One of the best 3D platformers for the PlayStation, Bubsy 3D is a fantastic game that DEFINITELY does NOT deserve its negative reputation. It offers great gameplay, an amazing soundtrack, and countless hours of fun.
GAMEPLAY & LEVELS – 9.5/10 for gameplay, 8/10 for controls
One of the best aspects of Bubsy 3D is the gameplay. First of all, the controls. Bubsy 3D uses “tank controls”, meaning that UP in the D-pad accelerates, LEFT and RIGHT turn around and DOWN makes Bubsy move backwards, or hop backwards if tapped. L2 and R2 make Bubsy hop sideways, R1 is the run button, and L1 is a free camera mode.
The controls are tight and responsive, with the only exception being the turning speed, which is a bit slow, but definitely not a problem when navigating through the game’s levels.
The levels themselves are fantastic and well designed, with practically none of them being any frustrating or difficult to navigate through. Each one has two rocket pieces you must find and collect for 100% completion. These rockets are usually hidden somewhere in the level, but never in places where a player would not explore, making finding these rockets a fun, rewarding experience.
These levels are usually very large, but they are designed in such a way that none of them are boring or tedious to complete. There are a variety of different level themes, each one containing their own special features and gimmicks. For example, some levels have blue spaceships which you must hop in to move through the levels, some levels have water strider vehicles, factory levels have conveyor belts, etc.
There are 18 levels in total divided in 3 worlds, which are separated by boss stages. All 3 levels in the first world are nature-themed, with large open areas, mountains, rivers and flatlands. The second and third world all have 7 levels, of which World 2 has factory-themed and underwater-themed levels, and World 3 has city-themed and spaceship-themed levels. Each of the boss levels has its own theme, whether it would be a Laboratory, an Olympic arena or a Castle. Each level has its own unique areas and layout.
MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS – 9.5/10
Another aspect that really shines about Bubsy 3D is the soundtrack. Each level theme has its own composition, and each level of a certain theme has its own version of the theme’s song. These compositions are great, charming, and extremely catchy, ranging from cartoony orchestras to songs entirely composed of synthesizers depending of the level’s theme. Some highlights of the game’s music could be “Claws for Alarm”, “Missing Lynx”, “Bonus Round”, “Dome Home”, among others. The sound effects used in the game are highly cartoonish and nice on the ears, whether it would be jumping, gliding, stomping on enemies’ heads, teleporters, shooting atoms, etc. One thing that is really worth mentioning is that each enemy in the game has its own little theme and/or sounds which set them apart from other enemies.
...And per Bubsy tradition, there is plenty of voice acting. Bubsy’s voice is charming, and he has tons of silly one-liners to say for each situation. If you somehow don’t like his voice though, there is an option to turn it off.
GRAPHICS - 8.5/10
Bubsy 3D’s graphics are mostly composed of low-poly shapes, bright vertex colors and hand-drawn textures. The graphics themselves look extremely nice and clean, and the combination of colors, shapes and different patterns in the game’s scenarios make them look extremely surreal, with different areas that stand out from each other because of their colors and patterns. Also, the game runs at 640×480 pixels, roughly at twice the resolution of a regular PSX game.
The 3D models of characters and objects are extremely expressive and well done, especially considering that the developers at Eidetic had zero experience with 3D at all. Bubsy and even the enemies are highly expressive, and each character has its own personality. For example, there is a slime enemy that grins and sticks its tongue out after hitting you, lightning enemies called Zzzots that move erratically, and so much more.
Bubsy 3D also has several FMV cutscenes throughout the game, which feature slapstick humor and great, stylized animation.
SUMMARY
Bubsy 3D is truly an amazing game, and an incredible feat for a team that had zero experience making these kind of games. It’s a shame that it never got the praise it deserves, because it has the potential to give games like Super Mario 64 a run for their money (and completely blows Crash Bandicoot 1 out of the water). More amazing is that it came from a game series that wasn’t that great in the first place, yet it manages to be a fantastic experience.
9/10