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Ep.266 – Basement Blues: Faith and Trauma in The Binding of Issac's Design

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Manage episode 510005791 series 2784943
Content provided by David Kassin and Robert Kassin, David Kassin, and Robert Kassin. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by David Kassin and Robert Kassin, David Kassin, and Robert Kassin or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
In 2011, Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl released The Binding of Isaac, a crude Flash project that grew into one of the most influential indie games of its era. We trace McMillen’s path from comics to Super Meat Boy, his partnership with Himsl, and the deeply personal religious themes that shaped Isaac’s grotesque story. The episode highlights its Zelda-inspired dungeons, roguelike randomization, and item transformations that turned every run into a new tale of survival. Our conversation explores critic and fan reactions, Nintendo’s rejection over “blasphemous” content, and how expansions, remakes, and community mods expanded it into Rebirth, Afterbirth, and Repentance. From small experiment to genre-defining giant, we explore how Isaac sparked the roguelike revival. Join us as we dodge, cry, and descend into Isaac’s basement on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

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266 episodes

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iconShare
 
Manage episode 510005791 series 2784943
Content provided by David Kassin and Robert Kassin, David Kassin, and Robert Kassin. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by David Kassin and Robert Kassin, David Kassin, and Robert Kassin or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
In 2011, Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl released The Binding of Isaac, a crude Flash project that grew into one of the most influential indie games of its era. We trace McMillen’s path from comics to Super Meat Boy, his partnership with Himsl, and the deeply personal religious themes that shaped Isaac’s grotesque story. The episode highlights its Zelda-inspired dungeons, roguelike randomization, and item transformations that turned every run into a new tale of survival. Our conversation explores critic and fan reactions, Nintendo’s rejection over “blasphemous” content, and how expansions, remakes, and community mods expanded it into Rebirth, Afterbirth, and Repentance. From small experiment to genre-defining giant, we explore how Isaac sparked the roguelike revival. Join us as we dodge, cry, and descend into Isaac’s basement on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

Read transcript


  continue reading

266 episodes

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