Bubsy Will Strike Back With His Paws On Fire

I never hated Bubsy the Bobcat, the furry fella created by Michael Berlyn who just loves to talk and believes he can be a hero [7] [10] [12] [13] [18], despite the backlash he received throughout the years [2] [15] [16] [17]. Of course, who can forget the overwhelmingly negative reception of Bubsy 3D back in 1996 and so on [2] [4]? When Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back was announced as another side-scroller back in June 2017, not many video gamers and game journalists seemed too delighted about it [12]. With his self-awareness and determination to become relevant again in The Woolies Strike Back, we can say that he was trying so hard to relive the days of his classic side-scrolling and became the envy of the seven deadly sins of 2017’s gaming [8] [9] [16]. At least Bubsy’s grand return featured his new and more tolerable voice, compared to his high-pitched and hyperactive bellowing from Bubsy 3D [10] [12] [13] [14]. I would honestly say Bubsy the Bobcat could be the marmite of old school gaming. You either love him or hate him. Despite this, along with the mixed to negative critical reception of his big return [8] [9] [16], the Bubster is yet to star in another instalment of his franchise that will be titled, “Bubsy: Paws On Fire” [1].

Could 2019 be the best year for the berated bobcat? [1]

Looks like a few characters from the Bubsy 2 and the Bubsy cartoon pilot that failed to impress many viewers back in 1993 shall make their big comebacks in Bubsy’s next chapter after years of absence [11] [15] [17]. Two of them have been hinted to be playable, along with a woolie who ironically seems to be on the bobcat’s side [1]. Arnold’s character development in the cartoon pilot was quite unnerving [3] [11] [15]. I just hope he will not be so paranoid about getting run over by a truck anymore since I believe the way he was in the cartoon pilot was not a considerate portrayal of anxiety, extreme paranoia, and post-traumatic stress disorder [3] [11] [15]. And yes, Virgil Reality, the same guy who created the unfashionable virtual reality helmet gets to be playable too [1] [11] [15]. Bubsy’s nephew and niece, Terrance and Teresa might not be playable, but they shall appear at the…Shoppery [1]? Really? Despite its odd name, at least the clothes shop shall offer some nice clothing items for Bubsy and the other playable characters [1]. The game’s overall plot should hopefully be more stimulating than the failed cartoon pilot for a better chance of the game being a better installment of the Bubsy franchise [11] [15] [17].

Bubsy and the three other playable characters. Nice shoes, Bubster. [1]

I think “Dorothy Purrkins” would have been a better name for the clothes shop. [1]

I quite like how the game will feature a variety of gameplay methods, as well as an increased amount of playable characters [1]. After curling up into a ball, Arnold shall roll his way through a tunnel during his gameplay sections, collecting emeralds and possibly avoiding...bags of farts [1]? Seriously?! At least the blue armadillo will be much braver and hopefully leave his fears of trucks behind [3] [11] [15]. It appears that Virgil gets to crash through layers of glass without taking damage and collect strange blue orbs that might be involved with the power of the virtual reality helmet [1]. We can tell by how his aura has the same shade of blue. Bubsy and the playable woolie will be able to shoot obstacles in a UFO in some gameplay sections [1], which makes the variety of gameplay methods seem more interesting. I also like how three jigsaw puzzle pieces and five letters that spell out the word “Bonus” can be collected in the side-scrolling sections because it can make them more rewarding and increase the gameplay’s freshness [1]. Since Bubsy will not be in his next chapter alone, the way his allies are joining him in 2019 is making the upcoming instalment seem interestingly fresh [1].

Bags of farts?! Really?! At least the third-person view for Arnold’s gameplay section shows that there shall be more than one playstyle for Bubsy’s next big step. [1]

The jigsaw puzzle pieces and letters that spell out the word “Bonus” in the side-scrolling sections can provide two more objectives that can make them more rewarding. [1]

There can be some further enhancements for the final outcome of Bubsy: Paws On Fire [1]. One of them could be a better relationship between the Bubster and the blue armadillo [11] [15]. Hopefully, Bubsy will be a better friend to Arnold during at least one cutscene, compared to how he physcially irritated him in the failed cartoon pilot [11] [15]. Speaking of one cutscene, there can perhaps be more than one to make the plot and premise stand out more, compared to how there was only one cutscene in The Woolies Strike Back [9] [16]. Furthermore, they can feature decent animation of the characters instead of just a camera zooming in and out of different parts of one image of the Bubster’s reaction to an incident [9]. The voice acting for the other characters, such as the twins could perhaps be improved as well, compared to the voice acting in the cartoon pilot [11] [15], but who knows? So far, we know that Bubsy is once again voiced by Dan Castellaneta [1] [8]. But ultimately, if none of those suggestions occur in the outcome, the gameplay still seems to be at least fairly decent and can be acceptable with bearable controls, along with non-repetitive level design [9].

I am pretty sure that Arnold needs better character development and a more tolerable friendship with Bubsy for his big comeback in 2019. [11]

The Bubsy franchise still seems quite poorly received to this day [8] [9] [16]. However, the small variety of playstyles hinted in the official teaser trailer are a few signs that Bubsy’s next step shall be quite refreshing [1], especially for those who were not familiar with him back in the days of the Super Nintendo, the SEGA Genesis, and the Atari Jaguar [5] [6] [18]. Even if he still annoys plenty of gamers with his ego, one-liners, and belief of being “The Prince of Purrsonality” [11] [18], there will at least be more effort put into the upcoming instalment than The Woolies Strike Back [1]. Quite shockingly, there will be over one hundred levels, according to the teaser’s description [1]! After its production from the developers of Runner 3, Paws On Fire shall hit the market in 2019 for the PS4, the Nintendo Switch, and any gamer’s PC [1]. What has been revealed in the teaser makes it look like a somewhat decent game, but will it turn out to be truly better than The Woolies Strike Back? Or will it be a sign that the bobcat is still just a Sonic the Hedgehog reject, according to plenty of those who remember berating him [2] [7] [16]? What could possibly go wrong?

What is this? Bubsy in a UFO too?! Well, let us wish him good luck on his upcoming chapter. [1]

References:

1. Accolade Game. (2018). Bubsy™: Paws on Fire - Teaser Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov3wjgvoaOA. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
2. blameitonjorge. (2018). 10 Incredibly Lame 90’s Mascots That Time Tried To Forget | blameitonjorge. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mDenbjmQcs. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
3. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2018). Arnold. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Arnold. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
4. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2013). Bubsy 3D. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Bubsy_3D. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
5. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2018). Bubsy II. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Bubsy_II. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
6. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2015). Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Bubsy_in_Fractured_Furry_Tales. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
7. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2018). Bubsy T. Bobcat. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Bubsy_T._Bobcat. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
8. Bubsy Bobcat Wiki. (2017). Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back. Available: http://bubsy.wikia.com/wiki/Bubsy:_The_Woolies_Strike_Back. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
9. Caddick, J. (2018). Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back - Caddicarus.Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khciDV8XvpY. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
10. Deefor the Labrador. (2018). Bubsy The Woolies Strike Back - Bubsy's voice clips. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AA27g_c-zQ. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
11. geekzilla. (2012). Bubsy Pilot. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmNdbdSCuC4. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
12. Gematsu. (2017). Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back - Teaser Trailer.Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RHdrmZsNs0. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
13. jamesuk9999. (2012). Bubsy 3D near complete voice collection.Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXGCb38zVNQ. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
14. killchainmail. (2009). Bubsy 3d intro. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NakglXeEyNU. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
15. Rozanski, J. (2013). Animated Atrocities #03: "Bubsy" [Dropped Pilot].Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF7W1ZjjBjI. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
16. Samination. (2017). Taco-Man Plays Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back (PC) #87. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuvOgsJ8Lxs. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
17. Strider, J. (2017). Top 6 Worst Cancelled Cartoons. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiSHGrZn8jU. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.
18. whoisthisgit. (2009). Bubsy (SNES) - Every Chapter Intro. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC6FMNaIPUs. Last accessed 1st Nov 2018.