The Legend of Bum-bo

The Legend of Bum-bo (2019) is a puzzle game where you match tiles to attack enemies. A prequel to The Binding of Isaac, it tells a standalone story with similar play till you die and then try again mechanics. Here though, these focus on patient strategy and learning how to defeat specific enemies.

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You play Bum-bo, a homeless man who chases a mysterious thief into the sewers, where he finds a cohort of villains, monsters, missing children. Play involves matching rows in a grid of icons, similar to Candy Crush although here they trigger attacks rather than candy. You have a limited number of moves to use your corresponding attacks, defences or abilities and must plan strategically.

When you die, you get sent back to the beginning of the level, so the focus is on learning how best to counter each enemy type when it appears. As you progress you gain cards that can be used for special abilities, upgrades and new attacks. You can also purchase new items, upgrades and even characters with the money you earn from beating enemies and bosses. This enables you to gradually gain more power to get further through the game until you reach the final boss.

It offers a dark, humorous story like The Binding of Isaac, but leverages simpler and more tactical gameplay mechanics. It's a game about getting Bum-bo's money back, but also facing up to your fears and regrets along the way.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked The Legend of Bum-bo 22 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 14 months ago.