Bubsy 4D Review: Decent nostalgia, wonky movement

In the gaming world, there might many mascots to choose from - Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, Sly Cooper, Mario - but only one can carry the title of a failed mascot. And that title belongs to the one and only, Bubsy, and he carries it proudly. 

Bubsy has a legendary status, born in 1993 during the mascot platformer gold rush, he was the star of a series of games that became synonymous with how to not make a platformer. After an unfortunate death with Bubsy 3D from 1996 and a semi-revival with The Woolies Strike Back (2017) and Paws on Fire! (2019) , Bubsy returns 30 years later after his last 3D outing, attempting the impossible: to make Bubsy work in three dimensions. 

Bubsy 4D is fully aware of its reputation, it leans heavily into nostalgia, self-aware humour, and exaggerated cartoon energy. However, I'm not really sure whether it learned from all its past mistakes. 

Woolies, Baabots, and one lazy hero

If there is one thing Bubsy is good at, then that is getting involved in problems he clearly doesn't want to be a part of. This time around, he needs to be the hero who will save the legendary Golden Fleece which has been stolen, but the culprit is not who you might think. 

Instead of the usual suspects, the Woolies, now the troublemaker is someone else, albeit not any less dangerous and evil: the Baabots. And they are exactly who you might think they are: evil, robotic sheep creatures who have seemingly replaced the series' classic villains. And when I say replaced, I mean enslaved, as now you get to meet Woolies who literally have the old ball and chain and reminisce about their previous glory, as prisoners of the Baabots.

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Bubsy never lets us forget that he is too old for this.

Although Bubsy doesn't want any part in this, his gang feels different. Oblivia, Dr. Virgirl, and his annoying nephews Terry and Terri have already set course to track and defeat the Baabots and get back the Fleece. Bubsy is back in the chaos, hopping from planet to planet (literally) - whether he likes it or not.

The story itself is simple, light-hearted, and sometimes just an excuse to throw Bubsy into situations (and platforming sections) in which he doesn't want to be in. The game does a decent job of keeping the world entertaining through character interactions, constant jokes, and Bubsy's commentary, and I generally enjoyed the cutscenes. 

And when I say commentary, I mean commentary on almost anything - including the pause menu. He talks a lot, a lot. Open the menu? Bubsy talks. Change settings? Bubsy talks again. The jokes are more or less lame jokes that are probably funny only to him and no one else. But hey, I respect that, as I always say "I am the target audience of my jokes", so I wholeheartedly support you on that, Bubsy.

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The game's vibrant cartoon style captures the classing PlayStation-era platformers.

Sometimes the humour really lands, especially when the writing leans into self-awareness. My favourites were whenever Bubsy mocks the enemies, which are different variations of sheep, with things such as "What are you gonna do? AI generate a threat to me?". Other times though, the non stop chatter becomes more exhausting than funny. 

And yes, yes, I know that Bubsy was designed to be a talkative mascot, with attitude and constant commentary, but just because he was designed like that and accepted that role, doesn't mean we all have to like it.

The game's presentation plays a lot on the late 90's mascot platformer energy, with colourful planets, exaggerated animations, and a funky cartoon aesthetic which all feels straight out of the PlayStation 1 and 2 game. Not a bad thing in my book, as it goes very well with the entire Bubsy vibe. 

Platforming that trips over itself

At its core, Bubsy is pretty straightforward, a collect-and-reach experience: you're traveling across planets, clearing different platforming sections while looking for the Golden Fleece, which is waiting for you at the end. Every time you grab the Fleece in a level, it is considered done and you can move on, but you also have the option to replay the levels, if you're looking to grab the collectibles or simply get a better time. This structure is self-explanatory and easy to follow, but the problem lies in the moment-to-moment gameplay.

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Bubsy blasts through level on foot, or in the shape of a hairball.

Bubsy has a variety of moves: he can jump, double-jump, glide, and wall climb. If you encounter an enemy, Bubsy will pounce on them and solve the issue (probably with a comment or two afterwards). Platform too high? You can wall run for a bit and then jump up, solving that issue as well. And if that still isn't enough for you, you can also turn into a rolling hairball - very appropriate for a cat - and indulge in some high speed sections. I'm sure Bubsy appreciates cosplaying as the ball from the Pinball machine.

Since our hero is technically a bobcat, he is agile and capable of covering large gaps and bouncing through vertical spaces. In case you want to enhance your arsenal of moves, for that you can go to the shop conveniently run by your entrepreneur nephews, Terri and Terry. For a reasonable number of yarn balls - which you collect during the platforming - you can get cool upgrades such as the "vortex spin". 

All of these things, in theory, should make Bubsy 4D a fast, fun, and expressive platformer.

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2D sections of Bubsy are a very enjoyable addition to the gameplay.

However in practice it's a bit different. While playing, I have again met my oldest and seemingly immortal enemy, a wonky and inconsistent camera, which often made judging distances or landing after a jump a bit hard. Although there is some sort of shadow under Bubsy, à la Crash Bandicoot 4, the indicator isn't really helpful because of - you guessed it - the wonky camera.

The most frustration arises when you're a hairball, as I've noticed that sometimes it just goes crazy, and if you combine that with slightly floaty controls, trusting your movement gets harder than it is supposed to be. 

The concept of rolling around sounds fun, but I found myself repeatedly missing jumps and dying because Bubsy just jumps to the side, when he should go straight. Other times, rolling around felt really smooth and easy to manage, if you don't press R2 to go faster. Unless someone gave this bobcat alcohol, I don't see a reason why he wouldn't be able to follow a straight line.

Combat is more or less minimal. Enemy encounters are simple and not problematic, some you can kill by pouncing on them, other beg for a bit more thinking as the a pounce isn't enough. The bosses - whose names such as Baarthomeo and Baarbie bring out a chuckle - are nicely done, with their own gimmicks. 

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Bubsy is as agile as you'd expect a cat to be, he can jump, glide, and wall climb.

In case you die, the game is generous with checkpoints, so there is no need to worry about the trek back. The fact that the checkpoints are represented as litterboxes is a fun touch (and very much appreciated from this cat owner).

While most of the game is 3D, the game also introduces a few 2D sections after you get to the second planet, and I genuinely enjoyed these. They feel tighter, more readable, and less chaotic than the 3D traversal. While moving through these, I found zero issues with the movement or camera, it was extremely fluid and made me wish the entire game was done in 2D.

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In Bubsy 4D, the Baabots have stolen the villain spotlight.

Ultimately, Bubsy 4D is playable and enjoyable, but the unreliable controls and camera just sour the experience. And for a platformer, that is built around movement, that's not a small issue to have. 

Funky style, forgettable sound, and a decent performance

Visually, Bubsy brings a recognisable look filled with nostalgia, which feels true to the identity of the series. We've got cartoonish characters, exaggerated animations, and colourful levels which add to the game's personality.

It is all reminiscent of the late-era mascot platformer aesthetic and the nostalgia feels intentional, not accidental. Some animations are particularly expressive, adding to Bubsy's chaotic, ADHD personality.

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Boss fights demand Bubsy uses all his skills and moves.

Sound design is decent, but it rarely stands out. Environmental audio is forgettable, UI effects and character chatter kind of blend into the background after a while, which isn't something you'd expect from a game with this much personality. 

The soundtrack, while I get is aimed at an old-school, funky vibe, didn't really leave a mark on me. On paper, it feels like it should be a nice addition to jumping around and gliding, but in theory it lacks memorable hooks, it never becomes the music you might hum later because it's stuck in your head.

Performance-wise, generally it is stable. I haven't seen any major crashes or serious frame drops, but there were a few visual bugs and odd transitions during movement-heavy sections.

Bubsy's rough landing

I have to admit, as a fan of mascots (I'm writing this with my Crash Bandicoot glass next to me), I hated to see Bubsy have such a mix return. A lot is right on the surface: the humour, personality, recognisable art style, but it's all undercut by frustrating platforming and weird controls.

History seems to be repeating itself as Bubsy again struggles to compete with the genre's best - especially if compared to tighter, more polished platformers. There were moments where I was genuinely having fun while playing as the chaotic bobcat from a different era, but the frustration was sadly also a big part of my experience.

Bubsy's return isn't without it's highlights, but it never really reaches its full potential and turns into something consistently enjoyable.