The original Bubsy game has a lot going for it. Good graphics, an awesome soundtrack, a lot of animations and voice clips for a console game of its era, and a fun challenge that feels rewarding whenever you beat that next level that you are stuck on.
Someone picking this up for the first time nowadays might give up after encountering some of the cheap obstacles and fall damage, but if you give this game a chance and figure out some of the mechanics, there is tons of fun to be had. For instance, it is much easier to land your jumps on enemies or narrow landings by gliding whenever you are in the air. It also helps when you are in a new area you aren't yet familiar with to always look ahead of you to see what obstacle could be coming your way by holding the C button and the direction you are going.
One of the most appealing parts of this game is the soundtrack, which is significantly under rated. You will be humming these songs in the shower or when you get out of your car to buy groceries, only to realize that there are people looking at you, so you get nervous and shut your mouth.
I got this game around the time that it came out, when I was about eight. I have never played a platformer like this where you can actually die from falling too high (okay I played the Genesis version of Jurassic Park that has this feature, but you don't comically splat in that game like you do in this game and it just felt different.) Anyway, I must have died so many times because I couldn't even beat the first level, even though the game starts you off with nine lives (which I always thought was amusing). It was such a rush back then when I did beat the first level, and again when I beat the chapter 3 boss some time after that, and when I solved the chapter 6 funhouse puzzle and beat that boss. And guess what? It was still a big rush when I finished chapter 9 twenty-five years later
(granted, I didn't play the game much over this 25 year period).
The game gets a lot harder starting from chapter nine, but if you master your landing skills and look ahead often, you will still continue to progress quickly. The final level was perhaps the best level of the game, I think because it was the most linear (and has some pretty awesome music). All of the other levels have multiple pathways, much like the Genesis Sonic games, which I think make the levels seem like there were just cobbled up by the level designer, at least in the case of Bubsy. I think that maybe this game would be more appreciated today if the levels were more linear like the final one. But I know nothing about video game design, so I am probably just talking out of my ass.
Bottom Line: Give this game a chance and decide for yourself if you like it
Someone picking this up for the first time nowadays might give up after encountering some of the cheap obstacles and fall damage, but if you give this game a chance and figure out some of the mechanics, there is tons of fun to be had. For instance, it is much easier to land your jumps on enemies or narrow landings by gliding whenever you are in the air. It also helps when you are in a new area you aren't yet familiar with to always look ahead of you to see what obstacle could be coming your way by holding the C button and the direction you are going.
One of the most appealing parts of this game is the soundtrack, which is significantly under rated. You will be humming these songs in the shower or when you get out of your car to buy groceries, only to realize that there are people looking at you, so you get nervous and shut your mouth.
I got this game around the time that it came out, when I was about eight. I have never played a platformer like this where you can actually die from falling too high (okay I played the Genesis version of Jurassic Park that has this feature, but you don't comically splat in that game like you do in this game and it just felt different.) Anyway, I must have died so many times because I couldn't even beat the first level, even though the game starts you off with nine lives (which I always thought was amusing). It was such a rush back then when I did beat the first level, and again when I beat the chapter 3 boss some time after that, and when I solved the chapter 6 funhouse puzzle and beat that boss. And guess what? It was still a big rush when I finished chapter 9 twenty-five years later
(granted, I didn't play the game much over this 25 year period).
The game gets a lot harder starting from chapter nine, but if you master your landing skills and look ahead often, you will still continue to progress quickly. The final level was perhaps the best level of the game, I think because it was the most linear (and has some pretty awesome music). All of the other levels have multiple pathways, much like the Genesis Sonic games, which I think make the levels seem like there were just cobbled up by the level designer, at least in the case of Bubsy. I think that maybe this game would be more appreciated today if the levels were more linear like the final one. But I know nothing about video game design, so I am probably just talking out of my ass.
Bottom Line: Give this game a chance and decide for yourself if you like it