It’s been thirty years since one of the most infamous flops in gaming history.
Bubsy 3D looked to become one of the first 3D platformers and embrace the jump from a 2D to a fully three-dimensional gaming experience. The success of Super Mario 64 would only build the anticipation. There was one problem: Bubsy 3D fell flat on its face.
So here we are, three decades later, and Bubsy 4D is looking to make up for the sins of its father as a 3D platformer. Don’t forget, this isn’t the first recent Bubsy revival, too; Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back was a 2D platformer from 2017 that also fell flat on its face.
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As I was told during my hands-on preview with the game earlier this year, everybody loves a good comeback story. Even though you would think that we’d see a new Banjo-Kazooie or Spyro before Bubsy 4D, the infamous cat is at least able to make the most of his opportunity.
It’s not a perfect game, and I would certainly have loved to see some more polish, but I can confidently say that I enjoyed my time with Bubsy 4D.
Wait, Bubsy 4D is Actually Fun to Play?
Here’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind: has Bubsy released an enjoyable 3D platformer after all these years? Yes. Absolutely. There’s always a delicate balance in any platform to give the controls some sense of personality while making sure you’re always in control. To its credit, Bubsy 4D pulls this off…most of the time, anyway.
My first impression remains that Bubsy feels a little floaty, but in a good way. He’s a cat and balances the nimble agility and awkwardness that cats are known for. One minute you’re pulling off some impressive platforming jumps and stunts, and the next you’re constantly dying. I know that cats are known for having nine lives, but Bubsy, my man, that doesn’t mean you need to be so reckless.
On the one hand, it’s a unique experience that fuels Bubsy’s overly confident yet uneasy personality. Having said that, there’s nothing more annoying than constantly dying over and over again. The number of times I found myself in a rhythm, only to be thrown off by dying out of nowhere, was more often than I was hoping.
Yet despite those frustrating moments, I kept moving forward, learning from my mistakes. Before long, I find myself gaining confidence and feeling a little friskier, as if I was, you guessed it, a cat. It goes hand in hand with each level’s open structure. Sure, you can race to the finish and even speedrun, comparing your times on leaderboards. You’ll be missing out on a variety of collectibles, allowing you to purchase new abilities and skins, however.
The Open-Ended Nature of Bubsy 4D is Its Best Part
Being able to experience Bubsy 4D as you see fit is undoubtedly my favorite part about it.
First things first, though, it’s important not to beat around the bush: this is a very short game. You’ll be able to experience a total of three planets, each with five stages, one of which is a boss fight. This is the type of game you can knock out in one sitting, but I’m not going to fault it for that. After all, it’s a $20 game that I got more fun out of than most $40 games.
Here’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind: has Bubsy released an enjoyable 3D platformer after all these years? Yes. Absolutely.
You better believe I’m going to go back and work on perfecting those speed runs, too. As for the collectibles, however, that’s a different story. Remember how I talked about the controls perfectly mirroring a cat, for better or worse? As impressive as some of the platforming feats can be, there were several times I wanted to snap my controller in half. Reaching some of the more difficult parts of a level to collect everything was more frustrating than enjoyable at times.
It’s not a fault of the game’s camera, so it has that going for it, which is nice. There is, however, an acclimation period to learn the timing of how Bubsy controls, especially when he’s rolling around in a ball, which is something you’ll do fairly often. This isn’t the precise platforming that you’d expect from something like Crash Bandicoot, but you’ll certainly be making more mistakes than you realize.
Unafraid to Make Fun of Itself
The Bubsy franchise has never been one to shy away from giving its mascot personality. Originally, it was very much a product of the time when one-liners were commonplace. Remember, the ’90s were an era filled with Gex spewing pop-culture-fueled jokes and Crash Bandicoot bringing a megaphone outside Nintendo’s office.
Given the poor reception of Bubsy 3D, the character has adopted a self-degrading attitude, first used in The Woolies Strike Back and now fully embraced in Bubsy 4D. This is a game that is well aware of the public’s perception around the franchise, and it’s nice to see it poke fun at itself.
Yes, it’s a very meta look at what ultimately is a surprisingly enjoyable game, but one that feels in-character for Bubsy and friends. Equally in character is the fact that Bubsy isn’t afraid to constantly spew one-liners based on what’s happening. The problem here, though, is that there isn’t enough variety to keep things interesting and fresh. Thankfully, you can crank down the number of times Bubsy is talking, a move that more games desperately need to follow.
It’s a shame, because this is one of several ways in which the limitations of Bubsy 4D play against itself. I already mentioned how short the game is; you’re able to roll credits in just a handful of hours, and collecting everything will honestly take no more than ten. The fact that the jokes get old fast in a “campaign” that lasts roughly as long as Mixtape’s total runtime is pretty frustrating.
Bubsy 4D Would Have Greatly Benefited From More Polish
The biggest thing that prevented me from liking Bubsy 4D as much as I wanted to is that it feels like, at times, I’m playing an Early Access game.
While there’s a lot to explore in each stage, the visuals won’t necessarily blow you away. They offer a nice, cartoony aesthetic and vibe, but there’s not much going on in the background. At times, things are honestly a bit lifeless, and there are repeated textures and objects that have been given a fresh coat of paint rather than offering actual variety.
As impressive as some of the platforming feats can be, there were several times I wanted to snap my controller in half.
Equally frustrating are the occasional bugs that love to pop up every now and then, including one that required me to hard reset the game. I experienced several instances of clipping in a level, and falling off a high ledge means I have to watch Bubsy fall for a solid 15 or so seconds before actually dying. When I’m already annoyed by some platforming issues, this is something that makes me want to turn off the game.
Yet despite that, I didn’t. I kept with it, looking to find as many wool barns as I could. Seeing how often I can push the controls to their limits and reduce my level completion time. It’s a testament to how much potential Bubsy 4D has, but sadly, it never fully lives up to it.
Closing Comments
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Bubsy 4D, and I’m someone who was excited to play it. The platformer genre is arguably in a golden age, with Nintendo firing on all cylinders following Super Mario Odyssey and Donkey Kong Bananza. Sony’s been in on the action with the 2024 Game of the Year winner, Astro Bot. To see Bubsy finally overcome its infamous legacy and deliver a fun, albeit flawed, experience has me hopeful that Atari will build on what’s a solid foundation in place and give a possible Bubsy sequel the polish and investment that could truly (I can’t believe I’m saying this), make it great. For now, though, despite its flaws, you can’t go wrong with Bubsy 4D, especially at that discounted price.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
