Never mind, there's still Bloat. You can never escape from Bloat.
Catch all thread for the Binding of Isaac, Binding of Isaac Rebirth, Afterbirth, Afterbirth+ on all consoles and PC.
What is the Binding of Isaac?
Wikipedia says
Wrath of the Lamb is DLC for the Flash game
Rebirth is a remake of that game + Wrath of Lamb
Afterbirth is the first expansion to Rebirth
Afterbirth+ is an expansion to Afterbirth
Booster Packs are mini expansions to Afterbirth+
The Eternal Edition is a mini-DLC pack for the original Flash game, that never saw its content moved to Rebirth (thank god) because it actually released after Rebirth!
That's very confusing, but basically, if you're just getting into the series, you should just start with the "complete" edition, with AB+, sold at retail or for download on the Switch and PS4, and off Steam or other stores on PC. For the best and smoothest experience, the Switch and PS4 versions are actually better balanced for new players, by making a ton of stuff unlockable that is unlocked by default on the PC. The "complete" PC version can be a little overwhelming for newer players.
The original Flash game and it's expansion are just a curiosity at this point. They're fun, but very dated. It does have a better soundtrack, though.
Who made this game?
Noted indie developer Edmund McMillen of Super Meat Boy fame, with the help of his buddy Florian. Nicalis, the indie publisher who doesn't release their games in a timely manner, helped Edmund make Rebirth and now appear to actually own the IP and are updating the game with Ed's input.
So what consoles is this thing on?
Basically everything that has existed in the last decade has some version of Isaac on it.
Binding of Isaac + Wrath of Lamb is PC only
Rebirth is on the New 3DS, Wii U, PC, 360, PS3, Vita and iOS.
Afterbirth is on the PC, Xbone and PS4
Afterbirth+ is on PC, Switch, PS4
I have one of those systems! And now I've started playing the game, but it's really hard :(
This game can be very hard when you first start. Not only are most of the very good items unlockable, but the game is just... hard. The best advice I can give is get a good feeling of the enemy patterns. A good run can end very quickly with poor dodging, but a bad run can be saved by excellent dodging, so memorize enemy patterns. And there's a lot of enemies and bosses, but you get used to them.
By the end of your time with Isaac, you will have memorized all the signs of the Zodiac, the alchemic symbol for Sulphur and various obscure biblical references you had no idea existed.
Did you say biblical references? ABORT ABORT ABORT
This isn't that sort of game. Not at all. There's lots of gross out stuff like poop, enemies with bleeding empty eye sockets and so much more. But don't think this game is disgusting to play or anything like that, the graphics are done in a cutesy retro style where you kind of forget one of the bosses doesn't have any eyes and the other is bleeding out of every orifice. No really. It just sort of sinks in and you forget this game is somewhat of a horror game.
The religious undertones in this game are intentionally done because of Edmund's childhood and his experiences with religion. It mostly pokes fun at Christians, although not in a malicious way, just in a "did you know what Sheol is? Or that that's another horseman named Conquest?" It's kind of critique on religion, but it's not heavy handed at all. The game is gameplay focused, and the theme never gets in the way of that.
You mentioned Booster Packs. What are Booster Packs?
These are "small" (the last one was huge) updates for Afterbirth+ that is a mix of Steam Workshop content and developer made content released as official mini DLC packs for free if you own AB+. They generally add a handful of items, community requested quality of life tweaks, and the most recent actually added a ton of new rooms and enemies. These were supposed to be released in packs, once a month, for 12 months, but that didn't happen. Now there will only be 5. And 4 are already released, so the next one is the last.
The Switch and PS4 get the Boosters later than PC. They're up to Booster 3, and will get 4 and 5 at a later date (after 5 is released).
Steam Workshop?
Yep! The PC version of AB+ comes with mod support. Do you want a boss to look and sound like Shrek? Of course you do! Well that's totally possible on the PC using mods. Mod everything and anything except for all the things that actually can't be modded. Mods disable achievements (and by extension, unlocks) until you beat a certain boss in the game, after that, feel free to just use whatever mods you want and not block progress. Nice for graphics mods!
Catch all thread for the Binding of Isaac, Binding of Isaac Rebirth, Afterbirth, Afterbirth+ on all consoles and PC.
What is the Binding of Isaac?
Wikipedia says
The Binding of Isaac is an indie roguelike video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, initially released in 2011 for Microsoft Windows; the game was later ported for OS X, and Linux operating systems. The game's title and plot are inspired by the Biblical story of the Binding of Isaac: after Isaac's mother receives a message from God demanding the life of her son as proof of her faith, Isaac flees into the monster-filled basement of their home, where he must fight to survive. Players control Isaac or one of six other unlockable characters through a procedurally generated dungeon in a roguelike manner, fashioned after those of The Legend of Zelda, defeating monsters in real-time combat while collecting items and power-ups to defeat bosses and eventually Isaac's mother.
Wrath of the Lamb is DLC for the Flash game
Rebirth is a remake of that game + Wrath of Lamb
Afterbirth is the first expansion to Rebirth
Afterbirth+ is an expansion to Afterbirth
Booster Packs are mini expansions to Afterbirth+
The Eternal Edition is a mini-DLC pack for the original Flash game, that never saw its content moved to Rebirth (thank god) because it actually released after Rebirth!
That's very confusing, but basically, if you're just getting into the series, you should just start with the "complete" edition, with AB+, sold at retail or for download on the Switch and PS4, and off Steam or other stores on PC. For the best and smoothest experience, the Switch and PS4 versions are actually better balanced for new players, by making a ton of stuff unlockable that is unlocked by default on the PC. The "complete" PC version can be a little overwhelming for newer players.
The original Flash game and it's expansion are just a curiosity at this point. They're fun, but very dated. It does have a better soundtrack, though.
Who made this game?
Noted indie developer Edmund McMillen of Super Meat Boy fame, with the help of his buddy Florian. Nicalis, the indie publisher who doesn't release their games in a timely manner, helped Edmund make Rebirth and now appear to actually own the IP and are updating the game with Ed's input.
So what consoles is this thing on?
Basically everything that has existed in the last decade has some version of Isaac on it.
Binding of Isaac + Wrath of Lamb is PC only
Rebirth is on the New 3DS, Wii U, PC, 360, PS3, Vita and iOS.
Afterbirth is on the PC, Xbone and PS4
Afterbirth+ is on PC, Switch, PS4
I have one of those systems! And now I've started playing the game, but it's really hard :(
This game can be very hard when you first start. Not only are most of the very good items unlockable, but the game is just... hard. The best advice I can give is get a good feeling of the enemy patterns. A good run can end very quickly with poor dodging, but a bad run can be saved by excellent dodging, so memorize enemy patterns. And there's a lot of enemies and bosses, but you get used to them.
By the end of your time with Isaac, you will have memorized all the signs of the Zodiac, the alchemic symbol for Sulphur and various obscure biblical references you had no idea existed.
Did you say biblical references? ABORT ABORT ABORT
This isn't that sort of game. Not at all. There's lots of gross out stuff like poop, enemies with bleeding empty eye sockets and so much more. But don't think this game is disgusting to play or anything like that, the graphics are done in a cutesy retro style where you kind of forget one of the bosses doesn't have any eyes and the other is bleeding out of every orifice. No really. It just sort of sinks in and you forget this game is somewhat of a horror game.
The religious undertones in this game are intentionally done because of Edmund's childhood and his experiences with religion. It mostly pokes fun at Christians, although not in a malicious way, just in a "did you know what Sheol is? Or that that's another horseman named Conquest?" It's kind of critique on religion, but it's not heavy handed at all. The game is gameplay focused, and the theme never gets in the way of that.
You mentioned Booster Packs. What are Booster Packs?
These are "small" (the last one was huge) updates for Afterbirth+ that is a mix of Steam Workshop content and developer made content released as official mini DLC packs for free if you own AB+. They generally add a handful of items, community requested quality of life tweaks, and the most recent actually added a ton of new rooms and enemies. These were supposed to be released in packs, once a month, for 12 months, but that didn't happen. Now there will only be 5. And 4 are already released, so the next one is the last.
The Switch and PS4 get the Boosters later than PC. They're up to Booster 3, and will get 4 and 5 at a later date (after 5 is released).
Steam Workshop?
Yep! The PC version of AB+ comes with mod support. Do you want a boss to look and sound like Shrek? Of course you do! Well that's totally possible on the PC using mods. Mod everything and anything except for all the things that actually can't be modded. Mods disable achievements (and by extension, unlocks) until you beat a certain boss in the game, after that, feel free to just use whatever mods you want and not block progress. Nice for graphics mods!