Bubsy 4D Review – Don’t Call It A Comeback

Bubsy has returned, and it’s understandable if you’re asking who that even is! He was once an attempt to create a popular platforming character like Mario or, more specifically, Sonic the Hedgehog. However, his 2D games weren’t very original, and many found his personality irritating. Things only got worse with Bubsy 3D, effectively solidifying his decline into obscurity.

Now that Atari owns the rights again, they’ve teamed up with Fabraz, known for Demon Tides, to create a new 3D platformer. While it’s a step in the right direction for the series, it unfortunately has some major issues that hold it back from being among the very best platformers out there – even compared to Fabraz’s own previous games.

The story involves the return of the alien Woollies, who are once again kidnapping Earth’s sheep for unknown reasons. Bubsy isn’t initially concerned, but things change when the alien ships return, now disguised as sheep. When Bubsy, his family, and Virgil Reality investigate one of these ships, they discover the sheep themselves are now in control – they’ve taken over from the Woollies, creating robotic sheep called Baabots.

The core of the game is jumping and moving around levels, and Bubsy 4D gives players a lot of ways to do it. Besides jumping, double-jumping, pouncing, and gliding, Bubsy can even turn into a hairball and roll around incredibly fast.

So, those guys have the Golden Fleece now and are totally gloating, which is super annoying. That means it’s up to me, Bubsy, to go after them – honestly, I’m not always thrilled about it. And hey, sometimes I even talk to you, the person playing the game, while I’m doing it!

Don’t go into Bubsy 4D expecting a lot of backstory – and that’s not a criticism! The game jumps right into the action, so quickly that I wondered if I’d missed something. It doesn’t bother explaining who Oblivia is, how Bubsy gained a niece and nephew (Terri and Terry), why they’re with him (and they don’t seem to mind!), or what’s up with Virgil. Honestly, you don’t need to worry about it. Most of that was only hinted at in a single, unaired episode of a Bubsy TV show, and the characters act differently here anyway.

The characters are enjoyable to encounter between missions and after important story moments. Watching them relax – like the kids betting on Bubsy’s fight, or Oblivia playfully misspelling his name – is often amusing. While the running gag about Bubsy being unlikeable can become repetitive, there’s clever humor about things like user agreements, old games, and even a few self-aware jokes from Bubsy himself when you pause. It would be nice if Bubsy had more varied dialogue during gameplay, as his explanations for things like floating objects get old quickly, but thankfully, you can turn his voice off.

The core of the game revolves around platforming, and Bubsy 4D offers a lot of ways to move around. Besides jumping, double-jumping, pouncing, and gliding, Bubsy can turn into a hairball and roll incredibly fast. Finding blueprints unlocks upgrades, like teleporting between litter boxes (which act as checkpoints) or using hairball form to quickly bounce between buildings – much faster than wall-jumping. You can also learn new moves like a triple jump or chaining pounces into a series of leaps. Pouncing helps Bubsy climb walls, but it takes some practice to manage the cooldowns of all these abilities. Sometimes, pouncing can send Bubsy too far, requiring some tricky mid-air adjustments.

The boss battles are at least fun. The first boss, Baarbee, initially seems simple, but each time you damage it, it starts chasing you around the level, making the fight more challenging.

While the levels in Bubsy 4D start off interesting, they often feel surprisingly empty. The game explains this with its unique world design – planets made of materials like wool or arts and crafts – and there are some clever challenges that require accurate platforming. Finding extra collectibles can be fun at times, but eventually it feels pointless to gather blueprints just for the sake of collecting them.

Overall, the game’s presentation feels a bit flat and lacks a unique style. While Fabraz does attempt to add interesting moments – like encountering unhappy shopkeepers – these efforts don’t fully come together. The characters are somewhat compelling, though in a rather bleak way.

Even with those difficulties, you’ll find yourself spending a good chunk of time rolling around in half pipes as a hairball. It can be pretty unstable – you’ll need to use the brake often – and it’s especially frustrating when trying to enter normal pipes, as you can easily fall off the side. Add to that occasional camera issues, particularly when wall-jumping from the side, the sometimes-difficult aiming when pouncing on enemies, and long distances between checkpoints when you first play a level, and I found actually getting through these levels more annoying than enjoyable.

It’s not a terrible game, but it definitely needs some improvements and refinement. The boss fights are a highlight, though. The first boss, Baarbee, seems simple at first, but quickly turns into a fast-paced chase across the level with each hit. Her brother, Baartholomeo, presents a more frantic challenge, requiring precise platforming on a circular path while avoiding a barrage of attacks and lightning.

Even if you’re strangely drawn to playing a game where the main character is a bit of a laughingstock, Bubsy 4D isn’t the worst option out there. However, there are definitely much better games you could choose instead.

Whether you enjoy Bubsy 4D or not, it’s a fairly short game with only 15 levels. After finishing, you can replay levels to find any missed yarnballs or Blueprints. Yarnballs let you buy cosmetic items – everything from outlandish jackets to Bubsy’s original design, and even a retro 3D model. If you’re competitive, there are leaderboards and ghost data to check out. For a real challenge, try ‘Nine Lives’ mode, where you only have nine hit points for the entire game – if you mess up, you have to start from the beginning.

If you’re hoping for a standout 3D platformer filled with great levels and fun gameplay, Bubsy 4D likely won’t deliver. While it’s not the absolute worst game in the series – and that’s saying something, considering the franchise’s history – it’s hard to recommend it to most players. You’ll get much more enjoyment out of Demon Tides, which really shows what the developers can do when it comes to creating a quality 3D platformer.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

2026-05-27 17:14

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