Bugsnax Review

After an invitation from beloved island inhabitant and renowned explorer Elizabert Megafig to take a trip to Snaktooth Island, players arrive at something far less like an exciting adventure and more alike to that a horror story of sorts. Upon arrival, it becomes clear that Elizabert is missing, vanished into thin air, and the island she has become famed upon is full of a ton of little critters called Bugsnax. What’s more is that you’ll be hunting far and wide to collect these little creatures, before feeding them to the locals to watch their transformation. Believe it or not, this isn’t a newly twisted tale from the land of Pokémon, but with that premise, it could easily pass for one – this is Bugsnax.

Whilst the above introduction would probably serve as the perfect tale for a horrific twist on everyone’s favorite creature collecting series, Bugsnax instead takes players on a vibrant, colorful, and unique adventure. I can’t say it’s the one I’ve been unknowingly waiting years to play, but for the length of its 8–10-hour playtime, it’s certainly one that can provide a unique and mostly enjoyable experience, even if it is a little unusual.  

Whilst the tale begins with a strong focus on Elizabert Megafig, or ‘Lizbert’ as she is affectionately known, it doesn’t take long to realize this intrepid explorer, the one behind the discovery of the little Bugsnax this tale is all about, isn’t going to play much of a face-to-face role. Instead, a lot of the story of this individual is played out through video diaries. Our protagonists come in the form of multiple Grampuses’, which are capable of human interaction in the traditional sense but quickly become all sorts of unique monstrosities depending on how you feed them.

The goal of Bugsnax is simple. You will need to traverse around Snaktooth Island to catch and catalog all the various Bugsnax, whilst completing tasks for each of the many Grumpuses you come across. Each task is usually simple and often requires you to catch a Bugsnax in different ways, such as by utilizing your provided equipment in the best way possible. This may mean using a slingshot to splash ketchup, chocolate, etc into an area to lure a Bugsnax over, or it may mean setting up a trap on the known path your targeted Bugsnax walks to catch it when out of sight as it roams. Of course, you have the classics such as a simple net too. It’s basic hunting methods but it’s entertaining enough thanks to a wide variety of different Bugsnax, and many having a different method required to capture.

These creatures are cute to look at with each one clearly resembling a mixture of food and known critter. For example, one of my favorites are the Fryder. This little thing is met fairly early on, and its appearance is that of French fries for legs, and a small ketchup container for its body; stick a couple of pairs of googly eyes on the front and attach the behaviour of a spider and you have your classic Fryder. Catching it is as simple as laying a trap and firing ketchup out of your slingshot and the Fryder will come running. It’s simplistic character creation, but it certainly proves an effective one with my first hour or two spent purely looking for more of these little creatures just to see what developer Young Horses could come up with.

Collecting is an important part of the game but for serious players it can become a game of its own with players able to track which ones have been collected, just seen, or both through the use of an in-game diary given by one of the Grumpuses, but for the most part, you’ll only have selected Bugsnax that are necessary for the completion of main quests. Once caught, Bugsnax can then be fed to Grumpuses, which as the main source of food on the island isn’t surprising. The surprise instead appears when these creatures are fed to Grumpuses as these snax then transform whichever chosen body part you select to resemble the specific Bugsnax eaten. Meaning, should you feed a Grumpus a Strawb – a Strawberry inspired creature with cute little eyes and spindly legs, and then choose the leg of the Grumpus, you’ll find them walking around with a Strawb inspired leg. This in turns brings an entirely new reality to the term ‘you are what you eat’ and creating the possibility to fully customize each of the games various NPC’s in any way you want, provided you catch the specific Bugsnax to do so.

Whilst the objectives and quests are simple, with most objectives proving similar, there are multiple environments to explore with players going through a beach, desert, forest, a volcanic mountain, and others along the way. This makes for some varied creatures with the encountered Bugsnax usually always fitting something that suits the environment they reside within.

Sadly, Bugnsax is a very linear title in terms of objectives and creature catching with very few occasions to use creative ways to catch a given Bugsnax. For example, whilst some may need you to throw a specific ingredient on the floor first to lure it over, you’re unlikely to be able to just catch the creature with a trap alone by throwing it at them unexpectedly. Instead, you’ll need to follow the specific initial instructions to ensure the critter is caught rather than finding new and ingenious ways to increase your catalog and that can be a little bit of a bummer as it makes things feel a little overly controlled or that you’re being forced into how you should be playing.

Away from the gameplay Bugsnax offers players some beautiful family-friendly visuals with an art style similar to that of Slime Rancher. Each area and environment are vibrant and colourful and detailed even if a little generic, and whilst the characters may prove rather stereotypical in personality with an attitude-filled teenager and a dramatized superstar in the mix, the Grumpuses come with enough of a unique design to feel different, at least until you start customizing them with edible creatures of course.

As for the audio side of things, the soundtrack does at least bring a soothing sound and for younger players, it’ll probably be something you’re humming along to in the background but there isn’t anything notable to really blow you away rather than what we’ve already seen in similar titles.

For me, the overarching issue lies in the repetitive nature of the gameplay, with things rarely providing more of a goal than going to this place and catching creature X. It’s a basic concept that has already been achieved and mastered numerous times over the years, and with little else to go on besides some frankly predictable storytelling, and most things proving overly linear, Bugsnax does falter a little in its delivery. It’s not a bad way to spend your time, but if you want something that can deliver a unique experience and an engaging story, then you may well find yourself drifting elsewhere after a few hours with this cutesy adventure.

Conclusion

Overall, Bugsnax is likely to be a game that will sit well with the younger audience or casual gamers thanks to its minimalist approach and vibrant and colorful game world. Those wanting a meaningful experience are likely to find the systems in play here too linear and predictable and with no real pull to keep you going, it’ll only remain interesting for as long as you feel entertained by finding new food/creature hybrids. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not one that fills its full potential either.

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This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox Series S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.

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Good
  • Vibrant and colourful visuals
  • Unique and loveable creatures
  • Included on Gamepass Day One
Bad
  • Overly linear
  • Quickly becomes reptitive
  • Grumpuses becoming what they eat isn't half as interesting as it could be
6.3
Okay
Written by
After many years of dabbling and failing in Dark Souls and many other equally brutal gaming adventures, I can now be found in a state of relaxation, merely hunting for a little extra gamerscore or frightening myself with the latest Resident Evil - Sometimes I write about it too!

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