Tainted Isaac

Lore & Background

Tainted Isaac is one of the 17 tainted characters included in the *Requiem* expansion for *Four Souls*. The expansion incorporates items and enemies from *Repentance*, the latest expansion to the video game *The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth*. The *Requiem* expansion is almost as large as the base game and includes content from the original video game. Several cartoonists, including Sam Kieth, Tom Bunk, Alex Pardee, Peach Momoko, and Agnes Garbowska, contributed art to the expansion. Among the new cards added are Kickstarter-exclusive 'Warp Zone' cards, officially licensed crossovers featuring characters and items from other video games and franchises, including *Friday Night Funkin'*, *Cave Story*, *VVVVVV*, *Enter the Gungeon*, *Among Us*, *Hollow Knight*, *Cyanide & Happiness*, *The End Is Nigh*, *Spelunky*, *Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee*, *QWOP*, *Baba Is You*, *Dicey Dungeons*, *Slay the Spire*, *Hotline Miami*, *Castle Crashers*, *Celeste*, *TowerFall*, *Nuclear Throne*, *Don't Starve*, *The Legend of Bum-bo*, *Gish*, *Time Fcuk*, and Edmund himself.

In Their Own Story

In the cold, damp basement, Tainted Isaac stood alone, surrounded by the echoes of his own cries. The walls seemed to breathe, pulsing with the rhythm of his broken heart. He reached out a trembling hand, but every item he touched felt like a piece of a puzzle that would never fit. 'Why can't I hold on to anything?' he whispered, as the shadows danced around him, mocking his futile attempts to find stability. Each new object replaced the last—a cruel game of musical chairs in a world that refused to let him rest, where even the most powerful treasures were just temporary passengers on a sinking ship.

Reader's Guide

Tainted Isaac is a high-skill character that rewards adaptability and quick thinking—or punishes rigid planning with a swift kick to the teeth. His core mechanic—the rotating item slots—means you cannot rely on a fixed build; instead, you must constantly evaluate which items to keep and which to sacrifice, like a desperate game of Tetris where every block is a loaded gun. This makes him both challenging and exhilarating, as every run is unpredictable, forcing you to pivot on a dime when your favorite damage item gets kicked out for a poop-themed trinket. His role in the story is as a mirror to Isaac's original journey, showing a path where even the most powerful items can be fleeting—a sobering lesson in impermanence. Key defining moments include his introduction in *Repentance*, where fans immediately recognized the depth of his design (and the sudden spike in their heart rate), and his ability to break the game's typical progression by forcing players to think outside the box—or, more accurately, to set the box on fire and dance on the ashes. Tainted Isaac's arc is one of acceptance: he learns to let go of attachments, embracing the chaos of his existence, even as the basement laughs at his every attempt to cling to order.

Did You Know?

• Tainted Isaac is one of 17 tainted characters included in the *Requiem* expansion for *Four Souls*.
• The *Requiem* expansion launched on Kickstarter on June 1, 2021, with a $100,000 goal and was fully funded within 3 minutes.
• The *Requiem* expansion raised $6,720,471 and became the 17th most successful Kickstarter of all time.
• Art for the *Requiem* expansion was contributed by cartoonists including Sam Kieth, Tom Bunk, Alex Pardee, Peach Momoko, and Agnes Garbowska.
• The *Requiem* expansion includes Kickstarter-exclusive 'Warp Zone' cards with crossovers from franchises like *Friday Night Funkin'*, *Hollow Knight*, *Among Us*, and *Celeste*.