I like how Isaac suddenly shiftes the tone of his story from "I died because of my mother's toxic attitude about religion" to "I singlehandlely stopped the apocalypse by beating the shit out of the four horsemen and Big Horn's dad"
That was revealed 6 years ago in an ARG that resulted in unlocking The Keeper, where fans dug up a Greed statue with a phone number on it, that number was a recording of the Narrator giving them instructions, which also revealed the voice was Isaac's dad. It was also made clear in the final ending of Legend of Bumbo.
@@MartiansfromUranus yeah, sure, but this is the first time the reveal has appeared in TBOI itself. besides, the final ending of bum-bo requires beating the game twice with every character which is kind of a pain
-Could you tell me a story before bed, daddy? -How about your this time you tell me a story, issac? -okey dad... issac was a child who lost everything, he blames himself for everything bad that happened to his family, his father abandoned him and his mother went crazy, undressed him and then tried to kill him, then he hid in a chest and he became unconscious, in his mind he faced unspeakable demons and internal monsters, he was actually delirious because he was dying from suffocation. he died and his soul descended into hell, where the torment would only get worse. At the end of it all, he saw his life pass in front of his eyes, he realized that when he was happiest, it was when he was closest to non-existence. and then it was all over. her mother found the body when flies and the smell of putrefaction caught her attention. -wtf son
Not just the narrator.. but (spoilers to those who haven't watched the video yet): "Isaac and his mother lived in a house on a hill" to "Isaac and his parents lived in a house on a hill". The story being told is a new one from the one we had seen throughout the game.
The beginning “Isaac and his mother lived alone in a small house on a hill. The end “Isaac and his parents lived on a house at the top of a hill” The middle “Isaac and his Isaac lived alone in a small Isaac on an Isaac”
So basically, every reset you do is basically making Isaac tell his father to "redo" the story to see the many different endings Isaac and his bible characters or religious symbolism alter egos could end up in.
The game started with "Isaac and his mother lived in a house on top of a hill" And ended with "Isaac and his _parents_ lived in a house on top of a hill" A happy ending.
“Isaac opened the treasure room and found a small lemon on a pedestal...” “No Lemon Mishap isn’t strong enough daddy hold R” “Isaac please we’ve been doing this for 2 hours”
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about how the ending doesn’t fit the tone of the game. I can somewhat agree with that but my theory is that Edmund decided to give Isaac a happy ending after he had children of his own, especially considering that one of them is now the same age as Isaac himself. Also consider that the whole game is a reflection of Ed’s own childhood, so the fact that he became a successful adult with his own family doesn’t invalidate the trauma he went through at such a young age and it doesn’t make it less “real” just because he didn’t get to the point where he literally asphyxiated himself in a chest
I think he is being like george lucas. Did you not play the game? An entire level dedicated to shit, the final boss is a ripoff of cuphead's gameplay, and the other new levels are uninspired. He has been living a lazy life probably watching despicable me with his kids, because he is successful enough to not have to work anymore. People hated starwars prequels because they were uninspired and stupid, that is why I hate edmund and this game. Incase you still feel bad for him, he is constantly starting funds for himself to make more games, as if everyone doesn't want to quit their job and do some hobby.
Isaac’s story is just......horrifying but so well crafted. The fact that this kid goes through hell in back in his own head whilst dying is just...it would be traumatizing to see what he saw.
In the story hes telling the lost and blue baby already exist, so the theory that hes imagine this while he is dying doesnt make sense, I think Isaac is retelling the story with his father in heaven
@@churaigeki500 Well Blue Baby is more of a direct reference to his death and the Lost is the outcome of that death. Since suicide is frowned upon in Heaven, it most likely explains the Lost’s reason for existence. However, I do believe the story is told by him and his father in Heaven after he was most likely forgiven.
This is the perfect ending to Isaac’s story. A lot of people are saying that this is a happy ending. For Isaac, yes, but I would call it more bittersweet. Isaac is still dead, but at least he’s finally at peace.
The whole him dying in the box never really happened, he’s creating those scenarios on the drawing as we can tell from the fact that his dad was with him at the end telling him that he could make a story that isn’t sad and this tells us that his father has custody over him and not his mother
@@inseni915 That was Afterbirth +, everyone was a baby about it and he gave us a happier ending and yeah he wanted him to die so you’re kind of right since that’s what Edmund wanted
Can we just take a moment and appreciate the fact that Isaac went from running away from his parents to facing the 4 horsemen of the apocalypses to repent himself?
i mean its pretty dark first off your mother is trying to kill you so you go into a basement and kill horrific demons, then you kill your mother, then you learn the truth of how your mother is corrupt, then you go back to your house to find no one there, then fight a horrific tv demon, then have to fight more demons in hell also remember your doing all this with your own tears, then realizing what actually happened.
@@viosull first off. Why you buming the story down. I mean yes its horrific but it was all just a story him and his father were making up. Also what a pretty cool story it was XD
@@gren4586 Cricket is at the very least named after a cat, but I do agree that the head looks way too much like a dog to say definitively that he was a cat in the Isaac lore.
@@jalapenobug Ed changed it since Gubby, Tammy and Cricket are all real cats the Ed has had. Ed has never had a dog named Max. You can actually see Guppy in this video of Ed's czcams.com/video/trUCcvtN1lA/video.html
@@el_mr6439 yeah, and did you remember the intro of the game, why isaac's mom become an abusive mother? Because not only just she was reading but also listening the christian broardcast (which is maybe a fake one)
@@cheekybananaboy3361 The whole idea is that if we don;t hear it, that means Isaac can be happy with his parents. Please don't make Isaac go through any more shit.
"Mom, Azazel might start with Brimstone, yeah, but it's a SHORT RANGED Brimstone, and i start with an active that can change items on pedestals, therefore you are wrong"
This is splendid ending to Issac's Tale, and themeatically it is absolutly wonderful. In the other main paths, Isaac in his imagination is running away from reality, going deeper and deeper away from the terrible reality he lives in. Even if he defeats his mother in his imagination, from there he spirals into self loathing fighting and killing a fetal version of himself, as he still thinks himself evil and widcked and better off dead. The cathidral and the box has issac go up against the idealized version of himself that he can't be, and then confront himself dying in his treasure box. Hush and Delirium are his dying mind and pysche, and his last stand as death approached him. Satan and The Lamb are him confronting how he views himself, a sinful and evil monster that belongs to satan. With the True Ending however, Isaac doesn't delve deeper into self hatred and dark thoughts. Instead, he returns from his imaginary world to face reality. He defeats his interpretaion of his mother hatred, and is normally is forced to continue downwards into his imagination,.On the floor though, there is a gurenteed card drop of The Fool Card;"Where the Journey Begins". Using this to break out of the path before him, he uses the Poloriad and Negative to face the reality of his life, and ascends from his imaganiation back to the real world, where the voices of his mom and dad echo. Isaac comes to terms with how he isn't evil, and isn't the cause of his parents hardships- he forgives himself. Isaac has repented.He returns to reality in the home, where he confronts the source of the problems- Dogma. The religous broadcasts and crazed religous teachings that radicalized his mother and caused his father to leave, and the source of Isaac's hatred of himself and fear of religion. The root cause to all of the games story.
@Electro_blob 2 I think its less about religion itself and more of what the boss physically represents: the source of the problem. the programs isaacs mother were watching were more than likely fanatical levels of religious programming, its probably the only reason why so many enemies are based off of religion too, isaac learned about most of the biblically accurate nightmare fuel from the TV, if dogma was any other sort of programming, for example alien conspiracies, there would be good chance most enemies would be based off of sci fi themes. It also seems like when isaac beats it and the static cross slams into him and it goes into his eyes, it probably symbolizes him accepting that it'll never truly go away, thus absorbing it and getting wings. (But then again this is just a story made up by isaac so it could just be a bunch of chaos)
Arguably not, isacc gets overtaken by dogma and the beast boss fight is just his imagination based off the crazy stories sure its relatively good but its a tainted good ending
@@propoppop9866 Or really what happens is that this is all in Isaac's imagination right before he passes away, and as he is dying. Don't people say you see your whole life go past you as you die?
@@desfefe thats what I was thinking but the dad says they make a new story afterwards so in my mind its just showing issac has a dark imagination or this is going on in the afterlife and isacc is telling what happened, I dont know
I love how they included the fact that Isaac still says his prayers at night. It shows the game isn’t anti-religion, it’s anti-zealotry. And as a Christian myself, I agree. Religion can be a beautiful thing that brings purpose and meaning to people’s lives. But it’s the radical and irrational zealotry that corrupts and can harm people. Good on you, Edmund McMillen.
@@bxst4r7 I mean, doom eternal was kinda story based itself. TBOI always had its story on a second place, so having a story based dlc for it is like if the original 1993 doom had a story dlc for it(atleast sounds strange).
Well my game had a bunch of stories that ended very anti-clamaticly, when isaac runs around the basement searching for everything and then running into spikes like a dumbass then, lol
@@borisvanderhof3028 Nah, some people theorize that his father did leave, but it was a proper divorce. And that he has at least partial custody over Isaac and is trying to help him overcome trauma through storytelling
I mean all the 'Mom bring a fanatic and dad left" stuff was probably true, but it seems the dad did come back for Isaac after all which is honestly wonderful
If this is all just a story then Dad is the best one out there. He is literally getting his child into telling and hearing about literally everything that happens to him. Dad is learning about his son to the finest detail, something that is usually the ultimate tool to helping a victim; Understanding them
Guys, I think that no matter how disturbed his fantasies may be, Isaac is a child genius-- he's confirmed to be 5 years old by Edmund yet he knows so much about medicine, religion, biology, he is a good artist and he has a very rich imagination to create an entire world in his head, like Isaac could rival most adults with such stuff.
Personally, I think that rather than a “It was all a dream” sort of thing, the events of the game did happen, and Isaac DID actually live a fucked up life and ended up dying in the chest, but is now retelling what he saw to his father in heaven. Now that he’s reunited with him, and possibly also his mother, they all have the chance to try to “rewrite the story” and finally live happily in heaven together.
Yeah, that's my headcanon as well. It makes more sense than everything being a fucked up story a 5 year old and his dad made up. Just like the journey to home is called the ascent, this is Isaac's ascent into heaven after he dies.
Both interpretations are valid tbh. Isaac represents Edmund, but he also represents the victims of “religion” fueled hatred. The way I see it is that both stories are canon, just not to the same “Isaac”
It would be very much fitting. I never liked the "it's all a dream" endings in anything at all. This theory both validates all the pain we have seen Isaac go through and offers a peaceful closure.
That's my headcanon too. There is evidence to suggest his Dad died from a gambling addiction so the idea that Isaac met his Dad in Heaven is perfect to me.
My favourite interpretation of this ending? Isaac isn’t telling stories with his father. Rather, with _the_ Father. In Heaven, Isaac can find eternal joy and comfort in telling bedtime stories with God, who no matter what his mother might have claimed, loves him after all.
Yeah, you are pretty much correct. In fact Isaac already knows that his mother's fate is to be a beast. (the beast fight, is another mother fight, you can see that she has her dress on) her actions weren't from a good Christian, and the destiny of the fake prophets is to be thrown into the lava rivers... And Isaac is just remembering his times with his father when they were telling stories together. But sadly Isaac is in purgatory, you can see it in one of the endings
I remember discovering the game and before this one, the ending was Issac dying and his mom finding him in a box. It bothered me so much over the course of a few days, that I prayed about it. Finally I felt a soft voice in my heart tell me that God wouldnt let Issac just die and wander the hillside alone for eternity, but He would take him up in His arms. Lo and behold, almost a year later this came out. (I had even left a comment about it a year ago, saying the same) I knew He wouldn't let Issac down.
This legit just made me cry because I always wondered where Isaac's father was, why he left, and why he isn't mentioned almost at all, but he is actually the narrator. That's wholesome. And what power a single word can have. Just "Isaac and his parents" instead of "mother", THAT made me cry!
ikr same legit i knew the story but i am so bad at the game i could never get this far but i never watched the ending and this just hit like a ton of bricks
@@myathemyrrah well for this game you need A LOT of practice, and luck too. I watched a lot of Hutts, Northernlion, Olexa, and Sinvicta to understand the items and synergies, messed around on my own, etc.
I love how the soundtrack evolves every time Isaac goes up a level. It starts out as a song played entirely in reverse. But when a level is ascended, a layer of the track starts playing normally. This goes on until the full song is played normally. Genius.
How in the world did your comment get so many up votes? The song doesn’t change as he moves up the floors when the parents are arguing. It doesn’t start out as being played in “reverse.”
You know, for once i’m actually of a fan of counting anything the author says outside of the work itself as just as non-canonical as anything else non stated in game by some rando online.
@Jamie I was making a joke about the concept of death of the author jesus fuck cool off man. Not everything in the youtube comment section is someone tryin to start shit, sometimes its just a weirdly delivered joke.
Fun fact, the whole voice cast of this game is actually a single family. Dad is Matthias Bossi (one of the two members of Ridiculon, the game's composers), Mom is played by his real-life wife Carla Kihlstedt (she plays the violin in the song that plays during the fight against Ultra Death), and Isaac is voiced by their son.
OH THANK GOD!!! After 21 endings of just absolute despair and tragedy that made me wanna go drown in a fucking lake...... there's finally a nice happy ending.....
@@Zack_Wildfire Makes me wonder if this ending was made cause of the dev becoming a father, and he having been "changed" by becoming one, IE turning the game from about religion to a more family drama
I actually cried. after playing this game for so long, hearing isaacs voice and learning all of this was just a story and their family is fine is so heartwarming.
@Nero The Backwards Oren No, any seed is potentially *beatable*. I don't feel like the seed is good when I get 4 active items and 2 passives before the womb, but you can still beat it.
that was the 1st detail during my first attempt that I really apriciated. Just death face-palming himself that other horsemen suck at killing a simple child Ironic, considering that, in my opinion, he's the easiest out of them all. Headless Famine is a nightmare for me, Pesitlence's flies are simply annoying and usually make it so I foolishly take damage and War's bombs are not that bad, but first few tries made me rage
Man, this ending got me. Knowing this is a very personal story for the writer, and knowing it's not meant to be straightforward, I have to wonder if the ending isn't just him talking to himself, in a way. After all, you're writing the story. Why not give it a happy ending? Issac and his parents... (Fuck, this ending really got me. I hope this little fictional fetus-blob of a child is happy.)
Edmund said that Isaac is probably making stuff up as he's dying since Edmund doesn't know what happens when you die. It can be inferred then that Isaac is simply trying to make sense of him dying and trying to find comfort in it. I've also seen people suggest his personal heaven is one where he and his parents have a normal, happy life. Either way, Isaac is finally at peace.
Edward McMillan actually said multiple times that the story is actually pretty straightforward. Isaac's mom became super religious, had a falling out with Isaac's Dad and saw Isaac as wicked and sinful as his father, so Isaac began seeing himself as that, feeling awful about himself he escapes into his make-believe world after locking himself in his old toy chest and suffocates and dies. What we see in the game is the last of Isaac's thoughts as he dying and the key set bosses Satan, Hush, The Lamb, It Lives, etc are representing Isaac's thoughts about himself. Satan is because his mom is always telling him he is wicked and the devil will take him, the lamb is devil taken Isaac and the fight is Isaac imagining him overcoming the evil his mom says he has, it lives is Issac wanting to kill himself, Hush is a form of Blue baby/Dead Isaac representing the death of his own mind, the new final bosses represents Isaac rejecting his twisted view of himself created by his Mom's fundamentalist religious views and coming to peace that he was always good and finally excepting his death not because he was wicked and deserves it but because he can find peace finally
Isaac and parents lived in a small house on a hill. Isaac had a good life and they were all happy. His mother watched Tv with him while his father was at work. But When isaacs father came home at night he knew he would get a nice story before bed.
@@laserlights9684 isaac lived in a isaac on a isaac Isaac had a good isaac and they were all isaac His isaac Watched isaac with isaac while his isaac was at isaac but when isaac isaac came isaac at isaac he knew he would get a nice isaac before isaac
So the plot with this is that the father is sorting through all of Isaac's stories and talking him through his trauma. Instead of considering him weird, he encourages his son by giving him critiques on his writing and tries to help him after gaining custody. Isaac finally gets the home he deserves. Best mod. Great boss battles too.
That... that actually had me in tears. Legitimately crying as Isaac remembered so many painful and beautiful things, letting them all go as he ascended, crescendoing at the realization he's alive. That his father's there, that he's helping him process it all. That Isaac can live, and be happy. Holy shit.
Sorry to tell you, Isaac is dead. His father is also dead, he killed himself due to his gambling addiction, hinted in Legend of Bumbo. This is Isaac in heaven getting to rewrite a happy life for himself.
@@Omid.. Why are you doing that just because people actually looked into the matter more than you? This seems to be a defense mechanism of yours where you try to attack people for being right when you haven’t a clue. Do you do that often in life?
Man, the finale of Repentance sure is awesome. I like how as soon as you collect Dad’s Note, memories from Isaac’s past are heard as you ascend to Home. And when you get to Home, you sleep in Mom’s bed, and then this is where the awesomeness happens. Isaac thinking about him watching TV with his mother, and suddenly a melting Isaac’s face appears on TV, and then when you get out of bed, approaching the TV is up next, and then this... thing... known as Dogma comes out of the TV like Samara from The Ring. And I like the Dogma battle sequence. And after defeating Dogma, I love the pre-Beast cutscene. And then there’s the Ultra Harbingers, and then you fight the Beast after those 4. I love the post-Beast ending. Well, the finale sure was a success.
@@2FortMerchantMan yeah, also dogma is a type of education/doctrine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma?wprov=sfla1 here's a link to the full description of what a dogma is
14:43 If you look closely at the background you can see death face palming and shaking his head before coming into battle himself almost like he's saying "pathetic" the attention to detail is astounding
“Later that night” Dad wanna continue our little storyline from last night or start a new one? Well issac, you did have a bunch of sweets today, so I guess if I don’t want to have you bouncing off the walls, we’ll continue Could we maybe start this time with maybe... i don’t know... Isaac has a sword of destiny! And he fights that green ogre Shrek! DAD! You’re so silly like that!
I like how this ending can be interpreted in different ways. Did Isaac die and go to heaven, where his family is whole again? Or was it all just a silly story from Isaacs dark but beautiful imagination? Maybe something in between?
I like to imagine dogma doing normal things. "Hello sir, welcome to Mcdonald's, what can i get you" "LET GODS LIGHT PURGE THE SIN FROM YOUR BEING" "Will that be here or to go?"
In the background, before you fight The Beast, the Ultra Horsemen silhouettes have neat little animations. Ultra Famine giggles like a psycho before he comes out to fight. Ultra Pestilence looks angry when you kill Famine. Ultra War laughs at Pestilence's defeat. And Ultra Death facepalms and shakes his head when War is defeated. It's a really nice touch that I never noticed during my playthroughs. 👍
Im going to just put it out there that this ending probably confirms that, while yes Issac's parents did split apart his dad came back for him after hearing that his mother threatend him with a Knife (and we know that his mother wasnt hit on the head by a book cause in the repentace trailer the book actualy misses her when it falls) also this says that his father was the only one who apreciated Issac's story telling while his mom did not.
So some of the stories might be less of "Isaac telling a goodnight story" and more him explaining with his own words what his mother did to him? Perhaps the story is not even as we are told? I mean he obviously didn't die in the chest but perhaps he passed out. His mother actually finding him barely breathing and regrets what she had done and saves him. I mean so many of the stories have to do with him in the chest. Locked in it, crawling into it, dying in it, etc. So I have a feeling he actually did go missing. His parents actually went out to look for him and they found him hiding in his play chest after a while. His mother either feeling bad about her actions and realising he would be better off without her or gets taken away to jail from child endangerment when the stories about what she had done came out. Very easily just me reading too much into it but the rest of the stories basically just being how Isaac is coping with his trauma by creating terrifying stories that his dad goes along with and supports him in unlike his mother that would lock him inside the closet.
See I got a completely different message out of the ending. Isssac really did die in the chest, those memories are real and Issac is retelling his version of the events to his "father" who I feel is actually God himself. When his "father" asks him to rewrite the story's ending, he's asking Isaac to create his ideal heaven, where him and his parents live happily together on the hill.
@@jamesdowler9297 I thought it meant all of the game before was just Isaac's depressed journal scrawlings, and that his Dad was teaching a lesson in how to be positive. Maybe his Mom was religious and/or abusive, and his parents may even be divorced. Since the game has been around for about a decade, I believe he is alive and well, and has learned to be strong and how to cope with life. Just my 2 cents
I think Isaac’s real parents are having a struggling marriage because of finances, religion, and so on and having a dysfunctional family is traumatic for many kids. And this trauma manifested itself into this super over-exaggerated and dark story told through the game. And Isaac is venting his problems to his dad through this twisted bedtime story.
@@floppynick4068 yes. It is real. Isaac does view himself as partially responsible for how the marriage ended, and thus has resorted to seeing himself as part of the devil despite his mother’s cruel attempts. Edmund’s prequel to the binding of Isaac: which is the legend of Bum-Bo, is a story that takes place just before this game, where it is a world fabricated by isaac’s dad and you control bum-bo. The end of this game reveals that isaac’s mother comes in and berates isaac after asking him who he is speaking to (his dad), at which she reminds him that his father had left long ago, and that he is just clinging to the past when he played with isaac. This game, and subsequently repentance, is the final part of isaac’s story, where his father does indeed return, but now has custody over Isaac after his mother was presumably locked up (shown when Isaac views ‘mom’ without a heart to her name, showing that he has moved on and has forgiven himself for what’s happened). All of these stories, all of these characters and disgusting drawn imagery are all from isaac, narrated by his father as a sad method of therapy to overcome the trauma he has gone through. Though, no matter what, isaac’s dad still helps his kid, asking isaac if he wants to do ‘another story’, which circles back to us playing another game as a different character. So yes. This is the true ending. Isaac is not dead in a chest, nor is there any stupid supernatural shit happening. It’s just a young, abused child coping with his trauma in the most creative manner possible while his father lovingly narrates it.
@Jamie no he didn’t. He responded to Twinfinite’s article years back about how the box is his manifestation for his trauma. There is no response to isaac actually dying, unless you made that up out of your ass.
I feel like this ending may imply that this entire game was a nightmare Isaac made due to his feelings of unworthiness and guilt towards his parents fighting, maybe he was tearing himself apart because he felt responsible for his parents divorcing, so he made a story where he was literally was running away and being punished for his guilt. He most likely saw his quite religious mother as one of the main reasons this happened, despite this ending and the delirium ending showing she really does love him, even though she got angry over him seeing her as a monster because she doesn’t want to associate with her gambling ex husband anymore. This ending also clearly explains why the divorce happened: his father had a bad gambling addiction, which made his mother upset, so they constantly argued over it, due to Isaac’s mom fearing that her husband was wasting all their money and negatively influencing Isaac by playing tabletop games with him, which was once in real life believed by some Christians to be satanic. Isaac’s mom took the games away because she was worried that her son was going to grow up with the same gambling addiction as his father. Eventually, Isaac’s father left the family, even though Isaac’s mom begged him to stay. However, the ending shows that the two still loved each other, but Isaac felt that it was all his fault, since his mother probably chastised him for continuing to play the games she was worried about, which made Isaac see himself as a demon that metaphorically tore his family apart. Eventually though, after custody had finally been settled, it seems that after reading the story Isaac made, Isaac’s mother and father realized the trauma they had unknowingly caused their child, and seemed to agree to reconcile, thus being bound together again by their mutual love for Isaac. Thus concludes the binding of Isaac.
@@dragonlegacy2938 But I don’t think Maggie was actually married to God, and the voice of who is arguing with Maggie is the same as the narrator’s voice. Lol.
Just noticed this sort of parallels Mega Satan: Large demonic boss that summons the Horsemen and has no HP bar, gated behind a fight with something angelic
Honestly this is probably the only time "it was all a dream" is an acceptable end to a story for me, a welcome one even. Knowing how it parallels the real life creator, it gives me an air of closure. Since I'm pretty sure Isaac as a series was at least one way to sort through all the emotions of his upbringing, a happy ending for it seems to come from a place of acceptance. Or maybe I'm wrong and it's just a funny ha ha look it's a poop enemy.
Maybe it's the wait? or maybe we saw him as multiple dead versions of himself, literally stages of a full decomposition process and all, we just want something good to turn out for him.
I think "it was all a dream" endings are underrated - when they're done well. Ultimately the appeal of a story is seeing the characters change over the length of the story. A character can go through an arc in a dream and turn out different to how they were when the dream began. The Wizard of Oz is a classic example of this trope, and arguably Labyrinth too.
*or you're wrong and ISAAC HAS TAKEN DOWN THE EVIL DEMONS AND REPENTED FOR HIS EVIL SINS TO KILL DEMONS AND ASCEND TO HEAVEN or some other crap like that.*
I much prefer the theory floating around that this is Issac finally getting to heaven and having a happy afterlife than "it was just a dream bro." It makes the story all along matter.
The official canon (said by the Edmund himself) is that Isaac died for real in that chest. So I think this ending would basically be Isaac's ascent to heaven, finally leaving that Basement limbo, while dropping his traumas, regrets and fears behind. The final bosses would be the embodiment of everything that led him to his bleak fate, a final showdown against dogmatic religion, and a final battle of biblical proportions against Apocalypse itself that leads him to his final judgement.
@@xubikiltro5263 this also explains why delirium isn't the final boss, since that boss's defeat is when Isaac dies To me hush and ??? just mean that Isaac is on its final moments
Isaac and his *parents* lived alone in a small house... one day, isaac opened his drawer and found... Himself.. beat up.. When he touched him, he could feel himself getting pat on the back. The other Isaac woke up. He saw the "real Isaac". "Save me-" said B-Isaac. "This is all our imagination.." "Save *us* ."
"He heard the late night fights they had, that kept him up at night, and the guilt for what he believed he was causing." Growing up with parents who always fought was hard. The endings to Isaac have always been sad, but this was so realistic and relatable. Never thought Isaac would make me sob so hard.
Bruh. The dad narrated the whole Time, and also u have to admit atleast one tear dropped when we heard "Isaac and his parents lived in a small house on top of a hill"
Him dying in the chest, hallucinating and delirious is suppose to be the intended ending, but thanks to a mod about Isaac murdering his mom, the mod was so well made isaac finally got a good ending. FINALLY
To be honest too, I think another reason mcmillan changed the ending because he's matured. He has two children now and he probably let that sentiment bleed into his work
@@MultiLimpet there's also a theory I read on around that he did die and the "dad" is God talking to him and is going to give him a new life hence a happy new story
@@zombbielad124 that’s kinda what I got from the ending as well, since the parents look similar but feel different. However, the mother “mourning the loss of her son,” could still totally be religious honestly. The whole “you’re dead to me,” thing could be really easily done from a person that overzealous in a religion.
This ending just made all the other ending seem like nightmares a small religious child would have. And its the best ending, I'm happy Issac finally got a happy ending ;-;
@@pillowfullospiders3934 a little baby that hasnt learned the word ''father'' yet could say daddy. Or a little child that thinks he should call all fathers daddy. There could be another explanation. What Im saying is that the ending is open to interpretation.
@@braydenschultz9272 I’m not here to offend, I am only here to explain with logical facts and answers. In short the dictionary definition of Dogma is a doctrine, or set of rules that are told to be true. In short faith and religion is a type of dogma as there is no physical proof of it and Dogma came out of the TV, which has been set on a religious Christian channel as shown in previous drawings and audios.
@@braydenschultz9272 just reading a basic summary, its quite interesting. Destruction due to divine judgement, origin of the word sodomy. Ill find the time to completely read and understand it. I’m agnostic and don’t read a lot of religious texts other than of creation myths or the relationship between gods in a polytheistic pantheon but I love an interesting read.
after AfterBirth+’s depressing ending, I expected this one to be beyond horrifying and gruesome, the thumbnail with him laying on the floor really gave a dark vibe. But instead what I was really was a happy ending to a tremendously good game
@@specterx2135 I didn’t play any of afterbirth (I only played rebirth, but I 100% that game on 2 files). I didn’t have an opportunity to play afterbirth/afterbirth+ because all I had was a PS Vita)… Can you describe the ending to afterbirth+ for me? Please? :)
SPOILERS When i Issac says: "yes daady" and realized than all of these years was a fake history narrated by his dad and our boi was fine all this time hearing his dad histories i feel a mix between cry and happines.
I'm just so fucking happy that edmund decided to use the "it was all a dream" kind of trope here, because jesus this series is so dark, and that trope sort of fits the narrative and gives a happy ending to something that everyone thought would never have (since the last "official" ending of the series resulted on Issac being fucking dead)
Binding Of Isaac theorists: * SPEND COUNTLESS HOURS TRYING TO DISCOVER THE LORE BEHIND ISAAC'S STORY * edmund and florian: *bUt It WaS aLl JUsT a DreAm !*
From what we can tell, the ending is Isaac and his father in heaven. The Legend of Bum-bo implies that Isaac’s father gambled the rest of his savings away after the divorce, and killed himself shortly afterwards.
Based on the final ending, my personal preferred take is that the past 10 years of The Binding of Isaac we've been playing is actually Isaac's new adoptive father narrating Isaac's various stories, helping him to work through the abuse he suffered from his birth parents (and the blame he laid upon himself for the breakup of his parents' marriage.) It would make sense that his mother really did try to do something egregious and terrible to him, and he managed to escape, ended up in foster care as so many abused children do, and found a new, loving family. Such an ordeal of escaping from his mother might have taken just a few minutes, but in his child's mind it would be as epic an escape as you experience in the game. I think this take is in keeping with the Afterbirth ending (him wandering into limbo is him entering a parentless, chillingly insecure phase in his life, with his bones-in-the-chest representing the decomposed childhood he left behind in that house of horrors). Some people here are suggesting that the father returned and got partial custody, but we know from the father's addiction issues and blame shifting that he was as much a cause of the marital breakup as the mother. They were both deeply flawed and irredeemable parents. And I think its highly improbable that Isaac's abuse wasn't real either, because I doubt Isaac would be coming up with all of these disturbed stories had none of them been rooted in reality.
Isaac is dead this ending is him either right before he dies or after he dies in the chest accepting the fact that it’s not his fault for his parents divorce and that he isn’t the anti christ and he ascends to heaven
- Mausoleum II "I spent it, it's gone. Just get over it!" "What do you mean.. What do you mean it's gone? How can you have spent our savings?" - Mines II "He's self-destructive and disturbed just like his father! Look at who he has to look up to! You're drunk again, aren't you?" "Shut up, Maggy! Shut up! You just keep pushing me like this, I'm leaving!" "Good! Leave! We'll be fine without you! You abandoned us like you abandoned yourself!" - Downpour II "You need to repent... You need to confess your sins and become saved! Let his light inside you! Cleanse your soul!" "You are insane. You are taking this too far. Do you hear how you sound?" "Pray for you... Pray for your salvation... Come, pray with us, Isaac..." - Basement I "Where are you going? Wait! We need you! Our son needs you!" "I'm doing more harm than good... I just can't do this anymore... I'm sorry..." "Please! Don't leave us!" "I'm sorry, Isaac..."
@@MazaAzi sothe game is Isaac telling a f*cked up story to his dad. And then asking his dad to read it back to him. The realises how messed up the story is and decides to give it a happy ending.
So, let me just get this straight... Isaac made the choices in the story of “ The Binding of Isaac, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth +” and Edmund Mcmillen was the farther of Isaac himself..........THIS IS MUDDLING MY HEAD UP!!!
Maybe he changed his mind over the development of issac after he became a father himself? I mean, isaac was made when he was... well, in his teen years, and now him being an adult and a father, his view on life and family changed. So i assume "repentance" can be viewed with both sides, the devs repentance to the world he created, and isaacs repentance for his... well, self inflicted crimes due to his guilt over his family
Well the story in itself at least to me is like follows Issac and his parents lived alone at the house on top of the hill. His dad for one reason or another had wasted all of their savings on something most likely gambling. This lead to a lot of fighting in between Dad and Mom, Isaac believing he was the reason why they had been fighting. His mother becam uber religious maybe because of the church helping out in some way or maybe because she had just found solice in it. After one big fight Issac's dad leaves, leaving Isaac alone with his mom, who immediately instilled the fear of god in Isaac and tried to purge the house of Dad, this included a lot of Isaac's drawings which he and his dad used to play(the main one being Bombo). After a while Mom found the drawing Isaac had of her( Mother), which made her cry and get angry with Isaac. This probably was the catalyst which made Isaac believe he was a demon(along with him believing he was the reason his Dad left), or in general a bad person. His mom became unstable, mainly through the dogmas being broadcasted by Christian Tv channels and had threatened Isaac with a knife. Believing herself that her son was beyond saving and had fallen from grace This some how got to Dad who saved Isaac and tried to help contextualize everything for him as a story. Using the chest in which Issac kept all of his drawings as a focal point.
Legit makes me cry because I've been playing this game for years and seeing how bleak and sad Isaac's life has been, so to finally see a happy ending for once for the kid is too much to handle
I like to think that the Issac in this ending was reincarnated into a happy family instead, though he keeps writing stories from a past life he somewhat remembers
@@enzoponce5832 This is the interpretation I like, as well. After ascending and leaving behind his fears and follies, he sees himself "rebirth" and then 'nothing'. Why? Because, this time, he gets to live his happy ending with his family in heaven. To me, this is the perfect closure for 10 years of the Binding of Isaac. He's finally free.
@@Jay-bl8ne I mean I'm not religious anymore but I remember in the Bible hearing "Let the children come to me and do not prevent them". Doesn't make sense if a child kills themselves, for whatever the reason, they would be sent to hell. If so that would be fucked.
ok here's my theory on what the ending means: Throughout most of the binding of isaac, isaac is in purgatory. The purgatory is a manifestation of the several traumas he's experienced such as the abuse from his mother (mom and mother), suffocating in the chest (hush), to manifestations of his religious guilt. He spends his time in hell thinking that his father left without ever saying goodbye. This is his unfinished business he needed to take care of before he could go to heaven. Isaac finds his dad's note, most likely a letter saying goodbye to isaac. Realizing that his father still loved him even when he left, Isaac's unfinished business is taken care of and he ascends to heaven. As he ascends he leaves all his guilt about his parents and his religion behind, represented by isaac defeating Dogma and the Beast. In the end, Isaac reunites with his father, and they spend their time making up and telling stories to each other about Isaac's life. Isaac is finally at peace. The End. That's just my theory though, even if I'm wrong it's still a perfect ending to one of the best indie games out there imo.
Well, war brings Death, but War couldn't even manage to kill Isaac. Also, Pestilence makes a gesture when Famine dies, and War makes a gesture when Pestilence dies.
Everytime I feel down I come here to minute 19:46 and I start crying. I didn't imagine such a game could be my relief valve, but here I am, weeping at Isaac remembering the good in his life.
What surprises me is all the subtle meanings in this final part. First, you have the note. Obviously, this is Isaac's father's last words to him before he left. However, after Isaac reads this... He goes back up. To the house. During that time, you hear two people- Isaac's mom and dad- arguing about things such as his dad spending all the savings, getting drunk, and finally running off after mother dearest gets a bad case of the religion. Now, if that's the case... Why is it that in the ending, Isaac is actually with his father, if he's such a deadbeat? Well, I'll get into that later... Next, we move on to something with a much different meaning: Dogma. During the beginning cutscene, it is mentioned that Isaac's mother watched a lot of christian broadcasts on the television. With that, we have... Part of the image. The other half comes when Dogma is defeated. What exactly happens in the latter cutscene? Dogma, lying in a puddle of static, forms into a large cross- an obvious christian symbol-, and then FORCES ITSELF ONTO ISAAC. Putting two and two together, this is a clear representation of religion being forced on a young mind, which can have very violent, if not traumatizing repercussions. It should also be mentioned that during the fight, you hear very evangelists shouting the gospel, showing just what Isaac thinks about religion and religious people; all they want to do is shove their ideas down your throat. After that, we move to the ending scene after the fight with 'The Beast' (yes. That one. The one with the Mark named after it). It shows The Beast being struck by lightning as an opening was made above Isaac and The Beast. This may mean that Isaac would have ran from his mother (represented by 'The Beast'), and that in doing so, he gave everything to god, losing himself in doing so... ... Then, a turn of events. His father pauses, asking if that's the kind of story he wants? Then... He offers a happier tale. And we can tell from the start, that it will be a good story... As the opening line states, "Isaac and *his parents* lived alone on a small house on a hill"... Not Isaac and his mother... But Isaac and his PARENTS. They're both here now. And they're happy. This goes back to my first point: Why is it that Isaac is with his dad in the final cutscene if he was such a deadbeat? That's just it: he wasn't. See, during this segment, it's more than obvious that there was no real incident that lead to his father leaving. From the sounds of it, this is literally all just a story that Isaac cooked up, showed his dad, and his dad- being the concerned parent he is- offered him a better option... A happier story. A happy ending. With both he and his parents living happily in their little house on a hill... Have a good one, Isaac. You deserve the rest... You don't need to torture yourself anymore.
I feel like he was a bit of a deadbeat in the beginning, as his mother became a bit zealous as well, but they either quickly lost these traits for their son, or they divorced and now take care of him separately with duel custody. Sure, the first option isn't as bad for adults, but it'll fuck up a little kid fairly easily, as they have a far sharper mind and have far less experiance in the world, so it'd make sense that it traumatized little Isaac. Most of the story is make believe, sure, but that doesn't make it any less real to the little guy. This is probably a way for Isaac and his father to try and deal with his fears, telling these stories, and the dad's new story is an escape from all of these nightmarish ideas flooding little Isaac's mind. In all, some of, if not most of the story isn't real, but the idea of it alone probably scared Isaac to dead. He needed a way to vent these fears, so he's probably sharing them with his dad, who wants to help.
18:50 the storyline began "Isaac are you sure you want the story to end like this" Said isaacs father as many realized and jaws has dropped The unknown of isaacs story
How it began: Isaac and his mother.
How it ended: Isaac and his *parents.*
MY HEART-
it gave me goosebumps and I was like why? and then I scrolled down and saw this and said OHHHH!
My yum heart.
Imagine next dlc...
- Isaac, alone.
yo that i something so deep from a video game i haver ever seen
It make it more sad when your realize that this is base on Edmund McMillen childhood
I like how Isaac suddenly shiftes the tone of his story from "I died because of my mother's toxic attitude about religion" to "I singlehandlely stopped the apocalypse by beating the shit out of the four horsemen and Big Horn's dad"
I mean good for him
It's actually satan the boss music is a chapter in the bible it has satan being referred to as the beast
bigger horn
Biggest horn
I mean, it’s definitely something that a kid would come up with
"Okay daddy."
Isaac said, as trillions of jaws dropped in shock.
the 'narrator was dad' reveal was actually during the ascent, the dad's voice lowers as he says 'im sorry isaac' and its the narrator voice.
That was revealed 6 years ago in an ARG that resulted in unlocking The Keeper, where fans dug up a Greed statue with a phone number on it, that number was a recording of the Narrator giving them instructions, which also revealed the voice was Isaac's dad.
It was also made clear in the final ending of Legend of Bumbo.
@@MartiansfromUranus yeah, sure, but this is the first time the reveal has appeared in TBOI itself. besides, the final ending of bum-bo requires beating the game twice with every character which is kind of a pain
dropped? try punched holes in the floor.
@@Badsy_the_Edgecat Huh?
-Could you tell me a story before bed, daddy?
-How about your this time you tell me a story, issac?
-okey dad... issac was a child who lost everything, he blames himself for everything bad that happened to his family, his father abandoned him and his mother went crazy, undressed him and then tried to kill him, then he hid in a chest and he became unconscious, in his mind he faced unspeakable demons and internal monsters, he was actually delirious because he was dying from suffocation. he died and his soul descended into hell, where the torment would only get worse. At the end of it all, he saw his life pass in front of his eyes, he realized that when he was happiest, it was when he was closest to non-existence. and then it was all over.
her mother found the body when flies and the smell of putrefaction caught her attention.
-wtf son
Dads inner monologue: "Holy shit, we left bigger mental scars than I ever could imagine... O.O"
Dad: "How about a happy ending?"
LMAO
They grow so fast
I will tell you a story about isaac that has a brimstone with tammys head and oneshots mother
Una paja leer el comentario, pero igual le di like porque un año en la selva, kjjjjjj
Isaacs dad: kid this story's fucked up, can't we add a happy ending in there?
Isaac: No :)
Kid, you uh... got anything you want to tell me?
John Eggberts Dad: NO.
Ok... maybe... but only if you give me another cookie
@Existential Crisis Core on Infinite Earths we don't know if any of it's true. XD
The father being the narrator this whole time was a plot twist that I would have never expected, Isaac deserved a happy ending and he got one
Not just the narrator.. but (spoilers to those who haven't watched the video yet): "Isaac and his mother lived in a house on a hill" to "Isaac and his parents lived in a house on a hill". The story being told is a new one from the one we had seen throughout the game.
This plot twist was first introduced in The Legend of Bumbo ending, it's lore is the prequel to this game.
@@TheShut1 which ending tho
@@YusALNimi The last possible ending.
@@TheShut1 the what
The beginning “Isaac and his mother lived alone in a small house on a hill.
The end “Isaac and his parents lived on a house at the top of a hill”
The middle “Isaac and his Isaac lived alone in a small Isaac on an Isaac”
LOL
You killed me looooool
As A Binding Of Isaac Fan, I Can Assure You That This Is 100 Prescent Acurate
@@spindriftizded2033 as an english speaker i can assure you capitalising every letter is absolutely unnecessary
Your pfp.... God damnit I thought I was safe
imagine showing this to Ed back when he uploaded a demo of the flash version to Newgrounds
He would be like "yo, wtf did i smoke when i made this"
"actually, i planned that, but it was too much work."
It would be even more shocking because the game was literally designed to fail, as in he didn't mean it to be such a success
yep, and also this is make sense of Dogma's existence
“It’s a good thing I didn’t put that in the demo, I almost made a DEATHLY mistake!”
So basically, every reset you do is basically making Isaac tell his father to "redo" the story to see the many different endings Isaac and his bible characters or religious symbolism alter egos could end up in.
The game started with "Isaac and his mother lived in a house on top of a hill"
And ended with "Isaac and his _parents_ lived in a house on top of a hill"
A happy ending.
“Isaac opened the treasure room and found a small lemon on a pedestal...”
“No Lemon Mishap isn’t strong enough daddy hold R”
“Isaac please we’ve been doing this for 2 hours”
@Jamie Where does he say that? Show me a source
@@IG-88Enjoyer here you go the source 🖕
@@arristheround9246 yeah pretty much
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about how the ending doesn’t fit the tone of the game. I can somewhat agree with that but my theory is that Edmund decided to give Isaac a happy ending after he had children of his own, especially considering that one of them is now the same age as Isaac himself.
Also consider that the whole game is a reflection of Ed’s own childhood, so the fact that he became a successful adult with his own family doesn’t invalidate the trauma he went through at such a young age and it doesn’t make it less “real” just because he didn’t get to the point where he literally asphyxiated himself in a chest
Its based in his own childhood? Man, i didn't know it... Man, i wnat to hive Ed a hug now
He is going to have an interview with Alexelcapo (Spanish youtuber) i hope he asks him about the true ending of the game
I think he is being like george lucas. Did you not play the game? An entire level dedicated to shit, the final boss is a ripoff of cuphead's gameplay, and the other new levels are uninspired. He has been living a lazy life probably watching despicable me with his kids, because he is successful enough to not have to work anymore. People hated starwars prequels because they were uninspired and stupid, that is why I hate edmund and this game. Incase you still feel bad for him, he is constantly starting funds for himself to make more games, as if everyone doesn't want to quit their job and do some hobby.
@@andrewherrera7735 How is the concept of a sidescrolling shooter automatically a Cuphead ripoff lmaooo
@@andrewherrera7735 Ah yes of course, how could we forget that cuphead invented sidescroller shooters.
Isaac’s story is just......horrifying but so well crafted. The fact that this kid goes through hell in back in his own head whilst dying is just...it would be traumatizing to see what he saw.
We saw what he saw lol
In the story hes telling the lost and blue baby already exist, so the theory that hes imagine this while he is dying doesnt make sense, I think Isaac is retelling the story with his father in heaven
@@churaigeki500 Well Blue Baby is more of a direct reference to his death and the Lost is the outcome of that death. Since suicide is frowned upon in Heaven, it most likely explains the Lost’s reason for existence. However, I do believe the story is told by him and his father in Heaven after he was most likely forgiven.
@@te0b3ar81 I think that makes sense since the suidice wasnt intentionally
@@ihavestoupid it's like if I described a bad trip to you. You might say you know how it is now but you dont
This is the perfect ending to Isaac’s story. A lot of people are saying that this is a happy ending. For Isaac, yes, but I would call it more bittersweet. Isaac is still dead, but at least he’s finally at peace.
I think he's in Heaven now, and this happy ending happens there.
The whole him dying in the box never really happened, he’s creating those scenarios on the drawing as we can tell from the fact that his dad was with him at the end telling him that he could make a story that isn’t sad and this tells us that his father has custody over him and not his mother
@@HamD7676 nah edmund confirmed that isaac canonically dies.
@@inseni915 That was Afterbirth +, everyone was a baby about it and he gave us a happier ending and yeah he wanted him to die so you’re kind of right since that’s what Edmund wanted
@@HamD7676 edmund confirmed it post repetance release in twitch chat with Hutts.
Can we just take a moment and appreciate the fact that Isaac went from running away from his parents to facing the 4 horsemen of the apocalypses to repent himself?
i mean its pretty dark first off your mother is trying to kill you so you go into a basement and kill horrific demons, then you kill your mother, then you learn the truth of how your mother is corrupt, then you go back to your house to find no one there, then fight a horrific tv demon, then have to fight more demons in hell also remember your doing all this with your own tears, then realizing what actually happened.
@@viosull first off. Why you buming the story down. I mean yes its horrific but it was all just a story him and his father were making up. Also what a pretty cool story it was XD
@@skullygamer3432 i kind of meant it as isaac seems really invested into the story because it seems real to him
Not only that, but the Horsemen got "Ultra'd", lol. Makes me wonder what an Ultra Conquest would look like.
na
everybody gangsta till isaac speaks
We already heard him in The Legend of Bum-Bo :)
Issacs voice is perfect for the character
Isaac voice reveal
Isaacs voice was adorable lets be real
@@v1298 noo noo mom please!
"He saw his one true companion, alive and well."
Cricket and Tammy: "are we jokes to you?"
isn't cricket a dog? or have i been misinterpreting the sprite for cricket's head as a chihuahua this whole time
@@gren4586
Cricket is at the very least named after a cat, but I do agree that the head looks way too much like a dog to say definitively that he was a cat in the Isaac lore.
There's a chance Isaac had Guppy longer than he had Cricket and Tammy too, maybd they died way earlier thsn Guppy
@@timmyreobed5043 it used to be called Max’s head (which was a dog head) in flash, so that might explain it.
@@jalapenobug Ed changed it since Gubby, Tammy and Cricket are all real cats the Ed has had. Ed has never had a dog named Max. You can actually see Guppy in this video of Ed's czcams.com/video/trUCcvtN1lA/video.html
Rebirth: we fight satan
Afterbirth+: we fight our fears
Antibirth: we fight our mistakes
Repentance: we fight... a television?
no, a christian broadcast in the television
@@el_mr6439 yeah, and did you remember the intro of the game, why isaac's mom become an abusive mother? Because not only just she was reading but also listening the christian broardcast (which is maybe a fake one)
@@stalloneandrew9961 idk i feel like dogma refers to blind faith here, and its just kinda a manifestation of that
The television 📺 church / faith / religious dogma her mother went crazy for
Because the Television was the origin of all
when you reset to get a starter its literally Isaac telling his dad "hell nah story is trash do far cmon dad"
Nope
Nope
Nope
"isaac begins his journey with a visor that lets him shoot sick laser rings"
Now youre speaking my language dad!
@@seabisquit “Isaac begins with a baby that shoots a giant red laser...”
Hey... why my son is shooting lasers?
@@crixxbrixx "Isaac begins his journey with a fetus inside a glass pot, that allows him to throw bombs"
@@Makk_0 Isaac begins his journey with.. nothing else but a raw liver granting him some extra endurance..?
i love how it goes to “isaac and his mother” to “isaac and his parents.” it shows how different of a story his father is about to tell
i wish we got to hear it :(
@@cheekybananaboy3361 we will, give it 6-9 years, we'll have isaac 2 one day
@@Jack0834 they really should do it
It's probably a lot to ask but I would love an Isaac 2 in a Risk Of Rain setting
@@cheekybananaboy3361 The whole idea is that if we don;t hear it, that means Isaac can be happy with his parents. Please don't make Isaac go through any more shit.
Isaacs mother: Isaac You are My son... But Azazel starts with brimstone
Facts
Also Azazel has 3 black hearts and flight
"I'm not picking favorites Isaac, but you can do better."
"Mom, Azazel might start with Brimstone, yeah, but it's a SHORT RANGED Brimstone, and i start with an active that can change items on pedestals, therefore you are wrong"
This is splendid ending to Issac's Tale, and themeatically it is absolutly wonderful.
In the other main paths, Isaac in his imagination is running away from reality, going deeper and deeper away from the terrible reality he lives in. Even if he defeats his mother in his imagination, from there he spirals into self loathing fighting and killing a fetal version of himself, as he still thinks himself evil and widcked and better off dead.
The cathidral and the box has issac go up against the idealized version of himself that he can't be, and then confront himself dying in his treasure box.
Hush and Delirium are his dying mind and pysche, and his last stand as death approached him.
Satan and The Lamb are him confronting how he views himself, a sinful and evil monster that belongs to satan.
With the True Ending however, Isaac doesn't delve deeper into self hatred and dark thoughts. Instead, he returns from his imaginary world to face reality. He defeats his interpretaion of his mother hatred, and is normally is forced to continue downwards into his imagination,.On the floor though, there is a gurenteed card drop of The Fool Card;"Where the Journey Begins". Using this to break out of the path before him, he uses the Poloriad and Negative to face the reality of his life, and ascends from his imaganiation back to the real world, where the voices of his mom and dad echo. Isaac comes to terms with how he isn't evil, and isn't the cause of his parents hardships- he forgives himself. Isaac has repented.He returns to reality in the home, where he confronts the source of the problems- Dogma. The religous broadcasts and crazed religous teachings that radicalized his mother and caused his father to leave, and the source of Isaac's hatred of himself and fear of religion. The root cause to all of the games story.
dogma nuts
@@roadblocks9990 damit
b
This is the best description of Isaac's lore I've ever seen. You got my like pal
@Electro_blob 2 I think its less about religion itself and more of what the boss physically represents: the source of the problem. the programs isaacs mother were watching were more than likely fanatical levels of religious programming, its probably the only reason why so many enemies are based off of religion too, isaac learned about most of the biblically accurate nightmare fuel from the TV, if dogma was any other sort of programming, for example alien conspiracies, there would be good chance most enemies would be based off of sci fi themes. It also seems like when isaac beats it and the static cross slams into him and it goes into his eyes, it probably symbolizes him accepting that it'll never truly go away, thus absorbing it and getting wings. (But then again this is just a story made up by isaac so it could just be a bunch of chaos)
Oh thank god, isaac FINALLY got a happy ending. The boy deserves it.
He doesn't. This isn't the final boss
@@NoCommentaryLife yes it is. I mean for this isaac game. Also no matter what it is always a fake story his father and him are telling
Arguably not, isacc gets overtaken by dogma and the beast boss fight is just his imagination based off the crazy stories sure its relatively good but its a tainted good ending
@@propoppop9866
Or really what happens is that this is all in Isaac's imagination right before he passes away, and as he is dying. Don't people say you see your whole life go past you as you die?
@@desfefe thats what I was thinking but the dad says they make a new story afterwards so in my mind its just showing issac has a dark imagination or this is going on in the afterlife and isacc is telling what happened, I dont know
"Issac and his parents in a small house."
And then the universe collapsed...
Until the Fire Nation attacked
@@zzzpoma9961 issac was too angry to die.
The end
Now the game board have reset, and the pieces starts dancing to the moves again, intended by the GM
@@vicenzogames5535 that's eternal,not ended.
I love how they included the fact that Isaac still says his prayers at night. It shows the game isn’t anti-religion, it’s anti-zealotry. And as a Christian myself, I agree. Religion can be a beautiful thing that brings purpose and meaning to people’s lives. But it’s the radical and irrational zealotry that corrupts and can harm people. Good on you, Edmund McMillen.
True.
For what i readed, Edmund himself grow up in a very zealotry family. So it is probably that his chilhood inspired the game.
@@fgyjtingenieroeuropeo56 not just probably, he mentioned it multiple times in interviews and articles if I recall it correctly
Or Issac still prays because he fears what his crazy mom will do if he doesn't. Hes 5. Children that young don't choose religion
@@LoverOfManTits Isaac's dad took custody of him and pretty sure they are divorced with Maggy.
I cant stop listening to Isaacs voice, hes so baby.
Remember reading that issac has 5 years so he is almost a baby
He is a baby.
a
Hmmm, I wonder why?
*beby*
Everyone gansta until we be fighting Biggest Horn
*M e g a H o r n*
extra thicc horn
Horn? Oh no nooooo
It's bigger tri horn
It's actually one of satan's forms the boss music is a chapter in the bible that calls satan the beast
@@nekogamer2508 we know
everybody gangsta until tboi gets a story based dlc
doom eternal has 1(2 if you count the 2nd part)so it's nothing new for new dlc's to be story-based
@@bxst4r7 I mean, doom eternal was kinda story based itself. TBOI always had its story on a second place, so having a story based dlc for it is like if the original 1993 doom had a story dlc for it(atleast sounds strange).
@@bxst4r7 they’re 2 completely different games lmfao
@@making_pie8295 exactly what I’m saying
I bet Game Theory is excited
I think the implication here is that all the diferent runs and routes and endings were them re-writing the bedtime story.
youre right.
I wish that was true😭
Quite a horrific bedtime story ngl
Well my game had a bunch of stories that ended very anti-clamaticly, when isaac runs around the basement searching for everything and then running into spikes like a dumbass then, lol
I really hope so
The part that shows Guppy and says "He saw his one true companion, alive and well." always makes me cry...
YES!! ME TOO 😭
What about all the coop babies that helped you beat the game?
Athough the "it was all fake" is a cliché, this is the best plot twist I have ever seen.
Ikr especially when the story gets super dark it's nice to know it wasn't really real
@@borisvanderhof3028 Nah, some people theorize that his father did leave, but it was a proper divorce. And that he has at least partial custody over Isaac and is trying to help him overcome trauma through storytelling
@@ApexGale all while in our reality we went through so many endings we looped back to the beginning.
I mean all the 'Mom bring a fanatic and dad left" stuff was probably true, but it seems the dad did come back for Isaac after all which is honestly wonderful
If this is all just a story then Dad is the best one out there. He is literally getting his child into telling and hearing about literally everything that happens to him. Dad is learning about his son to the finest detail, something that is usually the ultimate tool to helping a victim; Understanding them
If my child could wrote stories like this i would bring them to a psychiatric
I mean with all the things Issac's been through a psychiatrist will probably be a BIG help but at least he's got his pops there to help him.
Hey, come on, if isaac wants to draw these stories, I say let him! It's something hes good at, you wouldnt take that away would you?
Its his soul going through reincarnation... Christian mythology once a soul is purified
Guys, I think that no matter how disturbed his fantasies may be, Isaac is a child genius-- he's confirmed to be 5 years old by Edmund yet he knows so much about medicine, religion, biology, he is a good artist and he has a very rich imagination to create an entire world in his head, like Isaac could rival most adults with such stuff.
And Isaac just have FIVE years
Personally, I think that rather than a “It was all a dream” sort of thing, the events of the game did happen, and Isaac DID actually live a fucked up life and ended up dying in the chest, but is now retelling what he saw to his father in heaven. Now that he’s reunited with him, and possibly also his mother, they all have the chance to try to “rewrite the story” and finally live happily in heaven together.
Yeah, that's my headcanon as well. It makes more sense than everything being a fucked up story a 5 year old and his dad made up. Just like the journey to home is called the ascent, this is Isaac's ascent into heaven after he dies.
Both interpretations are valid tbh. Isaac represents Edmund, but he also represents the victims of “religion” fueled hatred. The way I see it is that both stories are canon, just not to the same “Isaac”
I believe Ed said Isaac is talking to the Father, not his father.
It would be very much fitting. I never liked the "it's all a dream" endings in anything at all. This theory both validates all the pain we have seen Isaac go through and offers a peaceful closure.
That's my headcanon too. There is evidence to suggest his Dad died from a gambling addiction so the idea that Isaac met his Dad in Heaven is perfect to me.
My favourite interpretation of this ending? Isaac isn’t telling stories with his father. Rather, with _the_ Father. In Heaven, Isaac can find eternal joy and comfort in telling bedtime stories with God, who no matter what his mother might have claimed, loves him after all.
yo thats beautiful
I accept this whole heartedly
Yeah, you are pretty much correct. In fact Isaac already knows that his mother's fate is to be a beast. (the beast fight, is another mother fight, you can see that she has her dress on) her actions weren't from a good Christian, and the destiny of the fake prophets is to be thrown into the lava rivers...
And Isaac is just remembering his times with his father when they were telling stories together.
But sadly Isaac is in purgatory, you can see it in one of the endings
I remember discovering the game and before this one, the ending was Issac dying and his mom finding him in a box. It bothered me so much over the course of a few days, that I prayed about it. Finally I felt a soft voice in my heart tell me that God wouldnt let Issac just die and wander the hillside alone for eternity, but He would take him up in His arms.
Lo and behold, almost a year later this came out. (I had even left a comment about it a year ago, saying the same)
I knew He wouldn't let Issac down.
@@Mykee3d plot twist: he is never gonna give us up, never gonna let us down.
This legit just made me cry because I always wondered where Isaac's father was, why he left, and why he isn't mentioned almost at all, but he is actually the narrator. That's wholesome. And what power a single word can have. Just "Isaac and his parents" instead of "mother", THAT made me cry!
tbf Dad being the narrator was confirmed in Legend of Bumbo
@@davidjimenez3822 tbh I haven't played Legend Of Bumbo, or watched a Let's Play on here.
Same but...
Dogma balls
ikr same legit i knew the story but i am so bad at the game i could never get this far but i never watched the ending and this just hit like a ton of bricks
@@myathemyrrah well for this game you need A LOT of practice, and luck too. I watched a lot of Hutts, Northernlion, Olexa, and Sinvicta to understand the items and synergies, messed around on my own, etc.
"Isaac and his parents, lived in a small house on top of a hill..."
Probably the best ending this game could ever get
I love how the soundtrack evolves every time Isaac goes up a level. It starts out as a song played entirely in reverse. But when a level is ascended, a layer of the track starts playing normally. This goes on until the full song is played normally. Genius.
How in the world did your comment get so many up votes? The song doesn’t change as he moves up the floors when the parents are arguing. It doesn’t start out as being played in “reverse.”
Really does hit you hard when you realize Edmund confirmed Isaac died in the chest anyway
Excuse me? Where did you get that from?
@Jamie "This is weirdly accurate" isn't the same as "this is perfectly accurate."
You know, for once i’m actually of a fan of counting anything the author says outside of the work itself as just as non-canonical as anything else non stated in game by some rando online.
@Jamie I was making a joke about the concept of death of the author jesus fuck cool off man. Not everything in the youtube comment section is someone tryin to start shit, sometimes its just a weirdly delivered joke.
@michele ciarpella
Ed still said Isaac is dead in an live stream like, 1 month ago. Your point?
20:40 this killed 10 years of sadness
I know right? My fucking heart melted
I was just like “and now, everything makes sense...”
@@mariomaster4568 and yet today I still fear the sins I make (15 years old)
@@Oreca2005 We all do, but that's what makes us human
@@Oreca2005 Everyone does. Even after repenting and becoming new everyone still struggles with their past.
Everybody gangsta until the narrator comes back with vengeance
lol
Or you could say… for Repentance.
@@thefamiliarface903 OOOOOOH
@@thefamiliarface903 DAMN
14:45
Minor detail, but I love how Death waits until he charges into battle to draw his scythe.
The voice they gave Isaac feels beyond fitting for his character
Fun fact, the whole voice cast of this game is actually a single family. Dad is Matthias Bossi (one of the two members of Ridiculon, the game's composers), Mom is played by his real-life wife Carla Kihlstedt (she plays the violin in the song that plays during the fight against Ultra Death), and Isaac is voiced by their son.
OH THANK GOD!!! After 21 endings of just absolute despair and tragedy that made me wanna go drown in a fucking lake...... there's finally a nice happy ending.....
Ikr it always felt so sad and grim but learning it wasn't really real and just an story made everything better lol
@@PaletteMorning this felt more of Edmund breaking the fourth wall about the problems McMillan had on a mental scale.
@@Zack_Wildfire I kept thinking that to but I really want to give it the benefit of the doubt
@@Zack_Wildfire Makes me wonder if this ending was made cause of the dev becoming a father, and he having been "changed" by becoming one, IE turning the game from about religion to a more family drama
I actually cried. after playing this game for so long, hearing isaacs voice and learning all of this was just a story and their family is fine is so heartwarming.
Ed: "We don't want runs taking an hour and a half"
Also Ed:This ending will include 10 minutes of walking"
baloney they dont want runs taking an hour and a half. Takes half and hour just to get a single good seed.
@Nero The Backwards Oren No, any seed is potentially *beatable*. I don't feel like the seed is good when I get 4 active items and 2 passives before the womb, but you can still beat it.
Imagine spending time resetting instead of actually playing with what you get.
Nah he saw the sort of thing pros like Sinvicta tend to do
14:42 Love how in the background, Death is shaking his head like: "Oh for fucks sake, he's just a kid!"
i think it's more like "these fucken idiots cant kill a kid." because he laughs when isaac gets hit
@@skapaloka222 I think that’s what OP meant: ‘Oh for fucks sake, he’s just a kid! You can’t kill a kid?’
that was the 1st detail during my first attempt that I really apriciated. Just death face-palming himself that other horsemen suck at killing a simple child
Ironic, considering that, in my opinion, he's the easiest out of them all. Headless Famine is a nightmare for me, Pesitlence's flies are simply annoying and usually make it so I foolishly take damage and War's bombs are not that bad, but first few tries made me rage
It's such a cute detail, that and how all of the (remaining) horsemen react when Isaac gets hit by an attack.
Me too, it's such a simple detail but adds so much character, "If you want a job done you gotta do it yourself."
Man, this ending got me. Knowing this is a very personal story for the writer, and knowing it's not meant to be straightforward, I have to wonder if the ending isn't just him talking to himself, in a way. After all, you're writing the story. Why not give it a happy ending?
Issac and his parents...
(Fuck, this ending really got me. I hope this little fictional fetus-blob of a child is happy.)
Edmund said that Isaac is probably making stuff up as he's dying since Edmund doesn't know what happens when you die.
It can be inferred then that Isaac is simply trying to make sense of him dying and trying to find comfort in it. I've also seen people suggest his personal heaven is one where he and his parents have a normal, happy life.
Either way, Isaac is finally at peace.
Edward McMillan actually said multiple times that the story is actually pretty straightforward. Isaac's mom became super religious, had a falling out with Isaac's Dad and saw Isaac as wicked and sinful as his father, so Isaac began seeing himself as that, feeling awful about himself he escapes into his make-believe world after locking himself in his old toy chest and suffocates and dies. What we see in the game is the last of Isaac's thoughts as he dying and the key set bosses Satan, Hush, The Lamb, It Lives, etc are representing Isaac's thoughts about himself. Satan is because his mom is always telling him he is wicked and the devil will take him, the lamb is devil taken Isaac and the fight is Isaac imagining him overcoming the evil his mom says he has, it lives is Issac wanting to kill himself, Hush is a form of Blue baby/Dead Isaac representing the death of his own mind, the new final bosses represents Isaac rejecting his twisted view of himself created by his Mom's fundamentalist religious views and coming to peace that he was always good and finally excepting his death not because he was wicked and deserves it but because he can find peace finally
The ending made me cry when the father said isaac and his parents but afterwards the credits creeped me out with the ominous singing
It's an unused song from Rebirth. Glad they finally used it.
@@isaaccook1890 unused? i mean its always been in the credits and OST no?
It's a callback to the original trailer you could hear it playing in the background
Isaac and parents lived in a small house on a hill.
Isaac had a good life and they were all happy.
His mother watched Tv with him while his father was at work.
But When isaacs father came home at night he knew he would get a nice story before bed.
@@laserlights9684 isaac lived in a isaac on a isaac
Isaac had a good isaac and they were all isaac
His isaac Watched isaac with isaac while his isaac was at isaac
but when isaac isaac came isaac at isaac he knew he would get a nice isaac before isaac
So the plot with this is that the father is sorting through all of Isaac's stories and talking him through his trauma. Instead of considering him weird, he encourages his son by giving him critiques on his writing and tries to help him after gaining custody.
Isaac finally gets the home he deserves. Best mod. Great boss battles too.
this is not a mod it's the new dlc for the game
@@OFladen ohhhhh woops
But still, although this is happy and all, remember, this is too unusual considering Isaac Canonically died in the chest
@@OFladen Antibirth says: HERE'S JHONNY!
@@YusALNimi not anymore I guess
That... that actually had me in tears. Legitimately crying as Isaac remembered so many painful and beautiful things, letting them all go as he ascended, crescendoing at the realization he's alive. That his father's there, that he's helping him process it all. That Isaac can live, and be happy.
Holy shit.
Sorry to tell you, Isaac is dead. His father is also dead, he killed himself due to his gambling addiction, hinted in Legend of Bumbo. This is Isaac in heaven getting to rewrite a happy life for himself.
@@graydaemon122 "guys he died if you played the other game and paid attention and checked edmud's twitter you will know it guys!!" 🤓
@@graydaemon122
Because the author confirmed it?
@@Omid.. my guy why do you think blue baby exists
@@Omid..
Why are you doing that just because people actually looked into the matter more than you? This seems to be a defense mechanism of yours where you try to attack people for being right when you haven’t a clue. Do you do that often in life?
Man, the finale of Repentance sure is awesome. I like how as soon as you collect Dad’s Note, memories from Isaac’s past are heard as you ascend to Home. And when you get to Home, you sleep in Mom’s bed, and then this is where the awesomeness happens. Isaac thinking about him watching TV with his mother, and suddenly a melting Isaac’s face appears on TV, and then when you get out of bed, approaching the TV is up next, and then this... thing... known as Dogma comes out of the TV like Samara from The Ring. And I like the Dogma battle sequence. And after defeating Dogma, I love the pre-Beast cutscene. And then there’s the Ultra Harbingers, and then you fight the Beast after those 4. I love the post-Beast ending. Well, the finale sure was a success.
I just realised that Dogma is Am God backwards
@@2FortMerchantMan yeah, also dogma is a type of education/doctrine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma?wprov=sfla1 here's a link to the full description of what a dogma is
@@2FortMerchantMan No moron, you realized nothing, "Dogma" has another meaning
14:43 If you look closely at the background you can see death face palming and shaking his head before coming into battle himself almost like he's saying "pathetic"
the attention to detail is astounding
lol. it's like he's saying "god dammit guys, okay let me do this myself."
They all have a small animation before they join the fight. Wrath looks like a battle cry before coming on screen.
Death be like: "my disapointment is immesurable"
@@bluesoda6379 damn, his day must be ruined
they all also cheer when Isaac takes damage
It was a honor to play this game with you gentlemen.
Isaac had the end he deserves, and he's happy with his father.
IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE.
“Later that night”
Dad wanna continue our little storyline from last night or start a new one?
Well issac, you did have a bunch of sweets today, so I guess if I don’t want to have you bouncing off the walls, we’ll continue
Could we maybe start this time with maybe... i don’t know... Isaac has a sword of destiny!
And he fights that green ogre Shrek!
DAD! You’re so silly like that!
Thank you.
gentlemen?
I like how this ending can be interpreted in different ways. Did Isaac die and go to heaven, where his family is whole again? Or was it all just a silly story from Isaacs dark but beautiful imagination? Maybe something in between?
I like to imagine dogma doing normal things.
"Hello sir, welcome to Mcdonald's, what can i get you"
"LET GODS LIGHT PURGE THE SIN FROM YOUR BEING"
"Will that be here or to go?"
In the background, before you fight The Beast, the Ultra Horsemen silhouettes have neat little animations.
Ultra Famine giggles like a psycho before he comes out to fight.
Ultra Pestilence looks angry when you kill Famine.
Ultra War laughs at Pestilence's defeat.
And Ultra Death facepalms and shakes his head when War is defeated. It's a really nice touch that I never noticed during my playthroughs. 👍
Im going to just put it out there that this ending probably confirms that, while yes Issac's parents did split apart his dad came back for him after hearing that his mother threatend him with a Knife (and we know that his mother wasnt hit on the head by a book cause in the repentace trailer the book actualy misses her when it falls) also this says that his father was the only one who apreciated Issac's story telling while his mom did not.
So some of the stories might be less of "Isaac telling a goodnight story" and more him explaining with his own words what his mother did to him?
Perhaps the story is not even as we are told? I mean he obviously didn't die in the chest but perhaps he passed out. His mother actually finding him barely breathing and regrets what she had done and saves him.
I mean so many of the stories have to do with him in the chest. Locked in it, crawling into it, dying in it, etc. So I have a feeling he actually did go missing.
His parents actually went out to look for him and they found him hiding in his play chest after a while.
His mother either feeling bad about her actions and realising he would be better off without her or gets taken away to jail from child endangerment when the stories about what she had done came out.
Very easily just me reading too much into it but the rest of the stories basically just being how Isaac is coping with his trauma by creating terrifying stories that his dad goes along with and supports him in unlike his mother that would lock him inside the closet.
See I got a completely different message out of the ending. Isssac really did die in the chest, those memories are real and Issac is retelling his version of the events to his "father" who I feel is actually God himself. When his "father" asks him to rewrite the story's ending, he's asking Isaac to create his ideal heaven, where him and his parents live happily together on the hill.
@@mikeyes620 This is the interpretation I had of it as well. It's still a happier ending than the alternatives, at least.
@@jamesdowler9297 I thought it meant all of the game before was just Isaac's depressed journal scrawlings, and that his Dad was teaching a lesson in how to be positive. Maybe his Mom was religious and/or abusive, and his parents may even be divorced. Since the game has been around for about a decade, I believe he is alive and well, and has learned to be strong and how to cope with life. Just my 2 cents
I think Isaac’s real parents are having a struggling marriage because of finances, religion, and so on and having a dysfunctional family is traumatic for many kids. And this trauma manifested itself into this super over-exaggerated and dark story told through the game. And Isaac is venting his problems to his dad through this twisted bedtime story.
Seeing Isaac hold Guppy makes me shed a tear every time.
his one true companion
@@Mas-cm6cy This is the line that broke me
For some reason Guppy surviving is just as equally important to me as Isaac surviving.
The true ending:
Isaac's parents are divorced, and now his father is telling him stories as a way of therapy, since he has partial custody over him.
Is this real?
@@floppynick4068 No. He made it up.
@@floppynick4068 yes. It is real. Isaac does view himself as partially responsible for how the marriage ended, and thus has resorted to seeing himself as part of the devil despite his mother’s cruel attempts.
Edmund’s prequel to the binding of Isaac: which is the legend of Bum-Bo, is a story that takes place just before this game, where it is a world fabricated by isaac’s dad and you control bum-bo. The end of this game reveals that isaac’s mother comes in and berates isaac after asking him who he is speaking to (his dad), at which she reminds him that his father had left long ago, and that he is just clinging to the past when he played with isaac.
This game, and subsequently repentance, is the final part of isaac’s story, where his father does indeed return, but now has custody over Isaac after his mother was presumably locked up (shown when Isaac views ‘mom’ without a heart to her name, showing that he has moved on and has forgiven himself for what’s happened). All of these stories, all of these characters and disgusting drawn imagery are all from isaac, narrated by his father as a sad method of therapy to overcome the trauma he has gone through. Though, no matter what, isaac’s dad still helps his kid, asking isaac if he wants to do ‘another story’, which circles back to us playing another game as a different character.
So yes. This is the true ending. Isaac is not dead in a chest, nor is there any stupid supernatural shit happening. It’s just a young, abused child coping with his trauma in the most creative manner possible while his father lovingly narrates it.
@Jamie no he didn’t. He responded to Twinfinite’s article years back about how the box is his manifestation for his trauma. There is no response to isaac actually dying, unless you made that up out of your ass.
@Jamie so... why you don't let them have it?
Straight up turned into a castle crashers bossfight
I know Isaac is a gloomy series but it feels right Isaac gets a proper happy ending
I feel like this ending may imply that this entire game was a nightmare Isaac made due to his feelings of unworthiness and guilt towards his parents fighting, maybe he was tearing himself apart because he felt responsible for his parents divorcing, so he made a story where he was literally was running away and being punished for his guilt. He most likely saw his quite religious mother as one of the main reasons this happened, despite this ending and the delirium ending showing she really does love him, even though she got angry over him seeing her as a monster because she doesn’t want to associate with her gambling ex husband anymore. This ending also clearly explains why the divorce happened: his father had a bad gambling addiction, which made his mother upset, so they constantly argued over it, due to Isaac’s mom fearing that her husband was wasting all their money and negatively influencing Isaac by playing tabletop games with him, which was once in real life believed by some Christians to be satanic. Isaac’s mom took the games away because she was worried that her son was going to grow up with the same gambling addiction as his father. Eventually, Isaac’s father left the family, even though Isaac’s mom begged him to stay. However, the ending shows that the two still loved each other, but Isaac felt that it was all his fault, since his mother probably chastised him for continuing to play the games she was worried about, which made Isaac see himself as a demon that metaphorically tore his family apart. Eventually though, after custody had finally been settled, it seems that after reading the story Isaac made, Isaac’s mother and father realized the trauma they had unknowingly caused their child, and seemed to agree to reconcile, thus being bound together again by their mutual love for Isaac.
Thus concludes the binding of Isaac.
@@apollyonnoctis1291 This makes a lot of sense.
@@apollyonnoctis1291 Isaac was the one binding people all along...
@@apollyonnoctis1291 damn, i don't think we need mat pat to solve this because this Chad right here did it.
@@fishingrod2253 lol matpat just rips off and steals work other people did on Reddit
I like how death face palms when war dies.
"bunch of idiots, let a professional get on this..."
@@azazel5518 Then seeing how Death is doing some of his patterns he's done in Castlevania games I'm like "this is gonna be easy"
"pfffftt, amateurs, I'll show you guys how it's done". *42 seconds later* " OH SHIT, OH FUCK, HOLY SHIT, AAAAAAAHHHH!"
Pestilence also gestures when Famine dies, and War as well when Pestilence dies. The creators spoiled us with so many little details :)
Isaac is still deeply disturbed but I hope him and his father are happy and safe without Maggie there. Or at least Maggie got the help she needed.
I'm probably late but...
Isaac died and this ending it's just his imagination.
@@BreadTurtle It's been confirmed many times by the creator of the game that Isaac is canonically dead though
So, either Isaac is living with his dad, or both died and now are in heaven, that ending melt my heart because at the very end... Isaac is in peace.
Or maybe the "dad" Is God!
@@dragonlegacy2938
But I don’t think Maggie was actually married to God, and the voice of who is arguing with Maggie is the same as the narrator’s voice. Lol.
Just noticed this sort of parallels Mega Satan:
Large demonic boss that summons the Horsemen and has no HP bar, gated behind a fight with something angelic
I like to think that the final boss was just a more intense of mega satan mixed with big horn and I loved the new designs of the horsemen
@@skullygamer3432 the boss is Mother Harlot, the dad says "smiting the Mother of harlots"
dogma is only angelic in facade. its more of a controlling vindictive entity, masking itself as holy in order to hold the sway of thousands.
@@kaimerry1587 dogma is the very thing that destroys people and families
@@kaimerry1587 It is an angelic mockery, a manifestation of the evils of blind, cultish faith and sensationalized religion.
Honestly this is probably the only time "it was all a dream" is an acceptable end to a story for me, a welcome one even. Knowing how it parallels the real life creator, it gives me an air of closure. Since I'm pretty sure Isaac as a series was at least one way to sort through all the emotions of his upbringing, a happy ending for it seems to come from a place of acceptance.
Or maybe I'm wrong and it's just a funny ha ha look it's a poop enemy.
Maybe it's the wait? or maybe we saw him as multiple dead versions of himself, literally stages of a full decomposition process and all, we just want something good to turn out for him.
I mean it was already that kind of story to begin with but yeah.
I think "it was all a dream" endings are underrated - when they're done well. Ultimately the appeal of a story is seeing the characters change over the length of the story. A character can go through an arc in a dream and turn out different to how they were when the dream began. The Wizard of Oz is a classic example of this trope, and arguably Labyrinth too.
*or you're wrong and ISAAC HAS TAKEN DOWN THE EVIL DEMONS AND REPENTED FOR HIS EVIL SINS TO KILL DEMONS AND ASCEND TO HEAVEN or some other crap like that.*
@@benlee7565 *just...why?*
I much prefer the theory floating around that this is Issac finally getting to heaven and having a happy afterlife than "it was just a dream bro."
It makes the story all along matter.
The official canon (said by the Edmund himself) is that Isaac died for real in that chest.
So I think this ending would basically be Isaac's ascent to heaven, finally leaving that Basement limbo, while dropping his traumas, regrets and fears behind. The final bosses would be the embodiment of everything that led him to his bleak fate, a final showdown against dogmatic religion, and a final battle of biblical proportions against Apocalypse itself that leads him to his final judgement.
@@xubikiltro5263 this also explains why delirium isn't the final boss, since that boss's defeat is when Isaac dies
To me hush and ??? just mean that Isaac is on its final moments
Am I the only one crying hearing Isaac say, “ ok daddy.”?
"Are you getting sleepy yet?"
"Yeah..."
"Good."
@@sninctbur3726 Rogal...
Isaac and his *parents* lived alone in a small house... one day, isaac opened his drawer and found... Himself.. beat up.. When he touched him, he could feel himself getting pat on the back. The other Isaac woke up. He saw the "real Isaac". "Save me-" said B-Isaac.
"This is all our imagination.."
"Save *us* ."
Fanfic above
I didint but all my lore a made up just died
No ones going to talk about how dope dogma’s design is?
The mad men really went on and made all those mega church religious broadcasts into a boss fight
Dogma balls
I'm not funny, I will leave now
@@Somonyo nono,you are funny imo. Or the standard for jokes is really low for me,idk-
Indeed! Also The way the boss works.
it's Attacks, the soundtrack and also the voice lines make it so good!
"He heard the late night fights they had, that kept him up at night, and the guilt for what he believed he was causing."
Growing up with parents who always fought was hard. The endings to Isaac have always been sad, but this was so realistic and relatable. Never thought Isaac would make me sob so hard.
Bruh. The dad narrated the whole Time, and also u have to admit atleast one tear dropped when we heard "Isaac and his parents lived in a small house on top of a hill"
Him dying in the chest, hallucinating and delirious is suppose to be the intended ending, but thanks to a mod about Isaac murdering his mom, the mod was so well made isaac finally got a good ending. FINALLY
To be honest too, I think another reason mcmillan changed the ending because he's matured. He has two children now and he probably let that sentiment bleed into his work
@@benthemother3fan884 Yeah, that's what i think too
@@benthemother3fan884 child death becomes less nice if you have children
@@MultiLimpet there's also a theory I read on around that he did die and the "dad" is God talking to him and is going to give him a new life hence a happy new story
@@zombbielad124 that’s kinda what I got from the ending as well, since the parents look similar but feel different. However, the mother “mourning the loss of her son,” could still totally be religious honestly. The whole “you’re dead to me,” thing could be really easily done from a person that overzealous in a religion.
This ending just made all the other ending seem like nightmares a small religious child would have.
And its the best ending, I'm happy Issac finally got a happy ending ;-;
Maybe, or maybe not, there's a lot to understand in this as daddy in this case could be god or his father, you never know
@@rebeccaconlon9743 you An tell its hid father by his voice considering his father is the narrator
@@pillowfullospiders3934 God could have narrated the story from the very beginning.
@@ivantsachev2520 also the fact who calls god "daddy"? Lord yes
Father yes
Daddy? No this is coming from someone with a religious family
@@pillowfullospiders3934 a little baby that hasnt learned the word ''father'' yet could say daddy. Or a little child that thinks he should call all fathers daddy. There could be another explanation. What Im saying is that the ending is open to interpretation.
20:38 Isaacs voice I can’t it so cute 🥺
"How difficult do you want this ending to be?"
"Yes!"
I love how Ed's wife's name, Danielle, has this cute heart over it. That's true love right there
She's also credited as a beta tester
Wait where is her name in the video? At what minute? (Besides from the credits which happens at 21:28)
@@alvin_row she's credited right here: 21:58 in special thanks
@@davidjimenez3822 thanks, but I meant where can I find the heart that Carmella is talking about
@@alvin_row right there in his name also the name has a line under it
Naming the static tv boss Dogma is pure genius.
please explain it to me because i don’t understand
@@braydenschultz9272 I’m not here to offend, I am only here to explain with logical facts and answers. In short the dictionary definition of Dogma is a doctrine, or set of rules that are told to be true. In short faith and religion is a type of dogma as there is no physical proof of it and Dogma came out of the TV, which has been set on a religious Christian channel as shown in previous drawings and audios.
@@RedChaos1208 i’m not offended and thanks for explaining
@@RedChaos1208 also i don’t want to force religion on you but you should look into sodom and gommoreh
@@braydenschultz9272 just reading a basic summary, its quite interesting. Destruction due to divine judgement, origin of the word sodomy. Ill find the time to completely read and understand it. I’m agnostic and don’t read a lot of religious texts other than of creation myths or the relationship between gods in a polytheistic pantheon but I love an interesting read.
I thought this ending was going to be horrribly murderous and involve issac dying again but this is... a suprise. I like it
He died tho
He died, ending is his dreams
after AfterBirth+’s depressing ending, I expected this one to be beyond horrifying and gruesome, the thumbnail with him laying on the floor really gave a dark vibe.
But instead what I was really was a happy ending to a tremendously good game
@@specterx2135
I didn’t play any of afterbirth (I only played rebirth, but I 100% that game on 2 files). I didn’t have an opportunity to play afterbirth/afterbirth+ because all I had was a PS Vita)… Can you describe the ending to afterbirth+ for me? Please? :)
That "ok daddy" at the end made me cry
SPOILERS
When i Issac says: "yes daady" and realized than all of these years was a fake history narrated by his dad and our boi was fine all this time hearing his dad histories i feel a mix between cry and happines.
Does that mean that Issacs dad told him that he suffocated in a chest? As a story?
Bruh
@@alexlazer5750 Nah, Isaac wrote the story, dad was just reading it out loud
@@deadisdead445 that child needs therapy
Pretty much parallels edmunds experience as a kid, if you watch the documentary with him
I'm just so fucking happy that edmund decided to use the "it was all a dream" kind of trope here, because jesus this series is so dark, and that trope sort of fits the narrative and gives a happy ending to something that everyone thought would never have (since the last "official" ending of the series resulted on Issac being fucking dead)
Binding Of Isaac theorists: * SPEND COUNTLESS HOURS TRYING TO DISCOVER THE LORE BEHIND ISAAC'S STORY *
edmund and florian: *bUt It WaS aLl JUsT a DreAm !*
It was confirmed to be all a dream since Aftherbirth+, and implied before.
Now it is literally a fucked up story.
*Bedtime story
@@nihilego3634 *purging demonic enemies bedtime story
We’ve known that this was all part of Isaac’s imagination for awhile now though.
This is just the aftermath.
I hate when they do this "was just a dream" thing
So in the end after isaac's religious mother freaked out, he moved in with his father. Telling stories of what happened?
From what we can tell, the ending is Isaac and his father in heaven. The Legend of Bum-bo implies that Isaac’s father gambled the rest of his savings away after the divorce, and killed himself shortly afterwards.
I doubt it, if it was then Isaac's dad wouldn't say he lives with his parents.
@@lich109 we can only assume this because isaac was confirmed to die in the chest
@@Sanic-ns2of "Confirmed", aka not confirmed.
@@lich109 ? It was tho
Based on the final ending, my personal preferred take is that the past 10 years of The Binding of Isaac we've been playing is actually Isaac's new adoptive father narrating Isaac's various stories, helping him to work through the abuse he suffered from his birth parents (and the blame he laid upon himself for the breakup of his parents' marriage.) It would make sense that his mother really did try to do something egregious and terrible to him, and he managed to escape, ended up in foster care as so many abused children do, and found a new, loving family. Such an ordeal of escaping from his mother might have taken just a few minutes, but in his child's mind it would be as epic an escape as you experience in the game. I think this take is in keeping with the Afterbirth ending (him wandering into limbo is him entering a parentless, chillingly insecure phase in his life, with his bones-in-the-chest representing the decomposed childhood he left behind in that house of horrors).
Some people here are suggesting that the father returned and got partial custody, but we know from the father's addiction issues and blame shifting that he was as much a cause of the marital breakup as the mother. They were both deeply flawed and irredeemable parents. And I think its highly improbable that Isaac's abuse wasn't real either, because I doubt Isaac would be coming up with all of these disturbed stories had none of them been rooted in reality.
Isaac is dead this ending is him either right before he dies or after he dies in the chest accepting the fact that it’s not his fault for his parents divorce and that he isn’t the anti christ and he ascends to heaven
- Mausoleum II
"I spent it, it's gone. Just get over it!"
"What do you mean.. What do you mean it's gone? How can you have spent our savings?"
- Mines II
"He's self-destructive and disturbed just like his father! Look at who he has to look up to! You're drunk again, aren't you?"
"Shut up, Maggy! Shut up! You just keep pushing me like this, I'm leaving!"
"Good! Leave! We'll be fine without you! You abandoned us like you abandoned yourself!"
- Downpour II
"You need to repent... You need to confess your sins and become saved! Let his light inside you! Cleanse your soul!"
"You are insane. You are taking this too far. Do you hear how you sound?"
"Pray for you... Pray for your salvation... Come, pray with us, Isaac..."
- Basement I
"Where are you going? Wait! We need you! Our son needs you!"
"I'm doing more harm than good... I just can't do this anymore... I'm sorry..."
"Please! Don't leave us!"
"I'm sorry, Isaac..."
Gotta thank Sinvicta for turning up the audio for the Basement I lines.
remember, canonically NONE OF THIS EVEN HAPPENED,
A FUCKING CHILD MAKE ALL THIS UP AND MADE HIS OWN FATHER *READ IT TO HIM*
@@MazaAzi Hey, dialogue is dialogue.
@@MazaAzi the dialogue is what isaac has heard so that *did* happen. everything else within the game (except for the abuse) didn’t happen
@@MazaAzi sothe game is Isaac telling a f*cked up story to his dad. And then asking his dad to read it back to him. The realises how messed up the story is and decides to give it a happy ending.
So, let me just get this straight... Isaac made the choices in the story of “ The Binding of Isaac, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth +” and Edmund Mcmillen was the farther of Isaac himself..........THIS IS MUDDLING MY HEAD UP!!!
Maybe he changed his mind over the development of issac after he became a father himself? I mean, isaac was made when he was... well, in his teen years, and now him being an adult and a father, his view on life and family changed. So i assume "repentance" can be viewed with both sides, the devs repentance to the world he created, and isaacs repentance for his... well, self inflicted crimes due to his guilt over his family
The announcer is definitely not Edmund.
@@pifilixxiv3192 Wait.. That really makes sense now!
REBIRTH!
Well the story in itself at least to me is like follows
Issac and his parents lived alone at the house on top of the hill.
His dad for one reason or another had wasted all of their savings on something most likely gambling.
This lead to a lot of fighting in between Dad and Mom, Isaac believing he was the reason why they had been fighting.
His mother becam uber religious maybe because of the church helping out in some way or maybe because she had just found solice in it.
After one big fight Issac's dad leaves, leaving Isaac alone with his mom, who immediately instilled the fear of god in Isaac and tried to purge the house of Dad, this included a lot of Isaac's drawings which he and his dad used to play(the main one being Bombo).
After a while Mom found the drawing Isaac had of her( Mother), which made her cry and get angry with Isaac. This probably was the catalyst which made Isaac believe he was a demon(along with him believing he was the reason his Dad left), or in general a bad person.
His mom became unstable, mainly through the dogmas being broadcasted by Christian Tv channels and had threatened Isaac with a knife. Believing herself that her son was beyond saving and had fallen from grace
This some how got to Dad who saved Isaac and tried to help contextualize everything for him as a story. Using the chest in which Issac kept all of his drawings as a focal point.
@@omegazero5884 oh dip
Legit makes me cry because I've been playing this game for years and seeing how bleak and sad Isaac's life has been, so to finally see a happy ending for once for the kid is too much to handle
issac could be a good story/lore writer, assuming he literally wrote the entire story
you could say he should create indie games.
@@MisterLN but seeing what he's been through,prolly messed up ones.
@@hazzesanimations8212 Ah, he made half life lore i see.
@@pachurro2762 lol
@@hazzesanimations8212 maybe he could make one about a little cube of meat
The sirens dad when you ask her out on a date
Friday night funkin
@@Localfatass yes
Friday Night Funkin: Fresh (Azazel Mix)
I like to think that the Issac in this ending was reincarnated into a happy family instead, though he keeps writing stories from a past life he somewhat remembers
So reborn isekai is a thing?
I think is more like isaac in heaven living his happy afterlife after he suffocated in the chest
@@enzoponce5832 This is the interpretation I like, as well. After ascending and leaving behind his fears and follies, he sees himself "rebirth" and then 'nothing'. Why? Because, this time, he gets to live his happy ending with his family in heaven. To me, this is the perfect closure for 10 years of the Binding of Isaac. He's finally free.
@@Jay-bl8ne I mean I'm not religious anymore but I remember in the Bible hearing "Let the children come to me and do not prevent them". Doesn't make sense if a child kills themselves, for whatever the reason, they would be sent to hell. If so that would be fucked.
@@Jay-bl8ne right??? Interesting read tho lol.
ok ngl, I'm so happy Isaac got a happy ending
poor kid's been through a lot, he deserves it
ok here's my theory on what the ending means:
Throughout most of the binding of isaac, isaac is in purgatory. The purgatory is a manifestation of the several traumas he's experienced such as the abuse from his mother (mom and mother), suffocating in the chest (hush), to manifestations of his religious guilt. He spends his time in hell thinking that his father left without ever saying goodbye. This is his unfinished business he needed to take care of before he could go to heaven. Isaac finds his dad's note, most likely a letter saying goodbye to isaac. Realizing that his father still loved him even when he left, Isaac's unfinished business is taken care of and he ascends to heaven. As he ascends he leaves all his guilt about his parents and his religion behind, represented by isaac defeating Dogma and the Beast. In the end, Isaac reunites with his father, and they spend their time making up and telling stories to each other about Isaac's life. Isaac is finally at peace. The End.
That's just my theory though, even if I'm wrong it's still a perfect ending to one of the best indie games out there imo.
imagine that, this entire time we were just reciting a bedtime story
Someone send this to matpat
Dad: did you just die to a fly?
@@badposting4004 Issac: It's fast dad!
@@badposting4004 Dad: Isaac...why are you fighting a fetus? How do you even know what a fetus is??
And Undertale, was just a way for Chara, to re-experience the Underground, via Frisk.
I love how death facepalms in the background when war dies
_"Imbeciles... must I do everything myself?"_
War. War never changes.
Well, war brings Death, but War couldn't even manage to kill Isaac. Also, Pestilence makes a gesture when Famine dies, and War makes a gesture when Pestilence dies.
Everytime I feel down I come here to minute 19:46 and I start crying. I didn't imagine such a game could be my relief valve, but here I am, weeping at Isaac remembering the good in his life.
"Isaac and his PARENTS lived alone on a small house on a hill"
What a amazing way to end the story.
Man
All these years and hearing "Isaac and his parents lived together in a small house" had me feelin' somethin'
What surprises me is all the subtle meanings in this final part.
First, you have the note. Obviously, this is Isaac's father's last words to him before he left. However, after Isaac reads this... He goes back up. To the house. During that time, you hear two people- Isaac's mom and dad- arguing about things such as his dad spending all the savings, getting drunk, and finally running off after mother dearest gets a bad case of the religion. Now, if that's the case... Why is it that in the ending, Isaac is actually with his father, if he's such a deadbeat? Well, I'll get into that later...
Next, we move on to something with a much different meaning: Dogma. During the beginning cutscene, it is mentioned that Isaac's mother watched a lot of christian broadcasts on the television. With that, we have... Part of the image. The other half comes when Dogma is defeated. What exactly happens in the latter cutscene? Dogma, lying in a puddle of static, forms into a large cross- an obvious christian symbol-, and then FORCES ITSELF ONTO ISAAC. Putting two and two together, this is a clear representation of religion being forced on a young mind, which can have very violent, if not traumatizing repercussions. It should also be mentioned that during the fight, you hear very evangelists shouting the gospel, showing just what Isaac thinks about religion and religious people; all they want to do is shove their ideas down your throat.
After that, we move to the ending scene after the fight with 'The Beast' (yes. That one. The one with the Mark named after it). It shows The Beast being struck by lightning as an opening was made above Isaac and The Beast. This may mean that Isaac would have ran from his mother (represented by 'The Beast'), and that in doing so, he gave everything to god, losing himself in doing so...
...
Then, a turn of events. His father pauses, asking if that's the kind of story he wants? Then... He offers a happier tale. And we can tell from the start, that it will be a good story... As the opening line states, "Isaac and *his parents* lived alone on a small house on a hill"... Not Isaac and his mother... But Isaac and his PARENTS. They're both here now. And they're happy. This goes back to my first point: Why is it that Isaac is with his dad in the final cutscene if he was such a deadbeat? That's just it: he wasn't.
See, during this segment, it's more than obvious that there was no real incident that lead to his father leaving. From the sounds of it, this is literally all just a story that Isaac cooked up, showed his dad, and his dad- being the concerned parent he is- offered him a better option... A happier story. A happy ending. With both he and his parents living happily in their little house on a hill...
Have a good one, Isaac. You deserve the rest... You don't need to torture yourself anymore.
I feel like he was a bit of a deadbeat in the beginning, as his mother became a bit zealous as well, but they either quickly lost these traits for their son, or they divorced and now take care of him separately with duel custody.
Sure, the first option isn't as bad for adults, but it'll fuck up a little kid fairly easily, as they have a far sharper mind and have far less experiance in the world, so it'd make sense that it traumatized little Isaac. Most of the story is make believe, sure, but that doesn't make it any less real to the little guy. This is probably a way for Isaac and his father to try and deal with his fears, telling these stories, and the dad's new story is an escape from all of these nightmarish ideas flooding little Isaac's mind.
In all, some of, if not most of the story isn't real, but the idea of it alone probably scared Isaac to dead. He needed a way to vent these fears, so he's probably sharing them with his dad, who wants to help.
I wish Isaac, and Edmund, a happy ending to their respective stories.
" he saw his one true companion alive and well " that shit made me cry
18:50 the storyline began
"Isaac are you sure you want the story to end like this"
Said isaacs father as many realized and jaws has dropped
The unknown of isaacs story
God I'm so glad isaac got a happy ending
World Peace
True
Our boy can sleep in peace now
And he only needed to kill satán 3 times
Im not, this ending is shit
11:55 Absolute Terror Field
Ah, a NGE reference. I too love how LCF tastes and smells.
I just realized that Dogma has voice lines when he fires his brimstone, he's even more terrifying now
The fact that this is The Binding Of Isaac just goes to show how much it’s changed
bro this is just... phenomenal... honestly, props to the whole team this is incredible