Bubsy: Paws on Fire!

Did You Know?

• The game's release was made possible from a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign raising $25,000.
• An audio CD with the game's soundtrack was released.
• A Limited Edition for the Switch version came with a booklet and a copy of the audio CD.

Gameplay

The game uses 2.5D side-scrolling platforming similar to Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, but levels auto-scroll. The objective is to collect enough victory tokens to access Oinker's personal zoo, the Amazootorium. Token pieces are found in levels, and more tokens can be earned by replaying levels as Virgil or the Woolie. Each character has unique moves: Bubsy can glide and pounce, Virgil can double-jump and duck, and the Woolie can rapid fire from her ship. Levels have three checkpoints, and characters have infinite lives; hitting an enemy or obstacle restarts from the last checkpoint without a game over. Collecting all three tokens from a level unlocks a 3D forward-scrolling bonus level as Arnold, who rolls through a tunnel collecting fruit and crystals while avoiding obstacles. The game has three worlds—the Village, Research Lab, and the Amazootorium—each with nine levels. If enough victory tokens are collected, a boss battle as Bubsy occurs at the end of each world, with Oinker as the final boss. In two boss fights, Bubsy uses the Woolie's ship and gains her abilities. Characters collect different items: Bubsy collects yarn balls, Virgil collects atoms, the Woolie collects golden yarn balls, and Arnold collects crystals. These items serve as currency for purchasing new costumes.

Plot

The 14th Annual Yarn Ball is interrupted when Woolie queens Poly and Ester warn Bubsy that the shady businessman Oinker P. Hamm has returned. He is snatching animals from across the universe to stock his private zoo, the Amazootorium. Armed with a fresh pair of sneakers called El Gato's Zapatos from his nephew and niece Terry and Terri, Bubsy sets out with his pal Arnold, the scientist Virgil Reality, and a top Woolie soldier. They journey through three worlds to track down Oinker and shut his operation down.

Development

The soundtrack, composed by Stemage in a 32-bit style, blended Electronic, Chiptune, and Rock genres. To keep music fresh and avoid repetition while working around system audio limits, most tracks changed depending on which character was played in a level. Each track featured its own intro, three distinct character variants, and an outro. The music was segmented so playback stayed smooth during transitions and level replays. Development saw some debate, leading to scrapped and redone work. Characters were also recycled from older games and the cartoon pilot.

Reception

Critics were split on Bubsy: Paws on Fire! Destructoid called it a light arcade title, liking the visuals and music but finding it repetitive and bland. Nintendo Life saw the groundwork for a decent runner, praising its flow and new gameplay elements while criticizing performance issues and repetition. TechRaptor gave a negative review, hoping no further Bubsy games would follow. Push Square panned it as frustrating and without any redeeming qualities.