After his last two outings didn’t exactly set the world on fire, no one expected Bubsy, one of the few memorable anthropomorphic leads in the gaming mascot rush of the 1990s, to return so quickly. As revealed during Opening Night Live’s pre-show, the sassy bobcat is back in a sequel that will stray from the character’s 2D days in favor of a 3D platformer.
While the words “Bubsy” and “3D” may bring about flashbacks to the gnarliest days of early 3D gaming, I’m pleased to report that Bubsy’s second go around in the third dimension is already looking plenty smoother than his first. Much of that credit goes to indie developer Fabraz, whose past work on games like the underrated Demon Turf proves it has a way of making exhilarating new additions to the genre. That same charm is very much present in Bubsy 4D, a surprise hit that left me wanting to play more at the end of the three levels I played during an Atari event this month.
