Bubsy 4D
Developer: Fabraz
Publisher: Atari
Platforms: Switch 2 (Reviewed), Switch, PC, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $19.99 – Available Here
Overview
The mascot of forgotten mascots. In the 90’s, Bubsy was simply one of many mascots that publishers used to try to capture a piece of the momentum that Mario and Sonic gave the market, which ultimately revived the industry as a whole. When the mascot decided to continue, he hit a huge road bump with Bubsy 3D, which is infamously known as “one of the worst games of all time”. Sure, Bubsy didn’t disappear, but he has been hunting for some retribution for years, as there is a small fanbase still around hoping for something greater. Is Bubsy 4D a successful revival, or a reminder of why this little ham was left in the oven all of those years ago? Let’s find out.
Story
Well, the story here is about what you would expect. Funny, over-the-top, and just interesting enough to feel like a plot of a Saturday morning cartoon. Players take the role of a reluctant Bubsy as a new threat emerges. The Woolies are back, and have kidnapped sheep who have been turned into robots. Bubsy now has the task of freeing the sheep, collecting their stolen fleece, and saving the world while trying to give himself a new image in the process. Sure, it’s not some blockbuster narrative, but it works and feels delightful. This franchise was known for poking fun at the industry and pop culture, while breaking the fourth wall – and that continues within Bubsy 4D. Again, this title isn’t trying to re-invent anything here, but it does give us a lot of charm and heart, with a small dose of self-critique as players join the feline on this new journey.
Gameplay
Bubsy 4D is about as 3D platformer as you can get. The mechanics are simple. Bubsy goes from world to world, collecting items and defeating enemies while navigating platforming obstacles along the way. Each world has a varying degree of challenge, which honestly is pretty light. If you played Bubsy 3D, picture that, but polished and consistent. Bubsy has tight and fluid controls, with the abilities to jump, double jump, wall jump, and glide to get to harder-to-reach areas. It’s kind of surprising how smooth everything is here, as the world was built to explore and navigation is never much of an issue. There is a bit of a messy feeling to the game, as trial and error is a major factor and you will likely fall a few times before figuring out how to utilise these mechanics properly to cross onto moving platforms. That said, what’s here is good and solid enough from a foundational viewpoint.
A new technique this time around is the ability to turn yourself into a momentum-driven hairball. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. This is mainly used to quickly shoot through ramps and slopes at rapid speed, and works well enough. I do think the overall gimmick was ultimately a bit overused, as sometimes I wished the game would just simply let me trek through normally. I like a good pivot to gameplay, but Bubsy 4D relies a lot on this new feature and though it works and functions, it is easy to become a frustrating element as it doesn’t always feel needed. Like, have you ever played a portion of a game and got through it one try, but then just kind of thought to yourself, “don’t want to do that again”? Well, that was the whole rolling mechanic to myself. Yooka-Laylee this is not.
Topping off the core game are the bosses, and while limited to just a few moments, feel right at home in that retro 3D platformer fare. Dodging weapons, hitting buttons. You know the drill. It’s fun, and these moments do well at making 4D feel like a fully realised 3D platformer. It just never really feels much more than that. Sure, there are things pushed to speedrunners, but the game is short and has little ‘immediate” replay value, but for the price this is still a satisfying enough package.
Audio
I want to start off here by saying that the music is good, but the voice acting really takes the cake. Bubsy never knows when to shut up. It has always been his thing, and that is mostly alive here. The jokes are corny, cringy, and so Bubsy that it’s hard not to laugh. The soundtrack again is stellar as well. Not something like Mario or Sonic, but cheeky beats made up to give us a bit of atmosphere as we enjoy the adventure. The other effects heard are small but do well to flesh out the retro platformer fare. The game sounds as cartoony as it looks, and that’s a good thing.
Visuals
I really love how bright and vivid these environments in Bubsy 4D are. They may not reek of polish and tightness, nor do they try to challenge even something found on the Wii or PS2, but they look crisp and get the job done. Bubsy also has little in the way of visual glitches (so weird saying) to be seen and is animated wonderfully, making it the best-looking version of himself we have ever seen. There is just something nostalgic about what Fabraz has built here. Things are not quite fleshed out enough or creatively designed to be a Rare classic; they are not as pretty as a modern Mario, but they fit Bubsy and are good enough here.
Overall
Gex, Aero, Cool Spot, Ty, Croc, Glover. I could go on and on. All of those mascots are famous for not being good enough to be prominently remembered by mainstream audiences, even if the games they were featured in were not that bad. Bubsy is the king of all of those entities, as he decided to take a risk and took the whole kingdom of second-string faces down with him. Bubsy 4D is an average platformer made for adults who were kids that were given no other choice but to play something a little cheaper, or a little less eloquent. This game simply chews at that history and does so in a genius way that is endearing and proper, all while delivering a memorable platforming experience that is ultimately good enough to spend an afternoon with. There is something really awesome about developers still tending towards this audience, and after this romp I think I am down to keeping Bubsy in the conversation because he just doesn’t give up. Great job, cat.
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