Is this platform pawsome or like coughing up a fur ball?

Join Bubsy on a new, intergalactic, platforming adventure! Yeah, we couldn’t believe it either. The world’s most infamous, wise-cracking bobcat has returned to 3D with new challenges, new moves, and even more purrsonality – in space! Run, jump, glide, and roll across alien planets, battle robotic sheep, and collect tons and tons of yarn. What could possibly go wrong? Bubsy’s longstanding enemies, the fleece-obsessed Woolies, have stolen all of the Earth’s sheep. Oh well, that ain’t Bubsy’s problem. Until the sheep overthrow their captors and return as deadly BaaBots, empowered by Woolie technology, determined to steal Bubsy’s most prized possession, The Golden Fleece. With the help of his motley crew of acquaintances, Bubsy must journey through space to defeat the BaaBots and take back the Golden Fleece.

I was lucky enough to get sent the Pawsome Edition of the game from the great people at Atari. It includes a double-sided poster, 24-page manual, and art book jam-packed with Bubsy lore and original artwork and looks really impressive.

I have to admit, I haven’t played a Bubsy game before but have seen enough footage, memes and reactions to how bad the original games were. With that in mind and being a long-term fan of decent platformers like Mario, Donkey Kong and Banjo, I was wary of what a new 3D Bubsy game could be like.

I have to admit, while it has its share of problems with its camera and the levels feeling a bit lifeless in their design, it actually works well as a platformer in itself. Bubsy is easy to control as you get him to leap from posts or turn into a hairball and roll around the levels, each of which have their fair share of collectible balls of yarn as well as obstacles and enemies to overcome.

The humour doesn’t always hit the mark, but I did like the times where the game picked fun at Bubsy’s past, like it’s self-aware of the bad games in the past. Self-deprecating and amusing as a result. The game itself is on the short side, but it also doesn’t feel like it outstays its welcome like some games do.

The visuals have a nice art style, though the levels do feel a bit barren in their design and it isn’t quite as nicely detailed as you would imagine. The voice-acting is a mixed bag, while the soundtrack has some good tunes flowing. The framerate is consistent and I didn’t come across any real glitches during my playthrough.

The Verdict

After years of bad Bubsy games, we finally have one that’s worthy of your time. It likes to poke fun at itself, it handles well and has some truly fun moments. It’s a bit short and you can tell the scale of the stages are the price to pay for the smooth framerate, but it’s definitely a pounce in the right direction for this wise-cracking bobcat.

Score: 7.0