The highly anticipated prequel to the Binding of Isaac series, The Legend of Bum-Bo, is now available for purchase on Steam. To commemorate the occasion, developer Edmund McMillen has uploaded a trailer that gives us a quick overview of what Bum-Bo is striving for. Mostly a showcase for the wonderful art style, it does at least show the connection between this and Isaac. It's also got some great music.
While Bum-Bo retains the roguelike spin of Isaac, it does a complete genre shift from its action-heavy predecessor. This is more a strategic, card-based battler than the Zelda-like original. It's still loaded with naked babies, deadly monsters, and poop, but the way in which you interact with those elements is unique. Now you'll need to pick from a deck to determine what action you're taking.
McMillen has been teasing Bum-Bo for a few years now. Having worked on multiple different projects since The Binding of Isaac took off, McMillen has kept himself busy by constantly shifting into new genres. He even dabbled with a physical card-based version of Isaac last year that released to massive success. It blew past its Kickstarter goal almost immediately and went on to generate a ton of extra cash that increased the scope of the game.
Despite not wishing to be stuck in one hole, Isaac has gone on to define McMillen's career more than anything. It's not hard to see why, either. The game is so wholly unique and from the heart that gamers were able to delve into it without necessarily enjoying roguelikes. It didn't hurt that the art style was charming if a bit melancholy.
Bum-Bo hasn't been off to the best of starts, though. Current Steam user reviews mention a ton of issues plaguing the launch and McMillen has already issued a patch to fix some. As is often the case with indie development, problems crop up from where you'd least expect it. This isn't dissimilar to Isaac's previous expansion, Afterbith+, which also had launch woes.
McMillen has a history of refining and perfecting the games he releases, though. There's no doubt that Bum-Bo will eventually be at max capacity in the coming weeks. If you're not deterred, you can currently grab Bum-Bo for $13.49 on Valve's platform for its launch week. The price will return to $14.99 on November 19.
Source: YouTube