The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is the re-imagining of the 2011 roguelike game fittingly named The Binding of Isaac. Both games were designed by Edmund McMillen, the creative mind behind Super Meat Boy. In Rebirth you play as a child who has fled from his psychotic mother by hiding in the old family basement, which turns out to be a nightmare of its own.

Immediately you should feel a little disturbed by this game. The mother has gone insane from repeated visits by “God,” who continuously goads her to cleanse her son, eventually telling her to kill him. This turns into a trend; perturbation and religious undertones permeating the game. Along with the freak-show enemies and constant stream of bodily fluids, this game repeatedly proves that it’s not for the easily offended. However, for those who can handle or enjoy crudity, the repugnant variety of enemies and power-ups lend the game a spirit of adventure unmatched in other modern games.

Gameplay is centered on 2.5-dimensional gameplay where you control the character’s movement and fire projectile tears. Each room you enter, every enemy you encounter and all items you gather are randomly generated, giving each session a different flavor and giving the game hundreds of hours of replay value. Defeating certain bosses or clearing challenges can unlock new items, adding them to the pool of possible rewards in future sessions. Items gathered each floor empower your character so that over the course of a session you can watch your small child grow into anything from a powerful knife-wielding cat to a blood-spewing demon.

The game is notoriously difficult, but finally getting the items to grow strong enough to win is more rewarding because of that fact. If you enjoy simple games that are easy to learn but hard to master, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is an amazing choice. It’s just $15 on Steam and PSN, and is bound to go on sale soon. Definitely pick it up if you are looking for a cheap game that you can put hundreds of hours into without exhausting its charm.