History VideoGame / Bubsy

The series began in 1993[[labelnote:*]](despite the 1992 copyright, it didn't hit stores until May 1993)[[/labelnote]] with ''Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind'', originally released for the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, and later [[UpdatedRerelease rereleased]] for PC. This was quickly followed by ''Bubsy II'' (for SNES, Genesis, even the UsefulNotes/GameBoy) and ''Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales'' (for UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar) the following year. While the 2D games received mixed reviews from critics, they sold well. Accolade even attempted branching the franchise out into [[WesternAnimation/{{Bubsy}} an animated series]].

Releasing just two months after ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' showcased how to handle the VideoGame3DLeap and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' demonstrated how to tackle 3D platforming on the [=PlayStation=], ''VideoGame/Bubsy3D'' was a commercial failure and is now seen as one of the worst games of [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the fifth generation]]. Accolade would abandon the studio that developed it ([[VideoGame/SyphonFilter don't worry]], [[Creator/SIEBendStudio they bounced back]]) and permanently shelve the property, ending the [[{{Pun}} tail]] of Bubsy after three short years.

[[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated Except not really]]. A 2015 UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Greenlight campaign resulted in a brief resurgence by way of a {{compilation|rerelease}} of the first two entries, entitled ''Bubsy Two-Fur''. The franchise then came back in earnest via ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RHdrmZsNs0 Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back]]'', a TwoAndAHalfD sidescroller entry in the series developed by [[VideoGame/GianaSistersTwistedDreams Black Forest Games]] that released on October 31st, 2017 for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and PC.[[note]]Ironically, not only once again within months of new ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey Mario]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy Crash Bandicoot]]'' games, but a new ''[[VideoGame/SonicForces Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' title as well. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4KIeAY9hHI launch trailer]] acknowledges this.[[/note]] On May 16th, 2019, a running platformer from ''VideoGame/BitTrip'' developer Choice Provisions entitled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov3wjgvoaOA Bubsy: Paws on Fire]]'' released for [=PS4=], PC, and the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. Playing similar to the company's ''BIT.TRIP'' titles, this entry features many playable characters besides Bubsy himself, including [[GoKartingWithBowser a Woolie in a flying saucer,]] as well as Virgil the Vole and Arnold the Armadillo from the failed TV pilot.

%%* EveryTenThousandPoints: In ''Bubsy 3D'' for an extra life. Also, every 40,000 in the same game for an extra "paw point" (health point). This was one of the few ways to get extra health in that game, as there were no healing items to speak of. (The other ways were to shoot five atoms with one shot, and sometimes a question mark symbol in a walking clam might grant an extra paw point.)

* AlliterativeName: In ''Bubsy 3D'', the level "Catatomic Catastrophe".

* TheBattleDidntCount: In ''Bubsy 3D'', even though you defeat Poly and Esther, the story has them defeat Bubsy and capture him. At least, [[RashomonStyle that's how the Woolies see it.]]

* BuffoonishTomCat: The titular protagonist Bubsy himself is a bobcat, being an mixture of [[TheKlutz an comical klutz]] in the 3D game's death animations and cutscenes, an InsufferableImbecile in the cartoon series and was a [[PluckyComicRelief clownish]] ButtMonkey in the 2D games showing his buffoonery when being prone to slapstick in the series, when the series continued on, Bubsy was still shown to have a giant lack of common sense with so much sass and his behavior overall, just enough for Bubsy to be presented as an IdiotHero.
* BurpOfFinality: One of the death animations from ''Bubsy 3D'' is a treasure chest swallowing Bubsy whole and burping.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The North American release of ''Bubsy 3D'' featured a positive critic quote on the front cover from ''EGM''. In reality, the quote came from a ''preview'' in ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' - their review of the actual game when it came out was a 3.25 out of 10.
** Averted with the European/Australian covers, however; not only does it lack these, or ''any'' review blurbs, but the back of the case doesn't even have descriptive text to try and sell people on the game, only having screenshots to show for it.

* DownerEnding: In ''Bubsy 3D'', [[spoiler:both endings involve Bubsy stranded, lost in space if you failed to collect everything and lost in time if you did. Either way, with their arch-nemesis out of the picture, the Woolies continue their campaign]].

* FakeDifficulty: Discussed in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTAlr5raV2U this]] WebVideo/JonTron. For those who don't feel like watching, in the first two games, your field of vision is very limited, making it hard to tell where you should go and what's just offscreen trying to kill you. [=JonTron=] also notes the inconsistency of Bubsy playing like Sonic but the level design being more akin to Mario games, with an emphasis on precision platforming despite Bubsy's very loose controls.

* LiterallyShatteredLives: One of Bubsy's death animations in 3D.

* MediumAwareness: In ''Bubsy 3D'', "Now, what would a platform game be without platforms? Hmm, I wonder if there's any extra lives up there," and "Oh look, an arrow, aren't these game designers wonderful?"

* MultipleEndings: In ''Bubsy 3D''. If you beat the game without collecting everything, Bubsy's rocket ship doesn't have enough power to make it to Earth, and he ends up stranded in space. This allows the victorious Woolies to continue their galactic conquest. If you do find everything, [[spoiler:Bubsy's rocket ship has too much power, and he accidentally puts himself in Pre-Historic times. This allows the victorious Woolies to continue their galactic conquest.]]

* NoIndoorVoice: In ''Bubsy 3D'' Bubsy screeches virtually every single one of his lines.
* NoNameGiven: Despite being the penultimate boss of ''Bubsy 3D'' and the most prominent character in the intro and endings, the Woolie General has no official name.

* QuoteMine: The review on the front cover for ''Bubsy 3D'' goes beyond this as it sports a quote from a ''preview'', not an actual review.

* SequelHook: ''Bubsy 3D'' ended with this. With Bubsy TrappedInThePast, the Woolies plan to invade Earth and take all of the wool for themselves.

* TechnoBabble: In ''Bubsy 3D'', the Woolie scientist Professor Nylon attempts to explain how Bubsy constructed a rocket ship, harnessed the power of atoms, and traveled through time, while being interrupted by a rowdy audience.

* ThirdIs3D: Not counting ''Fractured Furry Tales''.

* UranusIsShowing: In ''Bubsy 3D'', Bubsy's first words are, "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Uranus."

Releasing just two months after ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' showcased how to handle the VideoGame3DLeap and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' demonstrated how to tackle 3D platforming on the [=PlayStation=], ''Bubsy 3D'' was a commercial failure and is now seen as one of the worst games of [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the fifth generation]]. Accolade would abandon the studio that developed it ([[VideoGame/SyphonFilter don't worry]], [[Creator/SIEBendStudio they bounced back]]) and permanently shelve the property, ending the [[{{Pun}} tail]] of Bubsy after three short years.

* CatchPhrase: "WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong."
** Also the name of the pilot episode itself.
** Since the release of ''Bubsy 3D'', the most common answer to that is "This."
** It seems the team responsible for the old sequels and TV pilot were trying to make one out of Bubsy claiming he would "humble" his adversaries. Obviously it didn't take off.

* VocalEvolution: Rob Paulsen sounds much more helium pitched as Bubsy in ''Bubsy II'' than in the cartoon. Given his predecessor, Brian Silva, had his voice pitch shifted to achieve Bubsy's voice in the first game, it is likely that Paulsen adopted the same technique.

* WhoWritesThisCrap: When Bubsy is referring to the punny level titles. In the intro to "Beavery Careful", Bubsy says, "Hey, I didn't write this stuff." One of the sound bytes heard before a level in ''Bubsy II'' is "Who wrote this stuff?!" Another has Bubsy asking if the writers' strike is over.

Welcome to TheNineties. After the success of [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog a certain blue hedgehog]], a bevy of other game developers [[FollowTheLeader immediately took notice]], and soon every publisher seemed to have their own MascotWithAttitude starring in their own PlatformGame. Creator/{{Accolade}} was no different, and if similar trends with ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' and ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' have taught us anything, [[WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats Everything's better]] [[Manga/TokyoMewMew with cats!]] Enter Bubsy the Bobcat, a [[HurricaneOfPuns pun-slinging]] feline with the ability to glide by holding out his arms like an airplane and who constantly finds himself combating an alien race with a serious love for stealing yarn.

Welcome to TheNineties. After the success of [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog a certain blue hedgehog]], a bevy of other game developers immediately took notice, and soon every publisher seemed to have their own MascotWithAttitude starring in their own PlatformGame. And Creator/{{Accolade}} was no different. Enter Bubsy the Bobcat, a [[HurricaneOfPuns pun-slinging]] feline with the ability to glide by holding out his arms like an airplane and who constantly finds himself combating an alien race with a serious love for stealing yarn.

** ''The Woolies Strikes Back'' (''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''), and the level titles [[Film/ReservoirDogs Reservoir Cats]], [[Film/BackToTheFuture Back to the Furrture]], [[Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace Plan 9 From Meowter Space]], [[Film/Armageddon1998 Clawmageddon]], [[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Claws: The Fur Awakens]], and [[Music/{{Queen}} Bobcation Rhapsody]].

** ''Bubsy [=3D=]'' will angle the camera downwards when you jump so that you can see where Bubsy will land when platforming. This feature backfires in a sense, as while it's helpful during the various precision platforming areas, the CameraScrew can be disorienting when in boss levels, where jumping will cause the camera to stop looking at the boss.

Welcome to TheNineties. After the success of [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog a certain blue hedgehog]], a bevy of other game developers immediately took notice, and soon every publisher seemed to have their own MascotWithAttitude starring in their own PlatformGame. And Creator/{{Accolade}} was no different. Enter Bubsy the Bobcat, a [[HurricaneOfPuns pun-slinging]] feline with the ability to glide by holding out his arms like an airplane and who constantly finds himself combating an alien race with a serious love for stealing yarn.

* ObviousBeta: ''Bubsy 3D'' was given such a rushed development cycle, that it only got a finished ''alpha'' done that was shoved out the door in order to play catch up to VideoGame/SuperMario64. The result was a clunky-to-play, sloppy-looking, and all-around embarrassing rush job that killed the franchise dead.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: ''Bubsy II'' has the bonus levels where Arnold the Armadillo must be guided to the correct exit from a truck's engine. If Arnold falls into the left or the right exit, he gets flattened by a wheel and the time bonus is cancelled. The one exception is Manifold Destiny, which only has the middle exit.

** Since the release of Bubsy 3D, the most common answer to that is "This."

* DownerEnding: In Bubsy 3D, [[spoiler:both endings involve Bubsy stranded, lost in space if you failed to collect everything and lost in time if you did. Either way, with their arch-nemesis out of the picture, the Woolies continue their campaign]].

* NoNameGiven: Despite being the penultimate boss of Bubsy 3D and the most prominent character in the intro and endings, the Woolie General has no official name.

* ObviousBeta: Bubsy 3D was given such a rushed development cycle, that it only got a finished ''alpha'' done that was shoved out the door in order to play catch up to VideoGame/SuperMario64. The result was a clunky-to-play, sloppy-looking, and all-around embarrassing rush job that killed the franchise dead.

* PublicDomianSoundtrack: One of the randomized snippets in the flying levels of ''Bubsy II'' is "Flight of the Bumblebee".

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: ''Bubsy II'' has the bonus levels where Arnold the Armadillo must be guided to the correct exit from a truck's engine. If Arnold falls over the left or the right exit, he gets flattened by a wheel and the time bonus is cancelled. The one exception is Manifold Destiny, which only has the middle exit.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: ''Bubsy II'' has the bonus levels where Arnold the Armadillo must be guided to the correct exit from a truck's engine. If Arnold falls over a wheel, he gets flattened and the time bonus is cancelled. The one exception is Manifold Destiny, which only has the middle exit.

* BurpOfFinality: One of the death animations from ''Bubsy 3D'' has a treasure chest swallowing Bubsy whole and burping.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Given ''3D'''s infamous reputation and near-unplayability, many thought [=PSExtreme=] Magazine was a made-up magazine, and that the lavish praise and "Gold X Award" on the game's cover was fake. [[http://videogamemagazineletters.tumblr.com/post/158175700974/you-know-how-we-all-thought-bubsy-3d-getting-a It]] [[http://retrovolve.com/those-faked-bubsy-3d-pull-quotes-were-actually-real/ wasn't]].

* DownerEnding: In Bubsy 3D, [[spoiler:both endings involve Bubsy stranded, lost in space if you failed to collect everything and lost in time if you did. Either way the Woolies continue their campaign]].

** ''The Woolies Strikes Back'' (''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''), and the level titles [[Film/ReservoirDogs Reservoir Cats]], [[Film/BackToTheFuture Back to the Furrture]], [[Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace Plan 9 From Meowter Space]], [[Film/{{Armageddon}} Clawmageddon]], [[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Claws: The Fur Awakens]], and [[Music/{{Queen}} Bobcation Rhapsody]].

* ObviousBeta: Bubsy 3D was given such a rushed development cycle, that it only got a finished ''alpha'' done that was shoved out the door in order [[FollowTheLeader to play catch up to]] VideoGame/SuperMario64. The result was a clunky-to-play, sloppy-looking, and all-around embarrassing rush job that killed the franchise dead.

* BuffoonishTomCat: The titular protagonist Bubsy himself is a bobcat, being an mixture of [[TheKlutz an comical klutz]] in the 3D game's death animations and cutscenes, an InsufferableImbecile in the cartoon series and was a [[PluckyComicRelief clownish]] ButtMonkey in the 2D games showing his buffoonery when being prone to slapstick in the series, when the series continued on, Bubsy was still shown to have a giant lack of common sense with [[UpToEleven so much]] sass and his behavior overall, just enough for Bubsy to be presented as an IdiotHero.

* DifficultySpike: Every third chapter in the first game threw every obstacle at you that it could, and doesn't ease up.

* [[EveryTenThousandPoints Every 100,000 points]]: In ''Bubsy 3D'' for an extra life. Also, every 40,000 in the same game for an extra "paw point" (health point). This was one of the few ways to get extra health in that game, as there were no healing items to speak of. (The other ways were to shoot five atoms with one shot, and sometimes a question mark symbol in a walking clam might grant an extra paw point.)

The series began in 1993[[labelnote:*]](despite the 1992 copyright, it didn't hit stores until May 1993)[[/labelnote]] with ''Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind'', originally released for the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, and later [[UpdatedRerelease rereleased]] for PC. This was quickly followed by ''Bubsy II'' (for SNES, Genesis, even the UsefulNotes/GameBoy) and ''Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales'' (for UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar) the following year. While the 2D games received mixed reviews from critics, they sold well. Accolade even attempted branching the franchise out into [[WesternAnimation/{{Bubsy}} an animated series]]. But these days, most gamers probably know Bubsy best not for these earlier outings, but for the entry that made it the poster child for the PolygonCeiling trope: 1996's ''Bubsy is 3D in Furbitten Planet'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.

* PolygonCeiling: The 2D games were made competently enough, but having to work with an extra dimension made ''Bubsy 3D'' a clear ObviousBeta. Almost every texture was a solid color, the levels were lifeless, Bubsy moved like a heavy tank with choppy animations, and the game was generally a chore to play for the most part.