When you have a joke or meme character on your hands, you realistically only have two possible paths available to you. You can try to rehabilitate the image of said character, often to mixed results, or you can choose to lean into the ridiculous curve and mine the character for comedic potential, also with the same threat of mixed results. Anyway, here’s Bubsy 4D.
Bubsy is back and just as irreverent as ever. Bubsy 4D sees us setting off to recover the balls of Golden Fleece that have been stolen by a group of intergalactic robotic sheep called the Baabots. With his little troupe of furry friends – who never pass up an opportunity to dunk on him – our wisecracking bobcat flies to distant themed planets in a spaceship that sports paws and a fetching set of cat ears.
The narrative never gets any more serious than this, with a set of villainous leaders of sheep also sporting pun names like Baatholomew, and it’s honestly all the better for it. After all, we don’t come to Bubsy for anything approaching serious and this is something that the devs here are clearly aware, with the dialogue pulling no punches on the ludicrous nature of the plot, setting or characters.
Like previous games in the series, Bubsy 4D is a decidedly basic platformer. So, for the most part you’ll be jumping between platforms that are disconnected to any structure and therefore defy all laws of physics. Added to this, you’re a bobcat that uses their claws to climb walls and swipe at enemies. All the while passing checkpoints in each level that are… well, they’re litterboxes. Could you imagine if Resident Evil had Leon save by using a portaloo?
Additionally, you can puff up into a ball granting huge boosts of speed at the cost of precise manoeuvrability, something that is explained away as an experiment that Bubsy himself was not aware of. With this ability and the others, it becomes clear that the focus of the gameplay here is not simply geared towards a simple path to the goal. Bubsy 4D is a speedrunner.
You can just get to the end of each level at your own pace, and the game ends up a short – but ultimately sweet – experience. But each level has a collectible related to beating a particular time, and this is where the fun truly begins. I’ll admit that I was initially thrown by how floaty and slippery Bubsy felt to control, but after starting the speedrun challenges, I get it. Once you adapt to it, the slipping and sliding becomes a necessity.
These aren’t the only collectibles in the game either, with most levels having a spool of silver fabric to find which can be exchanged with Terry and Terri for new abilities, such as allowing Bubsy to sniff out the direction that items are from the current position. Also, each level has 150 balls of yarn, which are the currency to unlock new skins, such as a particularly haunted one that reverts them to their retro 3D design.
The aesthetics of Bubsy 4D are unfortunately the main area that lets the game down. There are occasional tears in the backgrounds and floors, which don’t really affect enjoyment, but the main drawback is that the environments are just so bland. Each planet is themed, but they’re just so uncreative within that, leaving each level of a world feeling like a repeat of the one before it.
As if to add insult to injury, the levels are not only bland to look at, but they are alarmingly sparse. I will acknowledge that this plays very well into speedrunning as there are less obstructions, so this is likely the point, but for a casual jaunt, they just feel a little too empty with few enemies or even variety in platforming challenges to excite the player.
Not all of the design is a disappointment though, as the design of the characters is great. I particularly enjoy the changes to Bubsy himself, showing that he is older than previous iterations through the more “grown up” tie and blazer combo but keeping it within the classic visual design through colour and fit. This extends out to all the core cast, and the end of planet bosses, who are colourful, distinct and expressive.
This expressiveness is boosted further by the voice acting in the game, which is truly stellar. Whoever made the decision to have the known furry VA, Sean Chiplock, voice Bubsy deserves a raise. Sean infuses the character with an entirely un-subtle wink to the audience at times remarking on the ludicrous nature of the game, and at others directly addressing the player with a palpable playfulness. This is then marvellously counterbalanced by the hammy delivery of the villains.
The only let down with how the game sounds is the music, which unfortunately falls into the same blandness as the levels themselves. The first time you hear each track is enjoyable, sure, matching the controlled messiness of the gameplay with jazz-infused chaos. But these tracks do not stand up to repeated listening. In a game where the focus is on repeated plays of each level as you chase down the perfect time, the music really begins to grate.
