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Bubsy: Paws on Fire! Review


Eliwood8

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405890757_BubsyPawsonFireboxart.png.c96e46637747a99d43f1577e064bffa4.pngWhen revivals of old IPs are all the rage, clearly some creative executives are scrapping the bottom of the barrel for anything 90s to repackage and sell to modern audiences. Cue Bubsy the bobcat, an anthropomorphic platformer mascot in the vein of Sonic the Hedgehog who first burst onto the scene with a couple of decently received games in the early-to-mid 90s before quickly spiraling into obscurity thanks to one underwhelming sequel after another. After an unexpected revival in 2017 though, he's back once again, this time in an auto-runner developed by masters of the genre Choice Provisions. But Bubsy: Paws on Fire isn't quite the revival that, presumably, anyone wanted.
 
I'll preface this review by noting that I've never played a Bubsy game before, so there's no nostalgia factor at play here, either sincerely or ironically. Either way, the small amount of writing/personality in Paws on Fire feels awfully dated—Bubsy's quips aren't as clever or amusing as he seems to think they are. As for the actual plot, Bubsy's nemesis Oinker P. Hamm is stirring up trouble, prompting the alien Woolie to enlist Bubsy's and his friends Virgil and Arnold's help in stopping him. It's about as basic a story as you can get, and given the quality of the humor that's probably for the best.
 
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The gameplay here doesn't stray at all from Choice Provisions' bread and butter, the Bit.Trip Runner series. Paws on Fire is a rhythmic auto-runner, so instead of having free control of the character you just have to time your jumps and punches to handle obstacles in your path, all while collecting the 150 trinkets found in each stage. Unlike Bit.Trip there isn't much emphasis on the musical, rhythmic nature of the gameplay. There's some, certainly, since to collect every trinket you have to follow the level's specific pattern, but it lacks the satisfying sense of flow that defines the Runner games. It certainly doesn't help that the soundtrack is far from catchy.
 
What does make Paws on Fire stand out is the fact that there are three playable characters and each one has different abilities. Bubsy is able to glide through the air to slow his descent as well as punch forward in a straight line. Virgil is able to double jump and slide under obstacles, and Woolie pilots a small flying saucer that shoots lasers and does have free range of movement—the screen still scrolls forward, but she can fly in any direction. There are also bonus levels as Arnold which play like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 bonus stages where you're rolling into the distance, collecting crystals. Approaching each level with a different set of skills is a great idea in theory, as it adds variety to the gameplay and even, potentially, lets you skirt difficult sections by instead using a different character.
 
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Except that's not quite how it works in Paws on Fire. You'll earn a medal for completing a level with each character, and you need a certain number of medals to unlock new levels, so inherently there is a lot of repetition in the game. Even with each character's unique skills this feels like a cheap way of extending the length of the game, and even feels like mindless repetition at times. It doesn't help that the level design in Paws on Fire just doesn't have the same inventive charm as Bit.Trip Runner games. In fact nothing in the game matches the sheer imaginative quirkiness of the Runner games, which is a real shame since Choice Provisions is clearly capable of much more, yet this game is so bland.
 
And finally, Paws on Fire has a real issue with loading screens. I'm not sure what exactly is happening on the technical side of the game, but I don't see anything that justifies the 30+ second loading screens at the start of every level. These have a real way of draining the energy from the game and just making the whole experience dull.
 
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Fans will have to wait a little longer for Bubsy's triumphant return to the forefront of gaming, as Bubsy: Paws on Fire is, at best, a pretty bland auto-runner. It's a shame too since Choice Provisions is clearly capable of much more, but neither the cheesy 90s mascot nor the uninspired gameplay is able to inject any kind of life or energy into this experience. Paws on Fire might be decent for a bit of time-wasting action, but don't expect any degree of depth from this repetitive runner.
 
Rating: 5 out of 10 Paws
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Never played a Bubsy game before but even then I had a very "who asked for this?" reaction when a new Bubsy game was confirmed to be in development.  Moreso than that while I never explicitly sought out info on this game I never even heard until now that the game was an auto runner.  And even moreso than that is learning just now that Gaijin Games is now under a new name and has been for at least a few years.  I can't say I had any real interest in this Bubsy game and have more reason to stay away hearing about the repetitive nature and extensive load times here, but if nothing else this review at least educated me on a few things I didn't know about previously.

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