Bubsy 4D is a running, jumping, and rolling game where you play a "beloved" bobcat in a planet-hopping adventure. Play involves the usual tightly timed jumps to get around, but the fun comes from inventively chaining traversal moves together for hard-to-reach collectables and speedy routes to the goal. It stands out for the way this much-maligned classic series, now in the hands of a younger generation of passionate developers, turns the tired hero into an expressive, fluid exploration challenge.
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You play Bubsy, the star of a series of infamous platformers from the 90s, as you travel across the galaxy in search of a golden fleece abducted by nefarious sheep. You explore each of the large stages using your movement toolkit: roll into a ball like Sonic, travel through pipes like Mario and generally chain actions together to move fluidly across huge distances. Along the way, you find hidden collectables and blueprints that unlock new abilities like a triple jump or a higher bounce, and you use your moves to defeat enemies.
As you progress, you expand your roster of moves to get around in increasingly inventive ways. In this way, you work on completing stages as quickly as possible by finding the fastest routes and comparing your times against other players. You also advance the intentionally goofy story that references the series' troubled past and clearly highlights the developers' passion for the series.
The result is a love letter to this overlooked platforming icon. It's a playground where you're free to experiment with your platforming powers to slowly uncover every secret as you master ambitious routes to shave precious seconds off your times.
