248]

Edmund: *Takes a risk so hilariously big it's not meant to be taken seriously* Market: Sucess! Edmund: Wait, it worked?! Market: *Turns successfully taken risk into payout* Edmund: OH GOD OH FUCK IT WORKED

[@izeaanaya6183]

Basically d20 plus greed mode plus blank card and 2 of diamonds

[@imastrabirry960]

cringe

[@ENFIKEFEPOKETC]

He threw crooked penny on his fanbase

[@86Fallowcp]

@@imastrabirry960 what a cringe comment

[@Vinni-2K]

@@86Fallowcp +1

[@spleen1108]

you know I'm really glad Isaac blew up. Made me smile and smile knowing this guy and his creative dreams are liked by thousands of people.

[@florianfanderl6674]

Probably millions of people 😉

[@singingat]

_enjoy the 69th blessing_

[@puckthefolise2842]

Wow, i tried to search the history of this game development on youtube weeks ago, but mostly popular game content is guides/ingame story explaining. Finally some light shining on concept and development! Hooray

[@ThatGuyGlen]

That’s what I’m here for :D

[@TheBaxes]

I just hope we get The Karting of Isaac next

[@M0mazosMissy]

Every character has an special, Delirium's is a teleporter that glitches him out of existence and win instantly

[@oxob3333]

@@M0mazosMissy Also, Delirium's remake when Edmund? that shit was and still too random right now

[@SonicLux_Hedgeman]

@@M0mazosMissy bruh, that'd literally be Vannelope Von Schweets from Wreck It Ralph, who also uses glitch powers to get an edge in the race lol

[@SonicLux_Hedgeman]

@@oxob3333 what I'm most excited for is the online co-op stuff he's working on, he's probably tweaking everything in order to release when delirium gets reworked

[@DannyCheezits]

As a thief, Cains character stole all of the parts from his kart and sold them individually on craigslist

[@petronator_4551]

Edmund: Iam going to make a roguelike game that is destined to flop! Also Edmund: accidenatally makes one of the biggest and complex rogulike games ever. *Ooops*

[@oxob3333]

The best mistake ever.

[@Beelzeon]

Its like having 1up, one container, and try to get a brimstone (u can win but much chance to lose)

[@TsubasaAmsel]

We make happy little accidents

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

task failed successfully

[@MixMasterJ1221]

Edmund is such a great human being. Even growing up in such harsh conditions by his family, he manages to use his past experience in his works and to help people, and truly knows that what he is doing helps people the way it has. Bravo.

[@xXEmo54Xx]

hes kinda a pompous jerk who gets easily triggered and tries to impress people by doing irregular or grotesque things

[@kaonashi636]

@@xXEmo54Xx It honestly sounds like you're projecting.

[@fishingrod2253]

"BuT... bUt... BuT hE mAdE tHe Tboi HaRdEr AnD dEsTrOyEd My MeTa, ThErEfOrE I cOnClUdE ThAt He Is EgOtIsTiCal"

[@xXEmo54Xx]

@@kaonashi636 sounds like youre new

[@xXEmo54Xx]

@@fishingrod2253 nah, has just about nothing to do with the difficulty, but perhaps his desperation to keep going back to isaac when he couldnt do anything else is partly there

[@fedewyt]

That was an unexpectedly INCREDIBLE video. I've been playing Isaac for 6 years and a lot of things you mentioned I didn't know and its very interesting. Reminder that there will be an update soon that reworks The Void floor and Delirium!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@astra8815]

its been 1 year... where is it...

[@Spoka_12]

@@astra8815 wow, 39 mins ago, crazy

[@fedewyt]

@@astra8815 ask edmund lol "soon ™️"

[@b0mberr330]

soon™️

[@ThatOneCloudGuy]

"having a mother kill her son for god would damage Nintendo's kid friendly image" *sips coffee while browsing through Switch's eshop* Times sure have changed.

[@11epicnoob]

Edmund: I wanna create a game that is intended to fail DM: Okay, roll a D20 Edmund: *Rolls a natural 1*

[@Jpx0999]

It become the best roguelike in history of gaming

[@oxob3333]

@@Jpx0999 IGN even says it

[@bubbabasher7652]

Don't forget that TBOI also became a launch title for the Nintendo switch, and got unique box art to go with it.

[@JacktheRah]

I love how the motivation of adding more to the game was his wife loving the game. It's a sweet story actually. And I'm glad that The Binding of Isaac was such a huge success. It's a great game and deserves all the praise it's gotten.

[@ronannapier162]

Edmund didn't mean the game was actually designed to fail. He just meant that he made the game against the status quo which was set by other successful games before it (AAA games, MMOs, Etc.). While it is still unexpected that Isaac has become a great success, Edmund didn't make it with the intention to not do well.

[@Crazylom]

He just went do far of meta, he accidentally found another. Nice.

[@Kyumifun]

He expected to game to be smaller game that would be living in the shadows of his at the time more popular creations such as Super Meat Boy

[@WaryObserver]

Who had thought NOT going with the mainstream can be successful? If only game companies would be this experimental still, fuck publishers and investors, no freedom allowed and no risk due to investments. Why Indie will be always more liked, even with failures, you not waste a full price cost for it like almost every AAA game in the late years. Especially considering Microtrransacitons and by today NFT as well coming seemingly.

[@Cyndersparx]

The BOI is one of those games that I'd never play myself (because I'd get too frustrated with it), but I love watching other people play it and hearing about how all the work that went into making it, so I'm super glad that you made a whole video for it! It was a fun and informative watch!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it! It's definitely not a game for everyone and I've had some very frustrating runs myself, but there's something about it that keeps me coming back for more :P

[@heatsdawn7862]

@@ThatGuyGlen i know, dont you ever have that run where its like "im not playing in a long time!!!" then you come back to the game 5 hours later, im sure the game was almost designed to piss you off at times (especially in repentance)

[@petkofuchalski9809]

@@heatsdawn7862 nothing more fun than getting "curse of the tower" as a first item, and later in the run to get fuse cutter, giving you infinite bombs.

[@danneltheflannel]

You should try playing it. Even when you suck at it at first each run gets more and more fun.

[@heatsdawn7862]

@@danneltheflannel i do play it lol wym

[@nutsandbolts1264]

It's funny because without knowing it, he included several elements that make rogue games successful. He added a rogue mechanic that never let's you get bored in the game, added deep lore and a disturbing story to add to the ambient, added simple gameplay (slowly timed bullet hell), and his signature art style along with good music. The reason the game was successful was because he added elements that made it player friendly but also elements that would make it repetitive without getting boring, and lore to back up the items, places, and overall story. He was making the perfect rogue game, he just simply focused on the smaller but we'll made stuff that some rogue games don't have, since some focus on the expansion and cool graphics

[@singingat]

_love thy 69th, hast been blessed, enjoy._

[@ZakarovZero]

Dude when the algorithm hits you it will hit you hard your channel will blow up so much all thanks to the dedication and passion that you put into these videos. Keep up the great work and I wish you the best of luck!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much and will definitely do!

[@mabe4322]

@@ThatGuyGlen Some other dude with an unknown channel is gonna make a 20 minute documentary video like "How ThatGuyGlen was made and how its success didn't surprise anyone".

[@doesntmatter41]

Algorithm gave me this video, so i thnk its happening :)

[@Plague_doc]

Awesome and very interesting video when Edumund talked about how he felt about being a game developer, it struck me because i felt like I was the kid, I started playing Isaac when I was 14 and since then never stopped playing it and being inspired by it.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@muffin8460]

It’s a good day when ThatGuyGlen posts.

[@mokjoy]

this is true

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It’s a good day when Muffin leaves a comment ;)

[@axlsynth9300]

Your videos are so passionate, I love it.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

The channel is definitely my passion project!

[@bigfunko1957]

There’s no way... is that... is that a...

[@ThyKorey]

The binding of Isaac was the first game I'd played through completely, enjoyed the entire time and still play to this day. I fell in love with this franchise in 2011 and it's been a huge inspiration for me as im a story writer myself. and what Edmund said about a kid staying up all night to play his game that he made and missing school the next day, yea that's actually happened with me.

[@donvoltonus8898]

I see the mistake, the "Fail" value accidentally incremented over 256, and rolled over to 0.

[@temkin9298]

Basicly overflow is deadly to any complicated game that has too much to multiply

[@MarcyTheKindaCoolWizard]

This is a programmer joke i am very happy to udnerstand

[@kirin1230]

Curses... Unintended integer overflow

[@kilianbalter]

Damn, the interview clip at the end made me get emotional as well. Edmund is just a really great guy.

[@LunaMinuna]

This is literally the reason you need to have a strong community because this game would be dead without it. Many KZbinrs wouldn’t have gotten the popularity they’ve gotten now. Keep in mind, this is an indie game btw. Take notes EA, Activision, and Nintendo

[@literallynobody9284]

so glad to see you cover this game

[@porkystrangler3821]

in 2012 i was 7 or so and didn't know much english and i mostly obsessed over the game because i related so much to isaac huh

[@wurlmon5191]

That's quite depressing

[@Peniche94]

Huh...

[@porkystrangler3821]

@@wurlmon5191 You could say Isaac itself was Isaac's chest for some of us a place to escape reality

[@carlangas0100]

Hutts (isaac youtuber) also related to isaac, too bad isaac ends up dead

[@porkystrangler3821]

yknow in retrospective Isaac HAS to be schizotypal

[@ribbox11]

I’ve been hearing about Binding of Issac for a while now, but after watching this I think I’m finally gonna pick it up. Great video as always!!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated! It's not a game for everyone, but if you enjoy a challenge I would definitely recommend it!

[@Novashadow115]

Do it! It’s so easy to pick it up or put it down whenever you want. It’s perfect

[@florianfanderl6674]

@@Novashadow115 I would disagree that it's easy to pick with so many extensions. There are a gazillion of things you need to know 😉 one round doesn't take long, that's true. But you have to invest a lot of time to become really successful. Learning all the synergies, items, paths, mechanics. It's a monster of a game. But if you like deep games you can really dive into, it's the best game of all times imho

[@hecate1447]

@@florianfanderl6674 good thing wiki exist or else I have no idea how everything works in that game lol

[@thanos9366]

I really want to buy all dlcs of The Binding Of Isaac on my birthday! And it's gonna happen really soon!

[@finnmchugh99]

Me too, I look forward to Repentance on consoles

[@thanos9366]

@@finnmchugh99 That's cool!

[@Novashadow115]

Repentance is awesome my guy

[@Shadowserpant00]

bro do it, shit is so good

[@carlangas0100]

I play repentance, is like another BOI

[@idsappples]

I love how northernlion is unarguably the king of Isaac on youtube

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's how I personally discovered Isaac!

[@idsappples]

@@ThatGuyGlen likewise!

[@brunoha]

Somehow that dude was also responsible for the success of the franchise, him not stopping to produce the vids made his fan base very focused on it, while generating some natural grow to both sides, NL in some ways worked as a marketer for The Binding of Isaac by not giving up on it.

[@idsappples]

@@brunoha and it’s the most wholesome passion ever it’s not anything like northernlion being paid it’s JSUT a mutually beneficial relationship as he enjoys the game that much

[@smugplush]

What makes it better is he is a wholesome content creator, if he dislikes something in the game he won't complain about it endlessly but he would understand it and move on, same goes for him dying on really good runs he'll get upset in the moment then move on unlike the other Isaac youtubers.

[@al_mi_t_1402]

Edmund: let's design it to fail. Northernlion: I'mma bought to make this game my whole career.

[@satanasteguarda]

I clicked faster than me dying on hard mode of repentance.

[@DrGandW]

I really like Repentance’s Hard mode except half of the time floor 1 is too big with large rooms and takes an annoying amount of time to complete. Biggest enemy at the start of Hard Mode is my lack of patience lmao

[@Emperorhirohito19272]

@@DrGandW this was the case before as well though, the game always starts very slow if you don’t get some significant stat upgrade early

[@Warfflles]

It’s always that stupid meat thing that did not need a buff in any way

[@Jpx0999]

As tainted lost

[@thatguyfromicarly6645]

Edmun: Starts a small project Universe: Congratulations, this now is your best game

[@TsubasaAmsel]

Man, 10 years have passed since the Flash game?

[@jackieChannel.]

Yes. thefutureisnowoldman

[@nemorose]

wow i nearly teared up at the end such a great way to end this video

[@ThatGuyGlen]

When I started making the video, I knew I had to end it with that clip. Such an inspiring moment in the Indie Game documentary.

[@AsavarKul]

@@ThatGuyGlen that is evil, leaving us all with a tear rolling down our face. JK, it was the perfect ending for a great documentary.

[@ziebelzubel]

Hey Glen, amazing video, once again!! Isaac still is one of the best Indie games I've ever played, and you're doing it justice with your video :) I have one suggestion for a new video, although I'm not sure how well known the game is internationally. It's called "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout", it's a Point & Click game from Germany. Its creator Poki originally made it as a diploma project, almost completely on his own, but it was such an amazing game that he started selling it, and it became one of the most known and popular p&c games in Germany. What made it special is that there are no generic answers when trying to interact with or combine items, there was a unique line for EVERYTHING. Internationally it got really bad Reviews however since the translation was pretty bad, some of the jokes were lost, and the graphics were pretty ugly back then. Although now they made an anniversary edition which fixes all of these things. Later he co-founded Daedalic Entertainment, which published his work, and created another game series that got extremely popular in Germany (and also internationally to some extent), namely Deponia. I'm not sure how much info there is about Poki and the development of Edna & Harvey on the internet, let alone in English, but maybe it'd be enough for a (Mini-) episode? But I'd understand too if this wasn't relevant too you since probably no one in this community would be interested in watching a "How it was made" about some foreign game they never heard of, haha. Anyway, thanks for making it that far! And thank you for your great content!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much, Philipp! And sounds like an interesting backstory to the game, I’ll look into it! Can’t make any promises, but it’s definitely going on my list :)

[@petkofuchalski9809]

"The Binding Of Issac" is the reason i got obsessed with rouge-likes/lites. The amount of creativity in offers is just mind numbing.

[@aguafria9003]

This is the exact same for me, tearofgrace got me into it and if I never played it I would of never found games like risk of rain

[@Nickxis]

same

[@PaletteMorning]

Same

[@solacehollow6062]

@@aguafria9003 God bless Tear

[@carlangas0100]

Have you played Hades? Pretty good.

[@enviousgrey]

I just found you yesterday and I really have to say: Thank you. Not that you just covered a bunch of my favourite indie games, it's really interesting to look behind those processes and learn about the people behind those games. Your videos are super informative, high quality and really chill to watch. Keep up the good work. :)

[@kungisans]

Quality content about a quality game.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@shaynola1]

Isaac has been the most important video game in mine and my girlfriends relationship. As soon as I showed her binding of Isaac in 2016 she was hooked and we have been such huge fans and its brought us closer in a way! And given this is the only game she plays besides Gungeon, she is an absolute beast and still gets so excited at neat synergies lol

[@aleeyaroslan494]

The binding of isaac and gungeon. Never expected to read them in one paragraph.

[@cryptobbc3435]

@@aleeyaroslan494 how come? They go so well together And provide such good rage

[@rudrod95_41]

The algorithm has blessed you! This came up in my recommended! Keep pushing!

[@Jonathing]

I'm a Catholic, and a pretty devout one at that, but I love everything this game has brought to the table. The Binding of Isaac is such a creative and necessary critique of Religion (especially Repentence's secret TV boss) and it probably taught me more about the real world as a child than anything else I've encountered in school. I personally think that the Catholic Church, especially in America, is trying to display a good message but is doing it in all of the worst ways possible, and I can personally assure you that we aren't all the same. Might make a video on Isaac since I have a pretty interesting view on it. Thanks for such a great game, McMillen. You fucking rock.

[@dirtydan9785]

I've always wondered how religious people would feel about the imagery in TBoI, very cool

[@charlesajones77]

I like the idea that the original characters D&D classes. Never thought of that, but it makes sense. Explains why Judas is such a glass cannon and Maggie such a tank.

[@bunnyben5607]

Even the repentance characters are based off D&D classes. Sampson- barbarian, Eve- druid, Lilith- summoner and Azazel- sorcerer.

[@silverdededestruction2197]

@@bunnyben5607 those characters are from wrath of the lamb, rebirth, and afterbirth characters respectively.

[@teejayburger2136]

@@bunnyben5607 does this make the keeper a bard?

[@bunnyben5607]

@@silverdededestruction2197 yeah I know I just didn't want to type all that out, I mean the characters who are in repentance but not the base game.

[@oxob3333]

@@teejayburger2136 So Eden as Illusionist, The Lost as Rogue (idk), Apollyon as Thief and Bethany as Paladin?

[@dragonalfaata]

"You can't hear images" Danny : Yo, check this out

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

I know I’m late to the party but I felt compelled to share my experience with the game in case anyone watching hadn’t played it yet or were considering buying it. I purchased this game on a whim as my first downloaded game for my brand new Switch back in 2017. I fired it up and after about an hour of play I decided I didn’t like it so I cleared it off my hard drive and basically forgot about it. I was actually pretty irritated because I got buyer’s remorse and felt like I basically threw my money away. More than a year passed (maybe 2) before I decided to give it another shot. Long story short it’s now in my top 3/4 most played games in total hours spent. It’s an incredibly fantastic game with a mind boggling amount of content of which I’ve unlocked less than half of even after all these countless hours of play time. I highly recommend it to anyone. Don’t hesitate, just buy it. You won’t regret it. Heck even if you don’t immediately click with it, I’m confident you will eventually sooner or later like what I went through.

[@thewitherno1271]

This is a really great video, I love the editing. I can't believe you don't have more subscribers yet, keep up the good work!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated and will do!

[@cryptobbc3435]

Issac has had such an impact on my life. I’ve been playing since elementary school and now I am towards the tail end of my junior year. I have taken breaks but I have never really stopped playing and I never will. I love this game more than any other.

[@rajaz001]

I was waiting for this one!! Excellent vid as always 😍😍

[@Lonewolf-bv9rw]

This game is the reason why i search constantly for rogue like games. The randomness keeps you coming back

[@tfp3163]

I stumbled across your channel yesterday, thank you for all the work you put into these. Keep up the great work!

[@KevetteofArethria]

Can't wait to be chilling in my house in 2030 super hyped for the release of the sequel the next day.

[@DoNotPutMeInABox]

For something that was ‘meant to fail’, I got countless hours on this game in middle school and early high school, even playing it during class. I took a break, but I’m super hyped to get back into it with Repentance!

[@XylessBrawl]

I am glad that you did a lot of reading from the Gamasutra interview he had. Reading that article was one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the game, Edmund’s passion to just do what he wanted was so cool.

[@hecarimirl]

The Binding of Isaac really inspired a lot of the writing I do in my spare time, and I really thank it for that. This game has unironically changed the course of my life, and I'm surprised to hear that it just originated from a part time project. Fantastic video, man. Really informative and well made.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

YOOOOO THIS GAME IS A GEM!! Glen, this is amazing! Amazing as always friend!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed it :D The Binding of Isaac is indeed a gem and I feel like it’s often overlooked in the roguelike genre after games like Hades and Returnal came out. It deserves so much credit for what it did for the genre!

[@jysaw1]

What an excellent video. I've only been an Isaac fan for a few months at this point, but I still have several hundred hours in it. I was trying to piece together why I love it so much, and this video made it abundantly clear. This game has really helped me in so many ways, and Edmund is probably the biggest inspiration to me in terms of tempering my creativity. Dude's a legend. Thanks for the vid.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@waters.create]

You're channel is amazing! Great editing and script!

[@hardboiled2987]

"This game will crash and burn" Mission successfully failed.

[@mr.incognitoyt2235]

This is amazing! I love how you actually went into detail for this video. Love your videos as always ❤

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@thatlittlemonstrosity]

Ed: yo here is the future fail ta- Market: success! Ed: i knew- wait what Market: DO MORE Ed: OH GOD OH FUCK

[@zacharyjohnson7944]

That last interview hit hard, very happy for him and his success. Great indie game developer, love for his fans and games. Nothing but great things to say for Ed.

[@sportakus3]

Ah, so you did a video about the game. And still good editing as always!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@higginswalsan]

“After a boss Isaac would get a stat-boosting item” Was confused by what a “stat boost” was because it’s been so long since I’ve played Isaac without afterbirth

[@turtlemanbilo5009]

for a second i thought this vid was about someone angrily ranting about isaac is a bad game

[@SZ_99]

Super impressed with the research done in this. Great watch, & subbed!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated and thank you for subscribing!

[@doahnunn472]

Incredible quality video, great job. Suprised this isn't blowing up more.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@screeb.3578]

NewGrounds’ Law states: “The more outlandish the concept, the more likely people will want more of it”

[@KillerDitto77]

I saw the thumbnail and I thought this was going to be a bash against Ed and the series. Glad we won't be having a problem lol.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I would never!

[@Jpx0999]

@@ThatGuyGlen yeah You would NEVER become back your money

[@fishingrod2253]

we already got a bunch of those with repentace haters

[@NotLe0n]

I'm so glad I found your channel. You make really good, high quality videos!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much, glad to hear you like the videos!

[@SomeGuy-tr2hi]

That last clip was so sweet. I remember how fascinated with Isaac I was back in Middle School. I could go on about the ways that game blew my mind and the immense nostalgia I have for it now. If I ever do create a game some day it’ll be one made with the same philosophy. Made without caring if it’s what’s considered acceptable or popular. Art is art, and it has just as much a right to be beautiful as it does disturbing or weird. Thank you Edmund, you’ve inspired many and I really do hope some day to follow in your footsteps.

[@cryptobbc3435]

Yes man. I remember when I got Isaac in fourth or fifth grade, I always wanted to learn about the game and I did it by playing. I was never good but I always loved the game. I played on and off through the years before really picking it up during quarantine(sophomore year) and falling in love with the game all over again. Isaac is such a beautiful game and I’m glad people appreciate it and have as much nostalgia with it as I do

[@rkade159]

I have never played the game myself... But your video is still really good! Keep up the good work!!!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated and will do!

[@zojirushi1]

You should do Ori and The Blind Forest, Battle Block Theater, and Slime Rancher next! :)

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thanks for the suggestions, they’re on my list now! ;)

[@zojirushi1]

@@ThatGuyGlen 😁🙏

[@oxob3333]

What about Pit People, skullgirls or Dead Cells?

[@mrpr1967]

The effort you put in this videos is crazy. Hope to see more of your content soon :P

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear it shows :D And more videos are definitely coming!

[@CoolBuster2002]

watching the clip of edmund at the end and seeing him tear up made me want to also. Imagine having something like that that you created and especially having 2 children that like your work also. Guys got a big heart man

[@DIE2dayORelse]

Edmund's story with religion is a good example of how Catholicism (and religion as a whole) can be a double edged sword. I was raised by a catholic family and even though I felt like everyone at school thought Catholics were narcissistic and condemning; my family was very much the opposite. They taught me the value of helping others and sacrificing oneself for those they love, and forgiving those who don't deserve to be forgiven. The latter took me much longer to understand. I'm glad to see Edmund had a similar experience to me, religion is a wonderful gift but it can be a curse (and an excuse) when the wrong people are pushing it's themes. There are those who use religion as an act of love, and those for acts of hate, and I think this is more important to teach your kids than "believe god, don't question"

[@curlsofa2017]

I’m not a gamer, I don’t play any computer games at all, but my boyfriend got me onto Isaac and I love it. We’ve played it for 6-7 years and have thousands of hours in it between us. We also watch Sinvicta and Northern Lion play it on KZbin pretty regularly. Whenever I try to describe the game to coworkers or friends they all give me a “WTF” look. 😂

[@abbbble]

If you talk about a game where you are a baby and you use your tears to shoot poop and big worm, trading your life for devil deals, why wouldn't they give you that look, lmao

[@curlsofa2017]

@@abbbble 😂 That’s pretty much exactly what I say when describing the game.

[@1Spring]

this video introduced me to your channel, then I checked out your other videos and all I can say is that I love the effort put into them and they're the perfect videos to eat something while watching them and learning about these indie games!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear the effort shows!

[@wizardly9211]

Tboi is my all time favorite indie game/rogue-like. It's so fun and I get so much enjoyment out of it. Good video by the way!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@MrCrucifier]

1 achieve away from the 1000001% im so grateful to this game and the hours and fun and frustration i have. Ive been with it since beta on PC and watching races on twitch with crumps it's by far my fav game to date.

[@KingNachos4]

Another banger video Glen keep it up man :D

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you and will do! :D

[@TheJuliusDeane]

Touching documentary. Very well paced and edited.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@CrownedCryptid]

Amazing video! So polished! That Indie Game The Movie clip always gets me 😭

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@sninctbur3726]

Edmund looked like he was going to cry in that Indie Game The Movie Clip. And he probably did, with the cut in the middle. Best indie dev ever

[@louitdev5540]

Great quality as always.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@Crazy_Diamond_75]

I said this on a video about Hollow Knight as well: success is often much more about how personal a project comes across than how polished it is. While the Ori series was successful, it didn't have nearly the cultural impact that Hollow Knight did. Here, the dev made a game that wasn't ever supposed to be anything but a personal project. People resonated so hard with it that, even though it was pretty broken on release, it made shockwaves through the indie market.

[@huntergiauque9844]

Love watching this channel grow, thanks for the 🔥 content!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure!

[@bumofjum]

The Virgin Nintendo -Sues fans for making pieces of appreciation -Only puts specific songs on CD and Vinyl -Hates Fun and acts like their forgotten franchises don’t exist -Rereleases emulations of their games while calling emulators “piracy” -Can only stand on one Super Smash Leg -Was better off making toys VS. The UBER-CHAD Edmund McMillen -Contacts fans and turns their mods into official content -Allows Ridiculon to put all their stuff on whatever they’d like -Learns from mistakes and focuses on fun -Completely remakes games from scratch and lets friends handle games -Has dozens of pillars to hold up his stuff -He has a square beard

[@balzaqi]

"Everywhere I go I see his face..." 3:41

[@boogame272]

That last part about what edmund said really touched me because I am that kid. I remember getting my hands on the game in my 9th grade year and a girl I really liked had rejected me. I had recently acquired a laptop for school work and I saw the game on NL's channel and couldn't put it down for the week it was this game and hotline miami I have to thank for getting me out of a hard time in school.

[@split8886]

I've been hearing rumors about updates coming to Repentance soon(ish) that include things like a void/Delirium rework, Corpse Alt floor, implementing bosses that were unfinished, and the like! I sincerely hope this comes true, especially since there's a few items that aren't fully implemented yet (Like Birthright.) I have a feeling that Repentance wasn't exactly 'finished' upon release, but they knew if they delayed it again the fans were going to be livid. Either way, more Isaac content is more Isaac content, can't wait until the updated modding tools come out! I'd love to see what shit people can come up with! Great video by the way! Adored it! I see a few people throwing out suggestions, so here's one of my own. An older game called Skullgirls. I played it a shit ton when I was younger, and would love seeing a deep dive into it!