In the world of platformers, the Bubsy franchise has been the butt of jokes for nearly 25 years due to its past of having mediocre at best games, but now it finally has something to write home about.

Bubsy: Paws on Fire! begins with Bubsy finding out that his rival, Oinker P. Hammm, is causing havoc once again. Bubsy enlists the help of Virgil, Arnold, and Woolie, and the four traverse across three different worlds in order to stop the pesky pig once again. Though the only cutscenes are at the beginning and end, which is really disappointing as I genuinely enjoyed them, and they at least fleshed out Bubsy’s character.

Paws on Fire offers multiple maps and many levels – each map consisting of 9 normal levels and a boss fight, each playable as three different characters per level. The more levels you play, the more tokens you earn to move on to later levels.

Paws on Fire has 4 recurring characters from Bubsy 2, an earlier game in the franchise. First, there’s Bubsy, who jumps, pounces, and glides as usual. Then we have Virgil who – unlike Bubsy that periodically glides while he jumps – uses more of a traditional runner style as he sticks to the ground to progress. Then there’s Woolie, who flies a UFO in classic shoot ’em up style levels. Finally, there’s Arnold who has separate levels that are unlocked by getting specific collectibles in each level, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for them.

You also need a specific number of victory medals (gained from beating each level) to progress through the game. This makes playing said levels repeatedly a bit tedious, repetitive, and grindy, as a means to lengthen the content.

Arnold’s levels were my favorite, as all you do is roll around collecting gems and other items till you reach the end point of the level. Although his sections are not easy to control, especially if you use the d-pad often. Similar to Woolie, the control stick is the best control option here.

The longer you stay in the air, the greater your score, as jumping off each obstacle while staying in the air, hitting enemies, and collecting yarn will cause the multiplier to increase. Staying on the ground will have the opposite effect. It’s also pretty difficult to get all 150 yarn balls in one go, so again, if you want them all you will have to repeat the levels to get them. That’s where the repetitive aspect of the game really shows.

Paws on Fire! is relatively easy to learn but not to master. While it’s somewhat easier than the earlier games, there were some particularly tricky sections. However, with multiple checkpoints in each level, it makes progressing, at the very least, bearable especially when facing a boss.

I also enjoyed how short the levels were. If they were any longer, it would get too boring, repetitive, and tedious to continue. The dialogue between the characters, and their last words when they die amused me. The music is also quite good as it matches the vibrant and peppy feel of the game. The cartoony visuals also kept things simple and in theme.

With all said and done, Paws on Fire is a good continuation to the franchise – with its whimsical and peppy gameplay and music offering just the right amount of challenge. While not perfect, it is arguably the best Bubsy game to date.

A PS4 copy of Bubsy: Paws on Fire! was provided by Accolade for this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Bubsy: Paws on Fire!

$29.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Fun Gameplay
• Fitting Music and Cartoony Visuals

Cons

• Repetitive and Grindy
• Lack of Variation

Buy Bubsy: Paws on Fire! for PS4 on our Amazon affiliate and help Phenixx Gaming grow!