The Isaac series is difficult to write about because initially there seems to be very little to it you battle through a series of rooms until reaching and defeating a boss, then move on to the next floor until you reach an ending. However, Rebirth is no simple HD re-release, as it contains more than double the number of floors and includes many additional characters, secrets and, most importantly, items. The introduction and the first ten floors are lifted directly from Isaac along with the twin stick shooting, and it would be reasonable to initially consider Rebirth a mere graphical and technical update. The first noticeable difference between Rebirth and the original game is the revamped aesthetic, opting for a more retro pixelated design over the original’s cartoonish style. He pokes fun of it in a jovial way, rather than a malicious one. There are plenty of religious jokes within the game, yet McMillen never appeared to be genuinely offensive in his distortion (or in some cases simple recreation) of biblical events, objects and characters. The twisted lore of the game stemmed from retelling the biblical story of the sacrifice of Isaac, but presented the murderous parent as unhinged and delusional, a woman who ‘hears’ the voice of God within her head. ‘Isaac’ was a top down dungeon crawler which saw the titular child confront nightmarish creatures whilst descending into his basement, and fighting them with his tears.

Rebirth is a remake of The Binding of Isaac by a different creative team although Edmund McMillen, the creator of the original, has had much influence over the process.

Binding of isaac rebirth