Bubsy 4D

he finally got a good game. Only complaint is the length I would have loved more of this.

For my whole life, I was bombarded with memes and reviews that Bubsy is a failed franchise. While it is true, this time the generational laughing stock has been shattered for a bit. Bubsy 4D is a decent platformer, created by Fabraz, which is also responsible for great platformers like Demon Turf and Demon Tide, and I already felt their DNA all over this game. Platforming is really expressive, fast, and precise. You can also buy a new moveset to jump around the map even faster. While I do not think Bubsy 4D is something that will impress anybody, taking into consideration how cheap it is for a completely new game, I think this is a great start for this messy series. My main complaint is the homing attack, which is needed for platforming. Sometimes when I am doing such a move and running at high speed at the same time, the character just slowly jumps on the object and then falls. Had to restart multiple speed run challenges many times because of this weird move. And I would tone down the self-deprecating humor a little bit. It was funny at the beginning, but hearing it all the time got a little bit tiring. We get it, Bubsy is a failure, no need to rub it in our faces over and over. Let´s have a small triumph that this bobcat finally got something decent to show after many, many years.

If Bubsy has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Bubsy has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Bubsy has only one fan then that is me. If Bubsy has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Bubsy, then I am against the world.

I regret not giving this my undivided attention and doing something in parallel. That way I would have refunded it before the refund window was out of range. I have no history with prior Bubsy games, nor a significant history with platformers, especially 3d ones. So keep that in mind, my opinions may lack neccesary insight. From a presentation point of view I found this quite pleasant. Visuals are nice and colourful, music is cheerful. The story is fairly simple, alien cyborg sheep are taking over and Bubsy needs to stop them. The main appeal is supposed to be from the characters interactions. And I was quite dissapointed in the them. Bubsy seems like a loveable goof, but the crux of the writing relies on everyone disrespecting/looking down/taking him for granted. He is not treated seriously. I, for one, have come to view this kind of writing and humour as toxic. This is supposed to be a positive hero character who youre supposed to root for. Why turn it into a humiliation ritual? The gameplay is just as dissapointing. The camera isnt good and it makes navigating and maneuvering troublesome. Navigating overall feels very janky. Weird physics/collisions, moving in wrong direction (presumably because of bad camera angle), confusing moves reset (sometimes I felt I touched the ground enough to get double jump back, but no), clumsy homing system for certain objects, lack of maneuverability in ball form. You have enemies you can defeat by pouncing them, but they add vitrually nothing. Level design uses both collecthathon and speedrunning principles. While not bad, I dont think any particular one excels. Some sections seem too tight, while other have plenty of progression room. Despite noticing relatively early that its not that great, I wanted to finish it, considering it isnt that long. Looking back at it I question whether it was worth it as I seldom actually had fun. 4.5/10

[h1]One of the sleeper hits of '26... an experience that no action platform gamer should miss![/h1] Bubsy's long running streak of mediocre to terrible games has finally come to an end with this surprising hit from Demon Turf and Demon Tides creators Fabraz! While previous titles drastically missed the mark, this one is absolutely stunning... original... Bubsy 4D climbs back to the top... check it out! These developers understand how to make a fun 3D platformer and they certainly delivered. You have a very complex moveset that encourages mastery to discover shortcuts or secret routes. The roll move felt very weird at first and took a lot of getting used to due to how loose the steering can be at high speeds, but I was able to get a feel for it eventually. Fortunately, it's not like Demon Turf that had a steep learning curve - you don't need to make the most of your entire moveset to finish this game. Like with Demon Tides, combat is very basic. The only way you can attack enemies in this game is with the pounce attack which automatically targets and locks onto nearby enemies similar to the homing attack in 3D Sonic games. Most enemies die in one hit and take no more than two, so it rarely gets in the way of the main platforming especially considering there is only 1 mandatory combat section in the entire game and even that doesn't overstay its welcome. Graphics aren't the greatest, but what more than makes up for that is how expressive all the characters are. I liked the unique death animations from dying in different ways, and although not as varied or entertaining as Crash, it definitely adds to the overall presentation, as well as the cutscenes which are well animated and the voice overs get the job done. It's an appealing game to look at despite not being cutting edge visually. Not to mention all the fan service that pays tribute to the entire franchise. The VR monitors show Bubsy 3D footage which is ironic considering the graphics that game had. Several characters from the cancelled cartoon pilot appear as major characters and are represented very well in the game - Fabraz clearly did their homework there. There's also a Bubsy 3D tank control scheme and costume just for lols if you really want it. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3765515965 Much like Fabraz's previous games, the level design is very good and makes great use of your entire moveset. You have infinite lives, beating a level is as simple as reaching the end and it isn't too difficult to finish if you're going through it normally, but they really want you to replay these levels and explore them to experience everything they have to offer. Each level has 150 yarn balls to collect, which can be traded with the twins to buy skins. Always a welcome addition in these games for me. Also in each level is one blueprint which can be exchanged for new abilities. These are permanently unlocked and there's no limit to how many you can enable, but these can be disabled by selecting them again. Collecting everything in every level unlocks the secret gauntlet level that's quite tough to beat and must be done on a single life, though it shouldn't be too difficult if you're coming from Fabraz's previous games. After their absence from Demon Tides, the trophy times from Demon Turf make a very welcome return here and makes replaying levels a lot of fun. Each level has a time to beat to earn a trophy and they are all required for 100%. You can compare your times online and even challenge other players' ghosts. The one from the tutorial is incredibly tough to beat - I couldn't beat it myself, but thankfully that one isn't necessary, nor is the gauntlet time trial needed, only the ones from the main levels are. Bosses also have trophy times, but they're actually fun to speedrun this time unlike the ones from Tides. My only major complaint, however, is the very short length. Bubsy 4D only has 3 planets containing 5 levels each for a total of 15, not including the mandatory tutorial level or the secret gauntlet level for finding everything, and average game completion can take about 2 hours if you're not going for 100%, or 5 hours if you are. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed my time with this one and I wanted even more, making this feel like a more fleshed out Neon Splash rather than the next big thing. I guess that short length works in its favour though, because this game also features a Nine Lives Mode for experienced players to try! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3765684474 This permadeath mode resets all of your progress after getting hit 9 times, requiring you to be very careful throughout. It's actually not as bad as you think it might be given you can beat the game in about an hour this way and you can disable all cutscenes so repeat plays don't become a slog if you need to retry. If Steam let me give out a Gold X Award to one game, I'd gladly give it to Bubsy 4D this year. This can be perfectly described as "short and sweet" while providing more challenging content for those that seek it. It's also a great example of big publishers letting indie game developers with experience in the genre take a shot at making games in well known franchises and is something I'd love to see more of in this industry. Not only is this worth checking out for fans of the series, but I can even recommend this to those that hated the other games - a shining example of a failed 90's mascot platformer finally having its redemption and the treatment it deserves. It's also good for those that are just looking for another 3D platformer to sink their teeth into. This one was actually quite fun, though you may want to wait for a sale if you don't want to pay that much for 3 hours of content even for how replayable it is. Also consider checking out Demon Tides if you haven't already as this game carries a lot of its DNA.

My favorite 3D platformer on Steam, straight-up. Can't be topped. Feels like a triple-A Nintendo game, even better fluidity and more rewarding too. Bubsy is a total dork and cute, too. The much-needed redesign was 100% worth it. Honestly be prepared for good-ass platforming parkour and all that. Maybe too corny even for me, but if you used to root exclusively for Nintendo, it's like being taken back to that cringey over-the-top cartoony style again. Without needing Mario or Sonic. Hell yeah.

I enjoyed the platforming and the bosses were fine. If there was one thing that could be changed I would hope there would be more worlds cus the game is short (I beat it in 2.8 hours)