The Binding of Isaac prophesied for August

One-half of the team behind the retro-infused and incredibly difficult 2D platformer Super Meat Boy is apparently busy creating an upcoming game. Team Meat cofounder Edmund McMillen recently posted on his blog that he'll be working on a side project titled The Binding of Isaac.

The game is a "roguelike shooter" with controls like Smash TV and Robotron set in a randomly generated sequence of dungeons. Unlike roguelike role-playing titles like Shiren the Wanderer and Izuna the Unemployed Ninja with a leveling system, The Binding of Isaac will feature an item system where players can equip stackable items which bolster their monster-killing abilities tenfold while also changing up their onscreen appearances. Each level in the game will have special items that come in four sets (usables, special weapon upgrades, passive upgrades, stat boosters) that can be equipped. No further details have been added in terms of a standard roguelike difficulty curve and restart mechanic in the game.

At this point, the current build has six dungeons, six bosses, 36 enemy types, and four unlockable characters. An additional two dungeons, 10 bosses, and six more enemy types will be included in the final build. The game's music will be done by Danny Baranowsky of dB Soundworks, who also did the soundtrack for Super Meat Boy.

The game will be available on Valve's Steam download service this August for the PC. The title's price tag has yet to be determined, but McMillen states that "it definitely won't put much of a strain on [players'] wallets."