Edmund McMillen, the developer behind The Binding of Isaac, has revealed his next project in his personal blog. Introducing The Legend Of Bum-Bo.
The Legend Of Bum-Bo is a turn-based, randomly generated puzzle RPG. Ed is writing and designing, and will also do 2D art and character design. This time, he is working with James Id, who will do 3D art and programming, among other tasks. Ridiculon will reprise their roles to handle game audio.
Ed pointed out that he posted this announcement on the official Binding of Isaac blog himself. While he does not directly confirm there is a connection, he says he is sure that question will be answered with succeeding tweets. In fact, Ed already started his game teasing ARG, by sharing this tweet:
Bumbo finally got coin… now Bumbo want ADVENTURE! @edmundmcmillen @jamesid pic.twitter.com/ZTygMXCt1y
— Tikara (R.C) (@TikaratheMew) March 22, 2016
This tweet alone already serves as a huge reveal. Longtime The Binding of Isaac fans will instantly recognize Bum-Bo, aka the Bum Friend. The Bum Friend is a Familiar in The Binding of Isaac, a companion that occasionally rewards Isaac. Bumb Friend will seek out and pick up coins when Isaac is not in battle. After picking up a certain number, he approaches Isaac to exchange the items he collected for a pickup.
The Bum Friend is capable of flight, and can reach places to get coins that Isaac can’t. However, he occasionally drops Troll Bombs and other harmful items for Isaac, and his presence can be a nuisance. If he moves the wrong way, he may force you to pick up items you don’t want, or even put you in harm’s way of a bomb. Any of these abilities of the Bum Friend could serve to be relevant for The Legend Of Bum-Bo.
Ed McMillen is not averse to having fun with his fans, but he likes to include them into his games as well. After what turned out to be a facetious apology for an update to The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth, he directed fans to unlock clues to an elaborate ARG. It eventually came to light that the content he was apologizing for was already in Afterbirth, and that he wanted fans to play the ARG to unlock it.
Are you excited for The Legend Of Bum-Bo? Do you think Ed is planning to play tricks with his fans again? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
