Over the last couple months, I have become a rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth crazy fan of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. There is just something incredible about this twisted little rogue-like gem. It constantly challenges you, while rewarding you for diligence and pattern memorization. It’s a great example of old school gaming done right, and it keeps me coming back hour after hour. So, having said that, it should come as no great surprise that I’m a bit excited for the upcoming Afterbirth DLC, slated to hit sometime this year. While I don’t know exactly when to expect it, I am anticipating it. So much so that I decided to do a quick and dirty Top 10 list of my favorite The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth bosses. I’ll list them from least to most favorite, based off a number of categories, such as how disturbing, how vicious and how creative they are. So, let’s open up the basement door and jump on in!
Boss #10 – The Duke of Flies
I remember the first time I fought the Duke of Flies, I was utterly shocked. There’s something especially disturbing about a boss who attacks you by spitting a torrent of flies from his gaping mouth, whilst still looking chipper and happy. For many bosses in the game, it’s unclear whether they are living or undead, and the stitches and gouged out eyes of the Duke don’t help matters. That said, once you get a handle on the Duke’s pattern, he’s one of the easiest bosses in the game to defeat. Which is why he’s sitting pretty at the bottom of the list. Let’s go with something more disturbing and difficult for our next category.
Boss #9 – Carrion Queen
Whereas I am still uncertain about the minty freshness of the Duke of Flies, it is very apparent that the Carrion Queen is undead. This royal wretch is a skeletal form of the many worm bosses you fight in the game, such as Chubbs, C.H.A.D. and Larry Jr. What makes her more difficult is that you can only damage her on one spot – the pink pustule on her tail. What makes this a handful is that, if the Queen sees you, she charges mouth first to gobble you up. Combined with her tendency to deposit harmful Brimstone poop as she charges, often boxing you in with them, makes her a much more nasty boss than the Duke.
Boss #8 – The Harbingers
This next one is more of a cheat, but bear with me. Though each of the Harbingers (though I call them the Horsemen, for obvious reasons) is technically a different boss, they all act in very similar fashions. They all hover around on their “steeds,” summon enemies or items to harm you and charge you when they can. Thus, I feel comfortable lumping them together as one spot on the list. They are all a challenge to face, even more so when you occasionally fight more than one of them at once much later in the game.
Boss #7 – Mask of Infamy
What is it about theatrical masks that is so disturbing? Maybe it’s the fact that they cover up our true face, showing a hideous exaggeration to the world. Or it could be the bone white color. In the case of Mask of Infamy, the game takes it to a whole other level. I mean, he cries tears of blood as he chases you around the room. Meanwhile, you have to home in on his beating heart to destroy him. I remember the first time I faced him, having destroyed the heart, how shocked I was that the Mask was still alive. I couldn’t figure out how to harm him, now that his weakspot was destroyed. Luckily, in my random shots, I managed to hit the back of the mask, and realized he WAS killable. But none of that changes what a gruesome boss Mask of Infamy is.
