Today we spoil Bum-bo the Weird! my personal favorite character!



This glass cannon can be a blast to play with because their core mechanic is one that allows for most rooms to be completed in 1-2 turns.. but if you don't play perfectly you can go down with only a few hits.

The Weird starts with 2 spells:

- Puzzle Flick: this attack spells costs 3 white and 3 black mana and when used removes all of one tile type from the board and deals damage = to that total number divided by 2 to the closest enemy in a column. a costly but amazing attack spell that on average deals 4 damage and if used well can chain into more tile combos.



- Magic Marker: this puzzle spell costs 4 yellow mana and adds 2 more tiles of the tile type you choose to the board in random locations.



like The Brave, Weird is all about dealing damage and gaining extra movement so all his initial mana costs revolve around attack and movement gaining tile combos.

Bum-bo The Weirds Stats:

Hearts: 1 + 1 Soul Heart ( a temporary heart like in isaac )
Spell Damage: 1
Moves: 2
Puzzle Damage: 1
Luck: 0

Character Special Ability: Bag of Souls!



each time Bum-bo the Weird kills an enemy, you gain +1 movement! this is a huge passive ability and allows you to chain through a room filled with small enemies in one turn if you play aggressively. the down side to this is bosses can be a bitch so you gotta change your attack strategy to fit the situation.

Friday ill be showing off this Weirdo to the best of my ability! stay tuned!

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Bonus QA (common questions gathered from twitter/youtube):

Q: i saw your lets play last week, why arent there many SFX in the game?
A: the game is still in dev and will be till we release ( and lets be honest, probably for quite a few weeks after to make sure everything is perfect ). we currently have in very few SFX so far, we will be adding around 100+ of them over the next few weeks along side lots of balance fixes, cut scenes, visual tweaks and the like.

Q: is the game still coming to iOS and Switch?
A: yes, eventually.

Q: are there multiple endings, i thought there was one route?
A: yes there are more than a few endings, you'll understand how/why when you play through the game.

Q: will bum-bo tie into Repentance?
A: Kinda, Repentance and Bum-bo both add to the story of isaac in interesting ways and give a better picture of why isaac is who he is. there are also items from bum-bo in repentance.

Q: why did you change the game from a dungeon crawl where you explore into linear puzzle battles.
A: it wasnt at all fun. the exploration aspect felt dull and uninspired, we had a lot in too, we had traps and hidden coins and even toyed with npcs that had dialog.. its not at all what a puzzle game like this wanted, it made games last for hours and felt counter intuitive so we stripped it down to its core and it sped up game play a ton and kept it feeling fresh and exciting.

Q: how long is an average session now?
A: it takes about 10-15 min to beat a chapter now that we have tuned everything up a ton.

Let's play The Legend of Bum-Bo chapter 1, the Sewers of Dross!



sorry about the quality/frame rate of the vid, i went through 3 different types of recording software and this was as good as it was getting, im working on it though.



this week we are also spoiling a remix of Genesis 22:10 Lullaby alt, Bum-bo's title track ( by Ridiculon ). i LOVE how this track turned out, i got goose bumps the first time i heard it in game and once isaac's mom's voice kicks in.. wow. ( huge thanks to Carla Kihlstedt! )

next Monday i spoil Bum-bo the Weird! and maybe a boss or 2!

xoxo
-Edmund

Much like The Binding of isaacs original 4 characters, the main 4 characters in Bum-bo fit into general classic fantasy archetypes ( and the 4 main suites of the tarot) .



Fighter - Bum-bo the Brave - hits hard and can take a beating.

Wizard - Bum-bo the Weird - a glass cannon who's all about strategy

Cleric - Bum-bo the Stout - a defense driven chonker who loves to eat.

Theif - Bum-bo the Nimble - a quick stabby dude who loves to steal.

You start the game as Bum-bo the Brave and as you progress you unlock the rest,
There are of course a few more... but i'm not telling!

Today ill focus on Bum-bo The Brave! our little ragtag fighter/berzerker type who loves to bash!



The Brave starts with 2 spells:

- Bum-bo Smash: a high damage (3) attack spell that costs 4 bones (white) mana to use. it hits the closest enemy in a column.



- Snow Globe: a puzzle spell that rerolls the whole puzzle board costing 2 Tooth (black) mana.



the mana types are specific for each character, Bum-bo the brave wants to hit and hit hard so all his starting mana types revolve around damage dealing puzzle pieces and his puzzle spell is focused on chaotic chance, when in doubt punch the board and see what happens!

The Brave's stats:

Hearts: 3 ( the highest of the starting characters )
Spell Damage: 3 ( also the highest of all characters )
Moves: 2
Puzzle damage: 1
Luck: 0

Like all characters Bum-bo the Brave also has a starting passive ability that makes him unique, his Bag of Last Gasp!


Bag of Last Gasp : whenever Bum-bo reaches 2 hearts, he gains +1 spell and puzzle Damage. whenever Bum-bo reaches 1 heart he gains +2 spell and puzzle damage. so in a lot of ways The Brave acts kind of like an Eve character who enjoys taking a beating and becomes stronger the lower their HP. hes a very fun and chaotic risk reward character that makes short work of bosses and high HP enemies, but can be easily overwhelmed by small mobs at low hp.. so dont play too risky!

this Friday ill be showing off a full play session of chapter 1 start to finish as Bum-bo the Brave, with commentary! and next monday ill be spoiling the deets of my personal favorite character Bum-bo the Weird!! woooooo!

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Bonus QA (common questions gathered from twitter):

Q: Do different characters have different item/spell pools like in dicey dungeons and slay the spire?
A: No, all the items we have in work well with each character. the characters are designed to play differently at their core so forcing pools felt a lot less fun than a more full random isaac like experience. we currently have well over 100 spells and 100 trinkets (passive effects) and possibly more once we release.. making each play session very different even if you use the same character.

Q: How is replayability? are there multiple unlocks and or endings? or is it a one shot?
A: There are currently 4+ characters you unlock by finishing the game with each of them, you can also unlock their starting items as well as 10 more locked items and other things the more you play and the better you do. think of this as on the scale of the original flash version of isaac in terms of replay unlocks. there are multiple endings for sure.

Q: how many floors are there and will you be doing alt floors?
A: there are only a few floors in bum-bo but i cant detail out how many or it will spoil stuff. there wont be any alt paths, but if you guys dig it i dont see why we couldnt add stuff like that in a dlc if it makes sense to the design.

XOXO
-Edmund

The Nickel Grinder is the main track for a little casino hub in the legend of Bum-bo called The Wooden Nickel ( by Ridiculon ). Bum-bo will enter this hub each time he defeats a boss and can use its NPCs to upgrade his stats, items and trinkets.

There are 3 parts to the Wooden Nickel, Bum-bet ( the stat wheel girl ), Rot-rat ( the skull game guy ) and Jude ( the prick pusher ).

Stat Wheel:
each character in Bum-bo has a custom stat wheel with probabilities that complement their build. paying 15 cents and spinning the wheel will grant a permanent stat boost for the rest of the game. the possible wheel options are as follows:
Heart ( raises hp by 1 heart + full heal )
Fist ( raises spell damage you deal by 1 )
Puzzle ( raises the damage your puzzle attacks deal by 1 )
Foot ( gives you +1 movement point )
Clover ( raises your critical hit chances and yields bonus coins )
Coin ( gives you 20 coins and lets you spin again )

Skull Game:
we are still tweaking the skull game guy, but currently best case he can yield trinkets exclusive to the skull game that make enemies easier. he can also pay out in soul hearts and bonus coins as well.

Prick Pusher:
the prick pusher has set of needles that mod your items in many different ways, like raising damage, lowering mana cost, rerolling the spell/mana cost completely or even copying an existing spell with a new mana cost. Jude also sells hearts... youll need these.

next week im planning on doing a full video playthrough of ch1! so get ready to be spoiled! i'll start detailing out characters and their abilities as well!

stay tuned!
-Edmund

Combat in the Legend of Bum-bo is simple at its core. each room has 3 columns and 3 rows that can be occupied by enemies ( a 9 space grid ) and when you attack, you choose a column and your spell/puzzle attack will hit the closest enemy in said column.

there is also a 2nd layer of this grid for flying enemies, flying enemies can occupy the space above a walking one, but are always hit first when attacked.



as you can see in the gif above, mousing over the row will highlight the enemies you're able to hit so there isn't any confusion on who's taking damage ( keep in mind some spells may change these rules, like for instance rock friends, a spell that always attacks the furthest enemy in a column )

every attack in bum-bo is assigned a damage number represented by the red number inside the attack icon, next to the attack spell and every enemy has its HP visible at all times so you can plan out your moves and attacks perfectly.


there are a large number of enemies in Bum-bo with a huge range of abilities. ill highlight a few from the sewers of dross so you can get an idea of what to expect.


Tado Kid - Ap (action points): 1 Hp: 2 type: Melee/walking



tado kids are your basic dumb meat shield that move slowly and attack when in melee range. when a tado kid is killed there is a chance you'll have only killed its head and it will transform into a leaper.


Leaper - Ap:1 Hp: 2 type: Ranged/Walking



leapers are the more deadly counter part to tado kids, once in leaper form they will use their action point to prime, then next turn attack from any distance.


Tall Boi - Ap: 1 Hp: 4 Type: Caster/Walking



Tall bois are one of the first spell casters you will run into in Bum-bo, they have 2 spells that they can cast, Summon Dip: summons a little dip directly in front of them and Toxic Gas: a cloud of gas that appears in front of them lasting one turn. if attacked, the toxic gas will blow back towards the player dealing damage if not protected... silent, but deadly.


Boom Fly - Ap: 1 Hp: 2 Type: Melee/Flying



Boom flys in Bum-bo act much like they did in isaac, they move forward till they are close to a player, attack, move back to the back of the room and repeat. Also like in isaac when you kill them they explode, so you want to kill them before they get too close or you will need some defenses to absorb their attack.

these are just a few of the enemies you'll face in the games first chapter ( sewers of dross ) and i hope to show all the rest in a play through of the sewers some time next week ;)

see you friday!

-Edmund

once again we will be using the amazing talents of Ridiculon for the OST of the Legend of Bum-bo! this sound track will mirror aspects of isaac and even toss in a few remixed tracks from it, but be more of a marching pace to fit the games vibe.



Matthias will also make his return as the games narrator, but this time as the voice of Bum-bo the brave! (as seen in the game intro cut scene).



we tried our best to make sure the game's sound effects reflected the cardboard diorama aesthetic, so most of the SFX Ridiculon and Jay created will be made with household objects and a range of vocalizations, if you listen close to the intro you can hear that all the sound effects are solely done by Matthias'...mouth ( bird sounds, woosh effects and the like ).

our goal is to make the game's visual themes bleed into every aspect of the game, including mechanically as well as story wise.

the OST will be for sale on Steam as well as the Ridiculon Bandcamp page.

Monday ill start talking about enemies, combat, and bosses!

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Mini FAQ:

Q: will there be difficulty modes in bum-bo?
A: yes and no. Much like isaac bum-bo's difficulty scales with how much you play/unlock. it starts out on easy with characters that are more simple to play as, but the more you play and unlock, the harder the game becomes and the more challenging the characters you unlock become.

Q: did you actually make this game out of cardboard!!?
A: not really, the stuff in the trailer that is live action is real, but the in game stuff was all modeled in 3d by James with scans of actual paper and cardboard.

Q: will Bum-bo feature the religious themes that isaac had?
A: No, the themes explored in Isaac arent explored here, but there are thematic reasons for that. there are still nods to religious items, but the themes dont go beyond that.

Q: will Bum-bo find a new home with a different publisher in the wake of recent events with nicalis?
A: yes, we are currently very focused on finishing the game on pc first and once its done we will start trying to figure out how to get this thing on Switch. Bum-bo is not a nicalis game, its self published on Steam, we just need a publisher to get it on console.

XOXO
-Edmund

James and i have been working on The Legend of Bum-bo for well over 3 years now, and in those 3 years the game has mutated in many different ways. in this post im going to do a bare bones break down of how the final game actually plays and go over a few frequently asked questions.

i used to describe bumbo as Puzzle Quest meets Isaac, but over the years deck building roguelikes like Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons have defined the genre, so it's probably best to compare it to those titles.



In The Legend of Bum-bo you travel through randomly generated rooms filled with monsters and are rewarded with coins and spells that are placed in your "deck" or spell book which each fit into specific archetypes. there are 5 types of items in bum-bo: attack, defense, puzzle manipulation, usable items and wild card types.



at the end of each dungeon you will face a boss and if you defeat them you will gain a trinket. trinkets are passive items that also fit into the 5 different item types and are designed to aide in specific strategies.



coins are rewarded depending on how you play and can be used to upgrade your spells and base stats. item mods or "pricks" can be applied to lower mana costs, raise damage, lower the charge cost or even re-roll the spell altogether. Stat boosts on the other hand can raise your health, add a movement point, raise your puzzle or item damage and raise your luck.



this is the core of what bum-bo is, but what makes it unique is that instead of dice rolls or energy the resources you gain in bum-bo come from the puzzle board.



the puzzle board utilizes a familiar match 4 system and uses a slide row/column mechanic. the number of times you can move the board is tied to each character's movement points.

matching 4+ tiles of a specific color will gain you that much mana of that color that can be used to fuel your spells, but each tile type also comes with a specific ability that scales with the number of tiles within the combo.



Bones - make low damage single hit attacks that let you choose multiple targets as they scale up.

Teeth - make attacks that scale up greatly, damage wise, but only hit one target.

Boogers - stick down an enemy causing them to lose actions on their turn depending on how many boogers were applied.

Poop - make defensive barriers that can be combined into large mounds that absorb damage.

Pee - gain bonus movement points and charge items.

each of the 5 core tiles also comes with an "ultimate combo" for matching 7+, but i wont spoil that now.

When you couple these core designs with 100+ unique spells, 100+ unique trinkets and quite a few different characters all with a specific mechanic... you get a super chaotic system of surprisingly deep strategy that will make you scream with ecstasy so loud your mom will be very disappointed in you.

Next week we spoil some music!

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QA

Q: how is this a prequel to the Binding of Isaac?
A: i cant explain this due to it being a spoiler, but lets just say it's set in the same world as isaac and happens about a month or so before the events that took place in the binding of isaac.

Q: how long is an average play session?
A: currently about an hour to beat the normal game, but id like to cut it down to 45 min or less. there is a great deal more thinking in bum-bo compared to an action game like isaac so i assume smarties out there will probably have much quicker play sessions.

Q: will it have lots of unlocks like isaac?
A: the unlocks in bum-bo mirror those in isaac, but isaac has a remake and 7 years of dlcs.. so dont go in expecting an obscene amount of unlocks like isaac currently has.

Q: what is the scale of this game compared to isaac?
A: i would put the size of bum-bo at roughly the same as the OG isaac release when it comes to in game content. but if you guys love the game there is no reason why we cant expand it as we go.

Q: does bum-bo have exploration like isaac?
A: it used to but we cut it, it actually made the game drag out too long and didnt add much or compliment the games puzzle themes well.

Q: how much?
A: $14.99 with a small release week discount!

see you next time
-Edmund