PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, SWITCH/2, XBOX ONE/SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: MAY 22ND
Bubsy, the talking bobcat, first appeared in the early 90s during a time when “mascot platformers” were very much everywhere. Countless attempts were made at finding the next Sonic the Hedgehog, and the ones that succeeded are vastly outnumbered by the ones that didn’t quite make it. Bubsy falls into the latter category, with the already-dated gameplay of his initial 1993 outing only being marginally improved upon by its sequel, and a shift from 2D to 3D in 1996 seemingly banging the final nail into his coffin. After a muted response to Bubsy’s return to his 2D roots in 2017, it seemed like the party might be over once and for all but, as if trying to prove that cats do indeed have nine lives, he’s back again for another attempt at making a name for himself in the 3D platformer genre.
Calling back to his 90s roots, Bubsy 4D (because the gameplay attempts to build on his last 3D appearance) is a bright and colourful platformer with an art style that brings to mind Saturday morning cartooons of the era. The snarky humour is in full effect, too, kicking off with an in-joke where Bubsy talks about not being that old before his pal turns to the camera and gives a knowing look to the audience. Before long, word arrives that Bubsy’s longtime enemies, the Woolies, have returned, and are abducting sheep in an attempt to make their own golden fleece. That’s not all – the sheep have escaped and gone rogue, turning into cybernetically-enhanced BaaBots and causing havoc across the Woolies’ planets. So, of course, Bubsy springs into action and heads off to save the day once again.
From the start, Bubsy is able to jump, double jump, flutter (a bit like Yoshi) and pounce, and combining these abilities allows him to do all of the standard platforming feats like traversing large gaps and jumping between walls. A new addition is his ability to turn into a ball and roll around, using his pounce to increase his speed. Like always, levels are filled with balls of wool that Bubsy needs to collect, as well as hard-to-reach blueprints that unlock a handful of upgrades. There are occasional flashes of inspiration, but the game’s 15 levels are mostly standard platforming fare and Bubsy’s movement and mechanics don’t quite offer the sort of precision that’s really needed; he’ll happily refuse to stop when you want him to, directional inputs are often unresponsive, jumping is very floaty and imprecise, and unpredictable camera angles constantly need to be adjusted manually at the most inopportune moments.
There’s a possibility that these issues are intended to evoke the feeling of true 90s platformers, but they come across as frustrating and unwieldy in the modern era, making the game feel clunky and dated rather than charming and challenging. The addition of abilities and upgrades is certainly welcome, and it’s nice to see an attempt at redemption for this long-maligned character, but unfortunately Bubsy 4D doesn’t succeed.
