The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ was initially expected as a Nintendo Switch launch game, but its release slid back to later in the month. The good news is that, in North America at least, the title is now set to arrive on the eShop and at retail on 17th March - it'll be $39.99 on the eShop.
The publisher shared the good news with some pictures of the retail copies getting boxed up.
As you can see the early print run comes with a neat manual, with an image of the extras below. The game itself includes all of the key expansions in one place, and selected mods from the PC scene will be added by the developers in 'booster packs'.
Are any of you planning to pick this up at retail or as a download?
With thanks to Ryan Millar for the heads up.
Comments 50
I have it for PS4...I will be purchasing this again for sure for the Switch. I can't wait to play it anywhere on that nice screen
I think I may pre-order it. I've never played the original and am undecided. For some reason the sticker sheets and instruction booklet seems to help as I like collecting the cases
Man, 40 bucks? Is that the digital price as well?
Another overpriced Switch game
It's tempted but I will wait until a price drop
I'll pass.
@joey302 not really, it's 36$ on Steam and that's digital only. Plus, the Switch is the only console with a physical edition of the game. Would buy if it comes out in Europe
Its crazy why this not on the wii u eshop.
@gortsi it was 15 bucks on PS4 maybe 20 with the dlc
@joey302
$26 digitally. Of course it cost more when it first came to that platform.
@gortsi
Ya no doubt. I'll pay extra for physical any day of the week.
I imported I Am Setsuna physical edition from Japan for $43 shipped. Heck, that's how much I paid for a DIGITAL copy on PS4.
Ultra Street Fighter II is $40 for physical copy on BestBuy, which becomes $31.99 with GCU. Which makes it kind of like a $20 digital game that's $10 more for the physical. I'm all over that.
And this game here, it's fine. It's like $26 total digitally elsewhere, but for just $31.99 GCU, and that's PHYSICAL. Again, I'm all over it.
The Rime and Puyo Puyo, ya that's $10 more than elsewhere. But I have paid the Atlus tax before. If it's the cost of getting retail games on Switch where I can play them anywhere and seamlessly switch between... then I'm willing to pay it. Way better deal than the cross promotion Wii U/3DS offers like MH3U "Buy Wii U version full price and get SD handheld version for $20 extra". Here it's "get HD console quality handheld version for $10 extra". And it's not even a promotion.
@joey302 A lot of these devs are hoping to cash-in with cheap, quick ports with slapped on overinflated retail prices.
There's still no word on a physical European release even though they asked us some time ago if we wanted it.
https://twitter.com/nicalis/status/821836378400952320
@joey302 it's also 15 dollars on the Wii U for the digital version. Like I said, this is physical and at least they bothered including a manual and some other goodies. @JaxonH I'm with you up until Rime. I can't excuse that, considering its also physical for the other versions and their digital is as expensive as the physical, which at least is not the case with Tetris
@JaxonH I like the fact that it's getting a physical release don't get me wrong, but I'll wait till it's $20 just like bomberman. Besides I have it on Wii U ($15) and PS4 (7.99 on sale) already so that is part of it. But even if I didn't already own the game, I just don't feel it's worth $40. I don't think puyo puyo should be more than $20 either. It's a puzzle game that while fun, is a simple Tetris clone. This is a game you'd break out here and there for a quickie or a 2 player session but not much else. Street fighter II for $40 capcom outta their minds. I spent $65 on that game 25 years ago. $20 tops! And I love the classics too.
@joey302
Nothing wrong with waiting. Prices always come down.
But like the Street Fighter, for example, $40 for digital is pushing it. Yet I will be picking up a physical retail copy for $31.99 which I have absolutely no issues with
@gortsi
I wouldn't say I'm excusing it. There's absolutely no excuse.
But I'm not willing to boycott it or penalize myself by forfeiting the only version that can be played on a handheld in console quality (and not just graphics, but the tabletop mode with Joycons in each hand is basically just like playing at home!) and seamlessly switch back and forth.
since I will never take Zelda out, I'm getting most games digitally. that's the while point of the console anyways
"Afterbirth Plus" was never released on PS4, only "Afterbirth". You guys are comparing this to the previous version and are surprised its more expensive, which is logical since there's more.
The full game (Rebirth + Afterbirth + "Afterbirth Plus") is 36€ on steam and its price never dropped (it was less on the first days as usual with Isaac).
Anyone here who's never tried the game will probably feel this is a racket. Yet this game is 500+ hours of content, with complex gameplay mechanics and unlimited replayability. Plus it supports mods and is the definite edition. If you wanna misjudge it because of its aesthetics, good for you. But don't act like you know what you're talking about when you never picked it up.
@Tibob I was in the middle of writing something similar, but it'd be pointless to just repeat everything you said, so...
Ditto.
To be fair about the price drop part though, Afterbirth + came out less than 3 months ago.
@JaxonH not happy with the Rime announcement either. I for one could never understand why a physical and digital release have the same price when digitally, the publisher saves on the manufacturer and distribution costs. Makes no sense to me. Meanwhile, being a physical retail guy, I'll grab all of these for my collection eventually. Nintendo has surprised me by getting Isaac and Other indies getting a physical release. But I'm sure the reason is they're trying to avoid 3-month gaps on the Wii U with nothing hitting the shelves. So they strike a few deals with some indie publishers to make a retail copy. Not a terrible idea at all.
@joey302
No not at all. I love physical releases, WAY WAY more than digital. I sulk every time a game doesn't get a retail release (FAST RMX, I'm looking at you). So happy to see that. It makes paying a premium seem less of an issue, AND, it allows me to buy for 20% off which, basically makes all these $40 games become $31.99, and as a boxed copy.
Has Been Heroes also getting physical but GameStop exclusive. Just hope we get Stardew Valley physical and Yooka Laylee.
Damn, hope the physical UK release comes for the Switch version.
@JaxonH geez there's a ton of indie games over the years that I wish had physical release to display on my shelves lol. Not sure about Stardew Valley, but I thought I read Yooka Laylee was getting a physical release? Anyway, This is a nice trend that I hope Nintendo builds on for the Switch going forward! It also gives the indie publishers some real exposure. Unlike me, many parents didn't have a clue how many games were on Wii U because they were only downloads. Can't see em in the aisle at Target or Best Buy or toys r us. Anyway Fingers crossed Nintendo keeps this trend going 👍
@JaxonH does the Japanese version of I Am Setsuna have an English text option? I'd be open to importing that.
As a note - had Binding of Isaac on preorder for a while now. Cant wait for it to arrive!
@Honelith
Looks like it isn't : Edmund, Tyrone and Nicalis never reply to anyone asking about it on Twitter.
I might give this a go, plus the US version has extra goodies with the physical version.
@JaxonH I like physical too but am opting for digital when it comes to multiplayer and quick games like fast rmx, Mario kart, splatoon. For one I can play a quick match of any of those any time and secondly its so much faster and more convenient when using the Switch to play some local multiplayer on a whim.
Wait a second! We switch owners are getting select mods!? Are they free?
@brutalpanda
Sounds great. I would too, but I buy a TON of games and need every gig of this 256gb microSD designated for digital-only releases and VC. Otherwise I may not be able to fit everything :/
@OzHuski
Yep. All versions are identical with the same language options. Amazon Japan, comes out to $43 and change shipped to US. And it arrived in like 4 days!
I'm glad I preordered with the Prime discount! This set looks cool. I heart paper instruction manuals. Let's put those clips inside the Switch game boxes to use!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE certainly feels like that. I wonder what the devs profit margin is like , per platform. I'm too lazy to google
@joey302 The DLC is not $5. $15 for Rebirth, $11 for Afterbirth, $10 for Afterbirth+. $36. That is the Steam version, of course. The PS4 version isn't comparable because it doesn't have AB+ yet, but the DLC would cost the same on there anyway. The cost is justified.
@FlowOfDough thx yes I understand but at retail one day say 6-9 months from now the game will be $19.99. Then I will pounce! Lol 😝 not in a hurry for $40. Or prior to a permanent price drop there will be a sale I'm certain:
Good thing I ordered a copy when I had the chance. It's out of stock on Amazon US.
The goodies were the tipping point, since I have the game on my N3DS. But I'm certainly not against buying a physical copy with swag of a game I enjoyed bunches on 3DS.
Love the instruction book. Too bad I have no interest in the game. Seriously, I've owned the game on PC for years and have played it maybe 4 times. Just not my sort of game.
@JaxonH Thank you for that!! I'll be adding that to my import list then.
Waiting till it will come out for my washing machine too
Sorry Nindies, you won't be rinsing me. These prices are just pushing Mario Kart 8 D closer to the top of my list of Second game to buy.
$40 is too rich for my blood. Gotta save that cash for MK8 Ultimate in 7 weeks or there about. I will be getting the bargain priced Master Blaster Zero tomorrow for $10 though.
Personally, I never want to take my Zelda cart out! But I'll have to one day, so physical would be nice.
In the meantime, I think I'll go digital, but I'll definitely pick up that sweet boxed version at some point!
I might have e been interested in the Retail version with all the extras but I am in Europe so no sale
@gcunit Its basically the same as steam.
Base game: 15€
Afterbirth: 11€
Afterbirth+: 11€
Sum: +/- 37€
So yeah, i don't get why people get all riled up by the pricing.
Plus, every other console is missing Afterbirth+, which is where the lower pice of approx. 10 bucks is coming from.
@Einherjar Comparing it to Steam doesn't mean anything to me. Who actually buys games at full price on Steam?
And I don't know where you get your Steam prices from, but in the UK I can buy the Rebirth bundle for £25.97 on Steam, at full price. But the individual portions have been as cheap as £15 in total, just on Steam.
I'll keep my own council on how much a game like BoI is worth to me, thanks.
I'm really lovin' the NES-styled instruction manual booklet!
Stickers! BRILLIANT!
This is the kind of thing that should be defacto standard with physical copies now. Cheap to produce, but otherwise a hassle to distribute. Give people a reason to buy physical.
Things like nicely printed paper crafting sheets might be another great fan culture pack-in.
@gcunit A simple click on my profile here would have reveled that im from germany. So you can take an educated guess where i might get my prices from. Though admittedly, Afterbirth+ is 10, not 11€. My Bad.
So it makes me wonder what people expected from its pricing ?
To be significantly cheaper than the only other version of it out there ?
How is the multiplayer on this game? Never played this before
@SanderEvers
Thanks for that. It doesn't mention all the extras though. Videogamesplus.ca have it down as a 'launch edition' but have sold out. Is there two versions?
I pre-ordered/imported this through Play Asia. That means I probably have to wait till April for it to arrive here (Germany). I know I could get the digital copy more easily through the E-Shop, but I still think its ridiculous to limit the physical release of such a popular game to one market. Especially in the early days of a console, when lengthy core games are rare.
Maybe they have limited resources and will plan the EU release after the US version shipped, but the way they constantly ignore any mentions or questions about a physical EU release makes me doubt it will happen at all.
Will be picking a copy of this up, it's really freaking awesome that they are doing this physical version for Nintendo's new sleek piece of tech. which I'm loving right now , the Switch is amazing and it is great to see games like this come to it especially in this form and what I mean is it has all the content available for the game nothing half assed and it has a special physical version something no other platform for the game has, kudos to Nintendo Switch for pulling that off it would be great to see more support from devs. like this and the price for what you get is a fair price in my opinion.
why isn't it on the eshop yet
pre-ordered!
Tap here to load 50 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...