For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Bubsy 4D from developers Fabraz.
I didn't enjoy my time with this DEMO. you'll hear me get ever more frustrated to the point where i can't recommend people get the game, let alone try the demo.
The Bubsy series of games isn't known for their amazing quality over the years, but i didn't go into this thinking that. i went in with hopes of having a good time. i've never played a Bubsy game before and i don't think this is the best one to start with.
It doesn't do a great job welcoming new players. there are mentions and call backs to previous games that i don't get and we start with a bunch of toxic individuals talking down to us in such a way it comes across like they're bullying us. The science guy is perhaps the worse but Bubsy himself doesn't come across as much of a likeable character either.
Nothing about the story is explained in much detail, we seem to accept it as it is. thankfully, the game does have a tutorial and it was here that i started having trouble with the feel of the game's platforming. unfortunately, the tutorial comes across as incomplete as in the first level we're faced with platforming that wasn't covered in the tutorial.
The platforming gets worse from here. at no point in this demo did i ever feel like i was in complete control. the feel of the platforming felt straight out of the PS1/PS2 era to the point where i actually wondered if it's a Call Back to the PS1 Bubsy game as modern platformers don't have platforming this bad. if it's all fixed in the retail version, then this demo does a disservice and should be removed entirely.
It's not just the platforming that's an issue as i was also fighting the camera at times. more than once i tried to move the camera to get a look as to where to go next and it failed to provide that information. with the camera and platforming in the state it's in, there are times when the controls don't feel great. there's a sense of inconsistency with the controls and it's impossible to know if there are bugs with them or if the platforming is the main culprit.
If i had to pick some good points from the demo, i may go with the music. but that's not enough to justify people try this demo, unless they're seeking out an unfun time. i found the upgrade system to be pointless. the game shows a video/gif of what the move will do, but for one of the videos it seemed to show Bubsy failing to make a jump. personally, i couldn't think of a time when the unlockable move was better than the better moves i already had. there are unlockable customs, too, but these seem to be purely cosmetic.
So the characters come across as bullys, the platforming is bad and feels outdated at best, the upgrade and unlock systems seem pointless, and the story is shallow at best. there are many more issues i have with the demo, so you'll have to watch the action unfold, but ultimately i wouldn't recommend this.
