Since the release of the original Binding of Isaac in 2011, the roguelike defined the genre and paved the way for a new generation of indie titles. Following the release of its sequel, Binding of Isaac: Rebirth in 2014, the series would go on to sell over 5 million copies and has become a success story for indie developers everywhere.
With the recent release of the newest Binding of Isaac: Rebirth DLC titled Repentance, the game once again saw a massive concurrent player spike on Steam. Despite the game's age and indie status, it has remained immensely popular throughout the years and has retained a loyal, dedicated fanbase. Although Binding of Isaac's addicting gameplay loop played a large part in its success, much of it can also be attributed to its accessibility and community.
Making the Roguelike Genre Accessible
Throughout the years, the roguelike genre has become renowned for its difficulty with its emphasis on procedurally generated levels and permanent death of the player character. While roguelikes have existed long before Binding of Isaac, not many were able to appeal to a mainstream audience due to their difficulty and niche market. However, Binding of Isaac is accessible in spite of its difficulty and is designed for players to immediately jump into.
While there are countless item combinations, enemies, and secrets to encounter during Binding of Isaac, the core gameplay loop remains the same throughout. Players take control of Isaac to explore the procedurally generated dungeons while fighting monsters and bosses. Though players will routinely die and have to restart from scratch, there's also a strong sense of progression as more items are unlocked over continuous runs. Binding of Isaac is fairly self-explanatory as far as mechanics go and the learning curve eases beginners in before showcasing its actual depth.
The Strength of Community and Fanbase
Although Binding of Isaac has an accessible yet addictive gameplay loop, much of its continued success is also a result of the community and fanbase backing it. While developer Edmund McMillen had previously released Super Meat Boy to massive commercial success, he stated that he considered Binding of Isaac a risk due to its religious themes and complex gameplay.
When Binding of Isaac initially released on Steam, it only sold about 150 copies a day and stabilized quickly. However, Edmund noted that five months after the release, the daily average began increasing exponentially from 500 to 1000 to 1500 copies a day by the seven month mark. This success was attributed to the Let's Play community on YouTube which had gotten a lot of traffic due to Binding of Isaac's replayability and its progressive learning curve. To this day, the YouTube and Twitch communities remain a large part of Binding of Isaac's continued success and how new players are introduced to the game.
Together with Edmund's previous success with Super Meat Boy and the fact that Binding of Isaac was part of Steam sales for as little as $1, plenty of attention began to be directed at the game as it developed a loyal fanbase. It was perfect for the Let's Play format as each run was short and repeatable but with gameplay differences every time. Over time, the Let's Play community evolved with competitive races and specialized runs which would bring more attention to Binding of Isaac. Not only did Binding of Isaac change the accessibility of modern roguelikes, it also set an example for connecting indie games together with a strong community.
The Binding of Isaac is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.