I love video game history and revisiting the past as much as I can. Hell, on my shelf in my office sits a 1970s home PONG machine that I break out and stream on Twitch when I have time (and the VCR passthrough). That said, sometimes games struggle to recapture their magic and the era they were born within. I’ve run into a few games like that in the past, where I can appreciate them on a history buff level, but have to agree they are more miss than hits when it comes to modern gaming expectations. And that’s where this review sits.
Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection from developer Limited Run Games, who adore classic video games and treat them respectfully, and publisher Atari, who is, at least by name, a classic video game company, has been released, and it’s a trip down memory lane. While I’m thrilled that they capture Bubsy in all his glory from the ’90s, even with glaring design faults, it’s tough to fall in love with the game again due to its aging controls and difficulty. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, but it does mean that modern gamers may not fully appreciate what Limited Run Games and Atari were trying to bring to the table.
So, let’s get this party started with a little history lesson.
The struggle for mascots was real.
Back in the day, somewhere in the late 80s and into the 90s, everyone was holding their breath to see who the next big mascot of the video game industry was going to be. Nintendo’s Mario roared into people’s lives in the mid-80s and managed to establish the seat of ‘Most Visible Mascot’, a crown that would be difficult to take away from our favorite Italian plumber. For nearly four years, this guy ruled the roost and was/is one of the more identifiable icons in the history of video games. Every time someone would think of Nintendo, Mario would be the first picture in their head. He was and still is a video game legend that is cross-generational with longevity that will far surpass the industry’s lifespan.
Of course, all things, at least in the late 80s and early 90s, weren’t meant to last. Mario’s crown was taken by a little, cute blue bastard who came along and stole his thunder by bringing a mean attitude and fast gameplay. Sonic the Hedgehog emerged into the gaming world and managed to bring with him the 16-bit era and a very dominant, albeit short-lived, Sega rule. While the hardware side of Sega would eventually nearly collapse the company in the late 90s (Sega should have had a DVD-ROM in the Dreamcast), Sonic certainly held the hearts of people and kept Sega from falling apart with several iterations and adventures. Sonic is still one of the most recognizable mascots, and Sega still rides that blue wave when they need to remind people who took down the plumber.
After those two mascot icons, the gaming world tried to find a third mascot that would define a company and breathe more life into a changing industry. Accolade really thought they had the right feline with Bubsy, a bobcat that sported a northern United States accent and an aggressive personality. While the first game was certainly a hit, the subsequent games couldn’t capture the magic and reignite this crazy critter into mascot stardom. Accolade kept on trying, though. And trying. AND TRYING. Have to love them for it.
Anyway, Bubsy was a wildcard for mascots, while also becoming a cult favorite that never could reach the same pedestal as the two aforementioned big guys. Since Bubsy’s arrival, there have been, maybe, a handful of characters that have become well-known, but most could never reach that pedestal either. I’m looking at you, Crash and Spyro. I really thought the former would be the next big name. Alas, Crash has fallen to the wayside, but hasn’t been forgotten.
My point with this lesson is that it’s difficult to reach the perfection or popularity of a Mario or Sonic, but Bubsy came close. At the very least, Bubsy is memorable, and there were quite a few people excited about this collection.
Speaking of collection…
The purrfect intentions for this collection
So, after that brief history lesson, where does that leave this collection? Well, it leaves it with delivering an honest, yet somewhat flexible version of the entire Bubsy series. This collection includes:
- Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (Super & Mega versions)
- Bubsy II (Super, Mega, and Portable versions)
- Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales
- Bubsy is 3D in “The Furbitten Planet”
- Yamaneko Bubsy no Daibouken
- Bubsy 3D ReFurBished
These games have aged like an open bottle of wine, as their controls seem stiff and unforgiving at times, which can make for a less-than-good time. Of course, that’s the intention back in the day.
These games were arcade platformers by intention and construction, which meant they were designed to make you fail, and most of what you play in these releases makes it easy to lose. Touch an enemy the wrong way? Dead. Fall off a cliff onto solid ground? Dead. Accidentally get on the wrong waterslide and make too high a jump while sliding? Dead. For any Dark Souls fans out there, this is your time to shine as you wait for the next iteration of that series. Back to the collection, every single game in this collection is difficult as hell, which echoes what most platformers of that era brought to the table. Tough controls and easy-to-die roadblocks were a signature of that timeline. But we didn’t know better, and this was the norm, so it wasn’t noticeable until now.
Now, with that criticism of the gameplay, that doesn’t mean Bubsy ain’t fun. No, it’s quite the opposite. By Limited Run Games capturing all the majesty of the original releases and replicating them perfectly for the player, and tweaking some elements of the gameplay, it’s hard to deny that this isn’t the purest re-release of the series to date. It’s certainly a historical romp through the ‘90s era video game industry. You’re getting exactly what you think you might with this collection. Whether that is good or bad depends on your expectations. I knew going in that this was going to feel outdated, like playing the original Toe Jam and Earl re-release on the Genesis collection years ago. But it was going to be an accurate representation of the experience. That is valuable for someone who played this game early in their video game career. That isn’t to say that there weren’t some add-ons or adjustments for the collection. Of course, there are some add-ons and adjustments.
The biggest add-ons are the cheat codes for each title in the series, and those cheats vary. The first two games feature the ability to make time and lives infinite, so you have plenty of chances to proceed after failing. The first two also feature the ability to turn on invincibility mode, which works most of the time. There are moments in the game when you have no other choice but to die, like falling down a long drop (you would be trapped in the ether otherwise). These cheats are neat, though they don’t exactly tame the difficulty or the unforgiving controls of the series.
An additional change in this collection is the remake of the optical Bubsy series (featured on CD-ROM). Bubsy 3D debuted on the original PlayStation in the late 90s, bringing a simplistic 3D world to navigate, while also showcasing the innocence of Accolade’s approach to traversing a 3D landscape. The controls for the original game will show you that immediately, as the camera isn’t exactly operational, and the landscape and enemies are tough to estimate and navigate in 3D. You will die more than not, but, like, in a different, more frustrating way. There is absolutely nothing worse than playing an older game and miscalculating a jump or the disposal of an enemy in 3D. It’s so infuriating when it doesn’t land.
The refurbished version of Bubsy 3D features updated controls, which work wonders for playing this game, as camera controls and movement are what you would expect from a modern 3D gaming experience, but don’t exactly clean up the inaccurate estimate of how to dispose of enemies or jump around on 3D platforms. The 3D graphical space is still tough to manage, and is still simple with its design and layout, but it is less frustrating. Making the refurbished version of the game more modernized in controls and feel does help in appreciating where it came from, and the lone cheat option for invincibility is a blessing. At the very least, you’ll be able to see how far 3D platformers have come since the original Bubsy 3D release. Spoiler alert: it’s quite far.
Beyond featuring the original titles and a refurbished 3D game, the collection has some additional history to it (literally that) and a music option. Some people love that 16-bit era music. They are neat add-ons for the collection and great for those enthralled with this series. Also, good for history buffs like me.
Anyway, on that note, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection from Limited Run Games and Atari is a solid trip down memory lane that features good add-ons and a worthy refurbished 3D version of Bubsy 3D. Now, that said, the collection might be tough for modern gamers to get into because of its difficulty and stiff controls, as the titles certainly belong in the ‘90s from whence they came. Ultimately, it’s a good collection for Bubsy fans and video game history enthusiasts.
