Bibidi Bibidi! Preview: A Wizardly Roguelite Deckbuilder with Real Spellcraft Charm

Picture a wizard’s desk cluttered with half-charred rune cards. You grab a fire sigil, slam it next to a damage modifier, and pray the result isn’t a self-immolation. That’s the central hook of Bibidi Bibidi!, a “wizardcore” roguelite from half the team behind the acclaimed climbing game Surmount. I spent several runs with the demo, and the spell-combining system immediately felt tactile and rewarding, even when my concoctions fizzled. With a playable demo already out and a Eurogamer feature generating buzz, this Godot-built title promises tactile spellcraft, a creepy/cute aesthetic, and a narrative that asks a haunting question: “Are you the last wizard?” Here is why this small-team experiment deserves a prime spot on your wishlist.

The Surmount Pedigree, From Mountain Climbing to Spellcraft

Before Bibidi Bibidi!, the duo Indiana-Jonas and Daan Last were known for Surmount, a physics-based mountain-climbing game praised for its anarchic energy and tight, responsive controls. That game’s success was built on a hands-on design ethos: every mechanic felt deliberate, every failure hilarious. Now half of that same two-person team is applying that philosophy to a different genre entirely.

In a Godot forum interview, Daan Last discussed the team’s approach of setting goals for “small commercially viable games” and the importance of paper prototyping to find fun early. This mindset prioritizes tactile, experimental mechanics over feature bloat. Instead of trying to compete with sprawling AAA deckbuilders, Bibidi Bibidi! relies on a core, playful idea and polishes it until it shines. That restrained ambition is exactly what made Surmount memorable, and it appears to be driving this project as well.

How the Spell System Works, Combining Cards for Unique Magic

Unlike Slay the Spire or other deckbuilders where you play a single card from your hand, Bibidi Bibidi! asks you to combine multiple card components inside your spellbook to forge spells on the fly. Each card part carries a property: a damage modifier, an elemental type, a targeting shape. By dragging them together, you create incantations that range from simple fireballs to elaborate, multi-part cascades.

The system was refined through paper prototyping, which gave the developers a tangible feel for interactions before committing to code. The result is emergent gameplay where experimentation pays off. Early playtesters have praised the sense of discovery: you never know exactly what a combination will produce until you cast it. That unpredictability is part of the game’s anarchic charm, a direct inheritance from Surmount’s physics-driven chaos.

For a visual taste of how this works, check out the game’s Gameplay Trailer.

Creepy/Cute Aesthetic and Godot Engine Roots

Visually, Bibidi Bibidi! carves out a distinct identity with its “creepy/cute” art direction. Characters are endearing wizards with oversized hats and nervous eyes, but they traverse twisting, claustrophobic tunnels filled with maddening monsters. The palette shifts from warm candlelight to sickly greens and purples, reinforcing a sense of unease beneath the whimsical surface.

In a Substack developer blog, the team noted their intention to continue this aesthetic beyond Bibidi Bibidi!, hinting at a future universe of similarly styled games. The entire project is developed in Godot, the open-source engine that allows the duo to iterate quickly and retain full creative control. Godot’s lightweight structure suits a two-person team: no licensing fees, no bloat, just pure expression.

Demo Impressions, Patch Notes and Playability

A playable demo is available now on Steam (search “Bibidi Bibidi!”), with a full release date still to be confirmed. The demo recently received a v0.10.02 patch focused on quality-of-life improvements. Highlights include hover feedback on card parts and spell slots for easier identification, more predictable spell ordering, game settings with reset options, auto-view rewards in the Skymap, and overall readability upgrades.

Early feedback lauds the spell-combining mechanic but notes a learning curve: understanding how components interact takes a few runs. The patch directly addresses those pain points by making the UI more forgiving. The narrative hook also adds stakes beyond score chasing. You crawl through tunnels, fight monsters, and piece together clues about the fate of your wizard brethren. The central question, “Are you the last wizard?”, gives each run a purpose.

Name Origins and Cultural Nods

The title Bibidi Bibidi! is likely a playful mashup of two cultural references. On one side, it echoes the Dragon Ball wizard Bibidi (also known as Babidi), a mischievous sorcerer who uses mind control and dark magic. On the other, it mirrors Cinderella’s fairy godmother incantation “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” a whimsical phrase of pure transformation. The developers have not confirmed either inspiration, but both references fit the game’s tonal tightrope between malice and charm. The name alone sells the “wizardcore” vibe, inviting players to feel like mischievous spellcasters rather than calculated strategists.

A Spellbinding Debut in the Making

Bibidi Bibidi! is not just another card battler. It is a handcrafted experiment in small-team game design that prioritizes tactile spellcraft over mechanical bloat. Its clever card-combining system, creepy/cute aesthetic, and pedigree from Surmount set it apart in the crowded roguelite deckbuilder genre. Try the free demo on Steam now, and keep an eye on this magical duo. The magic is real, and it is still being written.