Bobo and the Chest of Nightmares started from a love for the classic 3D platformers I grew up with. Games like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, MediEvil, and more obscure PS1 titles like Jinx had a very specific kind of personality: colorful worlds, expressive characters, and gameplay that felt playful but still challenging.
Over time, that style slowly disappeared, or became heavily overcomplicated. I wanted to bring back that sense of movement-focused gameplay, strong level identity, and character-driven worlds, but through a slightly darker, more surreal lens.
The idea of a jester came quite naturally. There aren’t many platformers with jester protagonists, and the character felt like the perfect contrast: someone designed to bring joy, suddenly trapped in a world where dreams have turned into nightmares.
Bobo isn’t a warrior or a hero by design. He’s clumsy, expressive, and out of his depth, which made him feel relatable and allowed the game to focus on acrobatics, exploration, and discovery rather than combat alone.
In a way, Bobo and the Chest of Nightmares is my attempt to create the kind of platformer I miss playing: one that feels whimsical, strange, and full of personality, while still respecting the roots of the genre.
Update: According to the DeVuego database*, which tracks Iberian videogame productions, Bobo and the Chest of Nightmares is officially the first 3D Platformer Collectathon produced and released in Portugal.
* Source: https://www.devuego.pt/bd/en
David Ho | Game Developer
