It has been many a year since I saw this weirdo’s smiling face…
This week we’re talking about Bubsy, a sassy bobcat who can run fast, jump high, and make wise cracks like nobody’s business. This is his first game, subtitled “Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind,” because of course it is.
Bubsy is opposed by woolies, a race of dumb creatures who stole all of the world’s yarn, easily the worst crime that can be committed against a pantsless bobcat. They even stole Kirby’s Epic Yarn:
Those bastards!
On its surface, Bubsy bears a reasonable resemblance to Sonic the Hedgehog – he’s a fast-moving, anthropomorphic animal with a sweet ‘tude, who jumps on enemies and stuff. They are indeed similar on the surface, though there are a few big differences in gameplay, none of really which work out in Bubsy’s favor. While Bubsy collects yarn balls like Sonic collects rings, the yarn doesn’t act as a protection against damage like Sonic’s rings are – in this one, if you get hit, you’re just dead. Additionally, you can die from fall damage if you aren’t careful, which is a bit annoying in a game with a decent amount of vertical elements.
The game mitigates these things a little bit – you start with a forgiving 9 lives (get it?!), and you can glide downward in most situations. Still, it can definitely be a frustrating experience at times.
One of Bubsy’s most iconic features is the wisecracking that appears at the beginning of each level. The punny level “A Bridge to Fur” is responded to with the comment “More like a bridge too short,” for instance. There’s one of these for each of the game’s 16 levels – “What could possibly go wrong?,” “Did I mention I don’t like heights?,” “Eviscerate the proletariat,” and so forth. Dumb as they are, I’ve always enjoyed these.
While many would likely argue that Bubsy is just an inferior version of Sonic or other top-tier games of the era (and it is, honestly), it’s not without its charms – the levels are big and colorful, the gameplay is entirely functional, and it is 90′s as heck. It’s a prime example of mid-level, 16-bit platforming, and I have a definite soft spot for it. It is, if nothing else, a product of its time, and despite its flaws, there’s some genuine enjoyment to still get out of it.
Since I love to go over sequels and other franchise factoids in this blog, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the PlayStation-exclusive Bubsy 3D. There are a few other sequels – Bubsy II and the Jaguar-exclusive Fractured Furry Tales are both fine – but Bubsy 3D is in…a whole other world, and not in a good way. Here’s what it looks like:
Dear god! If you see this game out in the wild, you have a duty to kill it with fire. Fun fact – a version of the Bubsy 3D engine was used to make Syphon Filter, a game that isn’t life-alteringly terrible. Let’s go back to regular Bubsy just to cleanse ourselves of this.
That’s a little more like it. I don’t fault anyone for disliking Bubsy – it’s not without its flaws (or claws, am i right?) – but I’ll always be a fan. Playing it a lot at a friend’s house as a kid probably has something to do with that, but dammit, I will defend this one until I die my own stupid, pun-filled death.
Next week’s game is a great one, set 40 years from now, and offers up a vision of the future filled with fast cars and sick beats. See you then?