I first played "The Binding of Isaac Rebirth" at my Cousins place in 2017. All I remember about it is that I sucked at it. A few years later the game came up again in my YouTube recommended, and when it was on sale I took the leap. I wasn't very familiar with Roguelikes and relied on YouTube to guide me.

In the following months, I played the game heavily. I found that I had a shared experience of the game with other players.

Originally posted by UberDanger:

"The Binding of Isaac was incredible for me before I played it so much that it became a completion grind. But this game corrupted me. Playing it was no longer about having fun and chilling out. Now it was just a repetitive monotonous crusade to discover how stubborn I am."

The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ review

Admittedly, I hadn't played the game to this extent, but I still resonated with the message. I watched this review a few hundred hours into the game. Luckily, I hadn't become corrupted by the completion grind. I was still in the midst of discovering all the cool item synergies that could occur, fully immersed in the story. I had a great time playing the game. I would laugh at the crazy synergies I would get, play the game with my friends, and just have fun. I really believe that games should be fun. They shouldn't cause the mental exertion that players have experienced because of a grindset.

After a while, I think that players (myself included) discovered a 'content limit' in Isaac. The idea that "This game has infinite replayability" is a sad mistake. You see, the Isaac Repentance DLC changed the game. In "Afterbirth", once you've played the game enough, it becomes the same song. The game was stale, and long-time veterans with hundreds of hours were quitting the game. Players such as "VinneySuperG123" legitimately stopped playing the game.

Another reason for this decline is that when I say that the game can be brutal for new players, I am not exaggerating. The game is friendly to an extent, but diving in fresh is rough. The base game would be nice for a new player, and unless you're into it, I recommend the base game exclusively. But let me forewarn you: don't waste your money and jump into the deep end because I cannot stress this enough: it's not for everyone.

The theme of "Afterbirth" was consistent with Wrath of the Lamb. Its graphics were more engaging with a clear improvement from "Wrath of the Lamb". Again, incredible game, brand new features, bosses and the lot, new floors, and the community was thrilled. Somewhere along the line, I don't know if it was the money, the community wanting more DLC's or what, but afterbirth+ felt like a personal attack on the community. A lot of us just felt like afterbirth+ was a money grab with a few lazily added items.

Following this decline, the team decided to hire the antibirth devs and create repentance, which was much more awesome than afterbirth+. The music was awesome as well, and it was basically a whole lot more content and mechanics that still felt like the original, but had much more improvement.

If you can tolerate heavy themes, don't mind dying a few times to explore the treasure hidden under the difficulty, and find an interest in roguelikes, then I strongly recommend this game. On the tier of "the greatest games of all time" (subjectively), this one is up the top. The game's core is grounded in a unique and personal experience. I'm sure many people can empathise with some of the heavy themes in this game. This 'personal touch' is why it hits at a deeper level. A song won't hit as hard if it's not from the heart. A game is no different. My honest rating would be 11/10. Simple as that. Incredible game.