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The Binding of Isaac (view source)

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* [[Desperation Attack]]:
** The Whore of Babylon item, which makes the player much stronger when having only half a heart. Eve starts the game with this item. It's not a Desperation Attack if {{spoiler|???}} picks up this item, as it is always active.
** ''Wrath of the Lamb'' introduces a sort of desperation room, normally accessible only if the player has one red heart remaining. These rooms always contain a special item... [[Teleporting Keycard Squad|but they're also challenge rooms that spawn bosses when the item is taken]]. Again, {{spoiler|???}} can always enter these rooms.
* [[Difficult but Awesome]]:
** {{spoiler|The fetus in a jar, Dr. Fetus}}, allows you to shoot bombs instead of tears. On one hand, it can hurt you and it takes good timing. On the other hand, you have limitless bombs and enemies (especially bosses) die REALLY easily. This is taken [[Up to Eleven]] with the Ipecac Syrup in Wrath of the Lamb. Does more damage than bombs and poisons on hit, but its arcing path is very difficult to work with.
** Eve also has shades of this with her [[One-Winged Angel]] form accessible with one of her starter items (see [[Fragile Speedster]]/[[Glass Cannon]] below below for more details).
** Distant Admiration fly. With proper skills, it can kill a boss relatively quickly.
** Mom's Knife. Incredible attack power, terrible range unless you charge it (and there's no indicator of how much you've charged it, so that's basically guesswork).
*** Made better in ''Afterbirth+'', where charge bars can be enabled.
* {{spoiler|[[Disc One Final Dungeon]]: The Depths 2. The Disc Two Final Dungeon, the [[Womb Level|Womb 2]], was the original [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]. ''Wrath of the Lamb'' introduces the Necropolis 2 as an alternate [[Disc One Final Dungeon]], and Utero 2 as an alternate Disc Two Final Dungeon. It also introduces the XL versions of these levels, which combine stages 1 and 2}}.
* [[Dungeon Bypass]]: The [[Inception|"We Need to Go Deeper"]] shovel allows you to dig down to the next dungeon level without finding and beating the boss [[Short Cuts Make Long Delays|(and, if you're not judicious about using it, without picking up the powerups you'll eventually need to win the game)]]. This can also be used to get to {{spoiler|Shoel}} early.
* [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower]]: Level 4 Meat Boy, who can only be obtained without bug-exploitation just before the start of the last level of the game. {{spoiler|On your first ten playthroughs, at least}}... He will crush almost everything on that level with ease if you can stay out of the way for more than a few seconds. [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] in one of the Challenges added to ''Wrath of the Lamb'', where you begin the game with a fully-upgraded Meat Boy.
* [[Elite Mooks]]: Each enemy type has a tougher, tinted/colored version that will almost alwayscan drop an item when killed. Different colors have different meanings, which are NOT consistent between enemies. An orange Knight won't act like Orange Chub.
* [[Empty Room Until the Trap]]: Each level may have one specially marked room with a chest or item that, if you open/take it, will trigger three waves of enemies.
* {{spoiler|[[The End - or Is It?]]: Just as Isaac appears safe, his mother appears in the background behind him, holding a knife. One's doubt of final victory becomes apparent as all your victory means is that The Womb is unlocked and mother merely 'sleeps'}}...
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* [[Guilt Based Gaming]]: If you try to quit the game, Isaac will ask you "Are you sure you want me to die?".
* [[Heart Container]]: These can be found here and there, although only one of them resembles a heart. Some even grant two Max HP, and/or restore all your health when you get them. It does so in the literal anatomical sense, although it is named <3.
** ''Wrath of the Lamb'' adds Eternal Hearts. Get two, or complete the level with one, to add one Max HP.
** ''Afterbirth+'' adds Bone Hearts, which can hold Red Hearts and can take an extra hit when empty, though it permanently goes away afterwards.
* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: Those shot-blocking, sheildshield-like orbiting flies can be pretty annoying when it's ''your'' shots that are getting blocked by them. Some enemies have invincible "Holy" flies that shots cannot penetrate.
* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: "[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest|What a WHORRIBLE night for a curse!]]"
* [[Inexplicable Treasure Chests]]:
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* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]:
** Isaac's secret starting item. You need to beat the game's true final level ten times, which is quite a lengthy and dangerous task. And after that, you need to beat it once again with the resident [[Joke Character]]! [[Nintendo Hard|An extremely painful ordeal]]! But if you manage to accomplish this mission, your reward will be...
*** {{spoiler|[[Luck Manipulation Mechanic]]: [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|The all-mighty D6 dice]]! An activated item capable of transmuting any collectionpedestal related item(s)items into other random item(s)items}}.
** Another one shows up in the Halloween Update. {{spoiler|Mom's Knife, which is absurdly powerful}}.
* [[Interchangeable Antimatter Keys]]: In classic ''Zelda'' style, any key fits all locks, but disappears once used.
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* [[Jack of All Stats]]: Isaac starts as this.
** [[Master of None]]: Before you unlock his item. See [[Magikarp Power]] below and [[Infinity+1 Sword]] above.
* [[Joke Character]]: {{spoiler|???}}, unlocked by beating the true form of the gameMom's [[TrueHeart Finalten Boss]] (you read that right)times, and who you need to beat it again with to unlock yet another item. He starts with the same stats as Isaac (not even Cain or Judas's improved offensive stats) except all his hearts are soul[[Body heartsArmor as Hit Points|Soul Hearts]]...<ref>Hearts meant as an 'armor' of sorts for regular hearts. Although they stack on top of your regular hearts, they do not refill and once they are gone, they are gone.</ref>... and for the entire game, all health upgrades he collects are instead soul hearts, meaning he can never have any health except soulSoul heartsor Black Hearts. He does start with an item though! Why yes, play as {{spoiler|???}} and you can start the game with...
* [[Joke Item]]: The Poop, which just drops a pile of dung where you're standing and can be used once per room. Maybe it can be used for cover, andto maybeblock itan canenemy bechasing usedyou, or to blockcross ana enemynarrow chasingchasm youwith a bomb, but virtually any other item is more useful in any situation. It's only good in areas with small passages. Note that shooting poop [[Rewarding Vandalism|sometimes spawns a pickup]].
* [[King Mook]]: Chub.
* [[The Krampus]]: Added as a boss in the Christmas update. The Krampus will randomly appear in the Devil room with the chances of him increasing the more you visit the room and even more if you actually take items.
* [[Last Ditch Move]]:
** Some enemies explode, while some others spawn bullets when killed. For bosses, Steven has a last-ditch move.
** {{spoiler|The Daddy Long Legs tries to crush you with it'sits body as it dies}}.
** Due to a glitch, sometimes the effect of final bosses ''[[Kaizo Trap|dying]]'' can actually hurt you.
* [[The Legions of Hell]]
* [[Lethal Joke Character]]: {{spoiler|???}}. His health is entirely made up of hard -to -collect [[Body Armor as Hit Points|Soul Hearts]], and he begins with the least useful starting item of all the characters. However, there are a couple of quirks that can increase his power throughout the playthrough quicker and far beyond the other characters. First, he is able to enter Challenge Rooms (and Wrath Of The Lamb boss challenge rooms) at any time. Second, {{spoiler|the Wafer item reduces the cost of all Devil Room items to 1/2 of a heart}}.
** Additionally, all items that activate at only [[Critical Status Buff|1/2 heart]] are always active for him, such as with the tried and true Whore of Babylon. The Wrath Of The Lamb DLC brought a number of these to the table, increasing the exploit potential. For example, having the Polaroid now means that {{spoiler|???}} always has increased [[Mercy Invincibility]].
* [[Lethal Joke Item]]:
** The {{spoiler|Bible}} takes forever to recharge and doesn't even deal damage, but kills the final bossMom and the [[TrueMom's FinalHeart/It Boss]]Lives in one use. Don't try to use it on the [[Bonus Boss]] though. Just don't.
** The Book of Revelations has an appreciable effect, but is likely to be passed over for a more dramatic (and faster charging) item. The Book of Revelations plus the Battery plus patience, however, means one free soul heart per room for the rest of the game. Play conservatively and it's almost impossible to lose. A few other items can be similarly abused. Also, the Book of Revelations makes it much more likely that you'll fight a Harbinger in the boss room, letting you quickly build up your Meat Boy or Bandage Girl familiar. ''Wrath of the Lamb'' introduces the Prayer Card, which is the Book of Revelations on steroids. Instead of soul hearts, it gives eternal hearts, a new heart type introduced in the expansion. What do eternal hearts do? They're similar to soul hearts, except you can only have one-half of an eternal heart at a time... because if you get two halves of an eternal heart, or complete a level with half an eternal heart, it becomes ''a new [[Heart Container]]''. Prayer Card and the Battery can let you break the game wide open. Another WOTL blatant game buster is the Nun's Habit. It charges up your current item by 50%one charge when you suffer damage, giving you a new use every two hits received. Sounds nice and all, but then you pick Maggy's Yum Heart, which restores a whole heart, or the Book of Revelations, and you become virtually inmortal all the way to the {{spoiler|Womb}}, since most hits drain a half of a heart. Add the Wafer item on top of that, which reduces all damage to 1/2 heart, and you have legitimately enabled godmode.▼
** By extension, the {{spoiler|Rosary}} has a fairly disappointing obvious effect, but it can often be used to cheat the devil out of some of his nicer items without dying and has the side effect of making a {{spoiler|Bible}} more likely in shops, guaranteeing an easy final boss if you get it.
▲** The Book of Revelations has an appreciable effect, but is likely to be passed over for a more dramatic (and faster charging) item. The Book of Revelations plus the Battery plus patience, however, means one free soul heart per room for the rest of the game. Play conservatively and it's almost impossible to lose. A few other items can be similarly abused. Also, the Book of Revelations makes it much more likely that you'll fight a Harbinger in the boss room, letting you quickly build up your Meat Boy familiar. ''Wrath of the Lamb'' introduces the Prayer Card, which is the Book of Revelations on steroids. Instead of soul hearts, it gives eternal hearts, a new heart type introduced in the expansion. What do eternal hearts do? They're similar to soul hearts, except you can only have one-half of an eternal heart at a time... because if you get two halves of an eternal heart, or complete a level with half an eternal heart, it becomes ''a new [[Heart Container]]''. Prayer Card and the Battery can let you break the game wide open. Another WOTL blatant game buster is the Nun's Habit. It charges up your current item by 50% when you suffer damage, giving you a new use every two hits received. Sounds nice and all, but then you pick Maggy's Yum Heart, which restores a whole heart, or the Book of Revelations, and you become virtually inmortal all the way to the {{spoiler|Womb}}, since most hits drain a half of a heart. Add the Wafer item on top of that, which reduces all damage to 1/2 heart, and you have legitimately enabled godmode.
* [[Let's Play]]:
** A few on Youtube. One notable example is [[Northernlion]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5PLC6nmOO4 Here's] the first episode. Watch as he goes from complete newbie to expert over the course of 90+ videos!
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* [[Memento MacGuffin]]: The Polaroid trinket, which depicts Isaac's family before the madness started. Getting knocked to half a heart with it on gives Isaac [[The Power of Love|a protective shield]]. {{spoiler|You get a reward if you defeat ''Wrath of the Lamb's'' [[True Final Boss]] while holding it... and unlocking another [[True Final Boss]] in all subsequent playthroughs}}.
* [[Mighty Glacier]]/[[Stone Wall]]: Magdalene starts off as this.
* [[Money for Nothing]]: Once you reach {{spoiler|The Womb}}, money has very little use.
** At least until you get your hands on a ''Money = Power''.
** In ''Afterbirth+'', having the Silver Dollar on your person spawns shops there.
* [[Mood Dissonance]]: The Arcade rooms are very nicely furnished and bright, with a very chipper 8 -bit remix of the first level theme. It's a bizarre contrast to the rest of the game.
* [[Mook Maker]]: Several of the bosses, though not all of them. Also one of the enemy types. {{spoiler|It Lives}} is a [[Mook Maker|Degraded Boss Maker]].
* [[Multiple Endings]]
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** [[Critical Annoyance]]: Isaac leaves puddles of urine every room he enters when he is down to his last hit point.
* [[Power-Up Letdown]]:
** TheDead cat itemCat. You have eight extra lives, yes. You also have your healthnumber barof reducedheart tocontainers oneset heartto 1 (and any health bar increases you find vanish on respawn), and if you die you respawn outside (with your secondary item still used up if you used it and any FaithSoul Hearts still gone) and enemies fully heal. So good luck beating any bosses you couldn't kill on the first try. And those eight extra lives are going to need to last you the entire rest of the game.
*** It has a relatively better interaction with The Lost, as it doesn't have any health.
** AlsoMy the mirrorReflection, which turns all your shots into boomerangs that follow you. These have abysmal range (and any range pickups you get make them boomerang further, which is pretty much useless) and behave in goofy ways which can be hard to predict or keep track of because they follow you rather than a trajectory. They could theoretically be useful but you'll probably just get hit more by having to think about them.
** A high speed stat, as well. You'd think it'd be useful, but once you get four or five it becomes very difficult to control the character and prevent yourself from careening into spikes, monsters, fires, shots, etc. Less obvious/problematic with flight.
** In a crossover with [[Cursed with Awesome]] is the Bad Trip pill. If you use it with the usual health bar (as you likely are, testing pills), you suffer 1 heart's worth of damage... but if used while at exactly one remaining heart of health, it acts as a Full Health pill.
** [[Glass Cannon|Samson]], a character added in Wrath of the Lamb, is basically {{spoiler|Judas}}... but with a lower base attack. (heand isslightly skilledslower attear [[Situationalrate. Sword|fighting mobs of enemies]]However, buthe that'sreceives notdamage muchboosts consolationwhen ifhe yougets havehit tothat fight one ofstay the few bosses that doesn't [[Flunky Boss|summon punchingentire bags]])floor.
** Ipecac, which replaces your tears with a lobbed green poison bomb similar to Sloth and Pestilence. It has a lobbed trajectory making it hard to determine if it will hit rocks or not, can damage you with its explosion and makes it ridiculously hard to fight flies and quick running enemies that chase you around. If this is your first treasure room pickup as Judas, your game could end in ''less than a minute''.
* [[Power-Up Magnet]]: There's a Magneto powerup which attracts powerups even through rocks and over gaps.
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* [[Random Event]]: The Curses introduced in ''Wrath of the Lamb'', which are randomly activated at the beginning of a level. Curse of Darkness [[Interface Screw|makes the map useless]], while Curse of the Lost increases the size of a floor from what it would normally be. Curse of the Labyrinth combines two floors of the same tier... including two item rooms and [[Boss Rush|two bosses]].
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]
* [[Reset Button]]: Forget Me Now, an item unlocked by {{spoiler|defeating Satan with ???}}. It starts you over from the beginning of the current level with a new layout and new monsters, including the boss. Why would you want to use this? The reset level also has new items, giving you more opportunities to power up your character. The only problem is that Forget Me Now is a one -time use spacebar item, forcing you to abandon your current spacebar item and beginning the reset level with that item slot empty.
* [[Revive Kills Zombie]]: {{spoiler|The Bible}}, while normally dealing no damage, kills Mom {{spoiler|and Mom's Heart}} instantly. {{spoiler|The Polaroid}} may also do this.
* [[Rewarding Vandalism]]: Occasionally, destroying poop and putting out fires drops an item. Rocks with a small X on them (usually identifiable by their color) will also drop an item when bombed. And then there's the secret rooms, which are revealed by blowing up walls.
* [[Roguelike]]: Things like level layouts, monsters, items and most bosses are randomly generated... though it's also level dependent (i.e. you will never see a Caves boss in the Basement, unless the boss could appear in both). ''Wrath of the Lamb'' even randomizes what level you'll be sent to by providing alternate stages. For example, in the original version the first two levels would always be the Basement. After the expansion, each of the first two levels will be either the Basement or the Cellar.
* [[Scare Chord]]: Played on certain endings and when you enter the Devil Room.
* [[Secret Character]]: {{spoiler|???, who is actually Dead Baby from one of the Edmund Mcmillen's earlier works}}.
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* [[Turns Red]]: All four of the Harbingers, Gemini, Peep to a minor extent, and {{spoiler|Mom's Heart}}. Some are actually less difficult after turning red.
* [[Treasure Is Bigger in Fiction]]: Coins in this game are large.
* [[True Final Boss]]: {{spoiler|Mom's Heart. It Lives (yes, that's its name) is an Even Truer [[Final Boss]] replacing the True Final Boss... At least until the Halloween update came, in which Satan became the Ultimate Boss of the game. If you thought this was already turned [[Up to Eleven]], ''Wrath of the Lamb'' introduces an alternate floor for Sheol, making [[Exaggerated Trope|ANOTHER TRUE FINAL BOSS]]. [[Mirror Match|It's Isaac]]. And there's ''[[Serial Escalation|YET ANOTHER ONE]]'' if you beat him while holding the Polaroid,. thoughIn it's'Afterbirth'', beencollecting buggedboth sinceKey ''WrathPieces offrom Angel Rooms unlocks the Lambdoor to Mega Satan if you manage to get to the Chest or the Dark Room, and ''Afterbirth+'' goes even further with the actual true cameend outboss.}}.
* [[Underground Monkey]]: In both new model and palette swap flavor. Even a few bosses come in variants, some of which being [[Shout-Out]]s to other games.
* [[Unstable Equilibrium]]: The end game is either too easy or nigh impossible depending on the items gathered. Some work wonders when complemented by other items, and other times you might as well not bother. [[Luck-Based Mission|Those items usually randomly given to the player instead of chosen though]]. The D6 gives some leeway by re-randomizing items.
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** It happened to the game author himself. In his co-commentary with Northernlion, he mentions that, after getting a certain combination of power-ups and power-downs, his firing range was too low to reach some monsters standing behind a pit... and killing all enemies is required to leave a room.
** The ''Wrath of the Lamb'' expansion has issues with this, with XL levels being the main culprit. The player may teleport into an area with no exits, or the game may not spawn the hatch to the next level if certain bosses are fought first in the [[Sequential Boss]] fight.
* [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]: {{spoiler|Sheol,The unlockedDark afterRoom beatingand The WombChest. tenEither times.by ''Wrathluck ofor theby Lamb''defeating introducesHush, ana alternateportal [[Verywill Definitelyspawn Finalthat Dungeon]],takes calledyou to the CathedralVoid.}}.
* [[Womb Level]]
* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]: Everything. ''Everything''.
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