The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ Review - Refining A Modern Classic

First Released November 18, 2024 Systems Leave a Review Overview Score Published Nov 12, 2026, 3:57 PM EST A fresh polish and a bevy of new updates (including a great multiplayer mode) give The Binding of Isaac's new re-release a solid new sheen. Thanks to some very useful quality-of-life upgrades, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ provides plenty of reason to either revisit the basement or tackle it for the first time. See Pros & Cons The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ is a terrific refinement of the baseline game and a good reminder of just how good this trendsetting indie game really is. The roguelike debuted in 2011, courtesy of game developers Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, and follows the titular Isaac as he ventures deeper into his monster-infested basement in hopes of escaping his mother, who believes she has been ordained by God to sacrifice her son. It was a well-constructed experiment that has quietly become one of the most influential games of the 21st century, revitalizing the genre in ways we’re still seeing play out years later. The game has gone through plenty of updates in the fifteen years that have passed since then, but the latest version takes the game further than ever before. Seasoned players may not notice all the biggest updates in the single-player mode, but the multiplayer upgrade is worth the price of admission alone. The Binding Of Isaac's New Upgrades Improve On An Already Pretty Good Base Repentance+ seems designed in part with the knowledge of how gaming has evolved since it debuted, with a new cross-save feature that lets players take their earlier PC adventures and bring their progress straight to modern platforms, courtesy of cross-play. Those elements make it easier than ever to dive in and get just as addicted as players did when it debuted a decade and a half ago, while also making it an ideal game to play with friends. The inclusion and expansion of multiplayer co-op, which introduces a whole new level of chaos to the experience, becomes one of the key selling points of the experience. The multiplayer introduces lots of new mechanics that both simplify and complicate gameplay, ranging from debates over item pickups to areas that can only be accessed by a teammate who has been killed and now floats around the map until they are revived. It all builds to a free-for-all experience at the end of the run, which is a shockingly fun way to resolve that sort of team-based riff on the game. It carries on the spirit of the experience that was introduced into beta releases over the last few years, but with a new level of polish and craft that helps the game feel like more than just a classic game repackaged for a new audience. It wouldn't work if the base game wasn't fun, though, which makes it especially impressive that it still holds up. The Binding Of Isaac Is A Modern Gaming Classic For A Reason Beyond those multiplayer-forward upgrades, The Binding of Issac: Repentance+ is simply the best version of the game we’ve seen to date. The fast-paced top-down combat is smooth and reactive, with a massive amount of potential weapons making gameplay always feel crunchy and fresh. While seasoned players may be disappointed that the game’s new mode doesn’t expand the item selection so much as tweak what previous DLC brought to the game, the little changes and balancing touches make for some fluid gameplay. The balancing helps underscore just how tightly designed the game is and has always been. Repentance+ is a great refinement of a key game in the modern history of the medium... The narrative remains effectively ambiguous and surprisingly effective, especially when the more somber elements become clearer as the playthroughs bleed together. The roguelike format may have existed before this game, but The Binding of Isaac set in motion a seismic shift for the action sub-genre that is still paying dividends years later. With the likes of Hades highlighting just how dense the format can be, it’s exciting to see how well Isaac holds up, especially with the benefit of all the previous additional content and new QOL upgrades that come as part of the new package. As a piece of gaming history, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ is a great refinement of a key game in the modern history of the medium. Luckily, it’s also still just a really fun game to play thanks to the underlying strength of the game design, making it the ideal kind of remaster to sink your teeth into. SR Score Pros Great gameplay. Refined execution. Multiplayer is a blast. Cons Experienced players may be less impressed with the overall additions.