Binding Of Isaac Mod Tools Coming In Afterbirth † DLC

Ace roguelikelike cry 'em up The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth [official site] expanded only last month with Afterbirth (it's fab!), but word's already arrived of another add-on in the works. This will be a small affair in some ways, with new bosses and items and transformations and all that, but also a whole lot bigger: it'll add mod tools. Tentatively named Afterbirth †, the DLC is due in 2016.

As for the new things and stuff and bits and pieces, we're teased:

"Afterbirth † will have a bunch of new ***** ********, including a couple of new bosses, a few transformations and new items/trinkets. How many? That’s a ****** you’ll find out on *******. Oh, also, ***** ***** **** and maybe something else related to ***** ****. There’s also a *** ****** I'm leaving out until a later time so you can wonder and conjecture/speculate ***** ****."

Guessing games, commence! It'll add a Bestiary too, tracking enemies you encounter along with stats like how many times you get them and how many times they get you. I don't even want to know how many times I've been killed by Clotty or Small Crazy Long Legs spiders. Right, but what about those mod tools?

For starters, you'll get to change item pools - the rules controlling which items are available where. A Room Editor will let folks create new layouts to slip into the rotation (it may take a while to notice, but the rooms which make up Isaac levels are individually designed). The Animation Editor will support importing art into the game, to your own dastardly ends. Which is useful because Lua scripting support will let you have a good old rummage with how Isaac works, creating new enemies and item and all that or even, Tyrone from Nicalis says, "hell, even an entirely new game that ISN'T Isaac."

Folks have been modding Isaac for a while but it's involved a fair bit of a hacking around, so I'm awfully keen to see what might happen with official mod tools.

Back in the present (or recent past), an Afterbirth patch has dropped with some interesting tweaks. Butter Bean and The Poop now deflect shots, which... actually makes Butter Bean sound kinda okay - or at least worth actively using until you get an active item which is actually good. The laser-screaming Shoop Da Whoop! does twice as much damage, which redeems this a bit too. Picking up Match Stick will remove The Tick, which is handy. The Scissors still suck.