The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls
Written by Kelly Gray on 7/5/2025 for
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The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls
Hey hey hey, let's talk tabletop games, shall we?
I was fortunate to be able to play The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls over the past few weeks. This deck-building game is a spinoff of the cult classic video game, The Binding of Isaac.
My good friend at work is also named Isaac. As I told him of my latest adventure, he exclaimed, "I love that game!" Of course you do, Isaac. That seems just like something an Isaac would say...but it's true. I tested him, he passed, he really is a fan. This story is important because, as someone who hasn't touched the video game, and prior to opening the box, I was surprised when he said, "Yeah, it's a pretty wild game." Noted.
Then, in another conversation, my friend Simon said he had also played the tabletop game and referred to it as "absolute chaos."
And I could end there, because that aptly describes The Binding of Isaac Four Souls, but you're not here for Isaac or Simon, are you? You're here for me!
Similar to most deck-building games, there's a teeny tiny instruction book that simply explains turn-taking and how to start. The cards really lead the way in describing the loot, the monsters, and the treasure cards. Obviously, we can tell, based on our historic knowledge of deck builders, that we're looking to battle against the monsters and preferably win, right? That's right.
The object of the game is to be the first to obtain four souls—you can do this by fighting monsters. Of course, the loot and treasure help strengthen your abilities, thus improving your chances. This is where the standard idea of strategy lies—because the game is ripe with options, and even gambles, to end up building the strongest deck possible to start swiping up those souls.
So where does the chaos live? First, the game in and of itself is designed to be a bit chaotic. You'll realize this as you start playing, because the first player to start is the "saddest" one in the group. The instructions are a bit loose, which may also be by design since the general vibe from the game seems to be "figure it out as you go." This truly is the one negative I have about the game, because I tend to be very Type A, so I like really well spelled out rules, but to each their own!
The characters are adorably macabre and it's easy to see why you can buy adorable plushies of them. Mind you, they are also the same beloved characters from the video game. But the actual chaos thrives within one simple rule: negotiating, scheming, trading, bribing? That's all allowed and encouraged! Now we're involving Monopoly rules?! Let's go.
My favorite part of this game is definitely the playful artwork and the synergy it has with the card effects. I sat there for a while, just shuffling through and reviewing the monster cards, reading their abilities, and looking at their cute lil' faces—or non-faces. Favorites include Mom's Dead Hand, Mom's Eye, Holy Dinga, and the Curse of Empathy. Monster cards can either have positive effects on your game, or they can be curses that negatively affect your game. This puts a bit more of a gamble into the game and can also create roadblocks if you're faced with two curses.
You battle these monsters with classic dice rolls. The monsters show what you need to roll to be successful with your attack, and if you're successful, you roll for damage, hopefully killing the monster and potentially gaining a soul. If you fail, you lose hit points.
You're able to grow your hand and become more powerful with the treasure cards. Treasure cards are the true deck-building cards that allow you to develop your strategy and build your forces against the monsters. You can gain loot to purchase treasure cards. The treasure cards are also fun, creative, and chaotic, which keeps everybody on their toes. Don't overlook the treasure cards—the more you play, the stronger you get at knowing how to use the card to its fullest ability.
In my mind, The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls is like throwing Monopoly, The Evil Dead Trilogy, Care Bears, and the Annabelle doll into a bag and mixing them all up. I'm excited to continue getting my feet under this one, as it's truly a game that can't ever be played the same way twice. I'm interested to start growing my card knowledge so my strategy can really start gelling, and I can throw in some of the negotiation and bribing curve balls and see how they pan out.
The Binding of Isaac Four Souls is for two to four players, and there are three booster packs with even more twists and turns. Learn more by visiting the Four Souls website, and learn more about the other games Maestro Media Games offers by visiting their website.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
About Author
Growing up, I had an older brother and the rules of the house were that you played until your character died, then you hand off your controller. My brother was MUCH better at video games than I was, so I'd die within the first 4 seconds, and he lived on to ACTUALLY find the princess in the correct castle. All of that to say, I finally made it to the other side of gaming. Take THAT, Matt (he's still far better than I am at literally any game ever created).
Tabletop will forever have my heart, though. A D&D player for the past 6 years, I love rolling dice in any TTRPG I can get my hands on. I also love trying out new strategy games and attending conventions to see them in play.
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