Of all the platforming video game franchises introduced during the 16-bit era in the wake of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, one of the most surprisingly resilient has been Bubsy. Initially developed and published by Accolade, Bubsy started out as a 2D platformer starring Bubsy the Bobcat, an orange feline wearing a white shirt with an exclamation point emblazoned on it like he was Madman or Freakazoid. After two modestly well-received titles on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, along with titles on handheld consoles and the Atari Jaguar, Bubsy seemingly came to an end with the universally reviled 1996 Bubsy 3D for the PlayStation.

Somehow, Bubsy returned.

The resurrection of Bubsy began with 2017’s Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back!, developed by Black Forest Games and published by UFO Interactive Games for the PlayStation 4 and PC. This was followed by 2019’s Bubsy: Paws on Fire!, also published by UFO Interactive Games, this time with Choice Provisions as the game’s primary developer. But the reason we’re gathered here today is to talk about the recently released Bubsy 4D, developed by Fabraz and published by Atari for a variety of platforms and the franchise’s first foray into 3D platforming since its maligned 1996 title.

This is all to say, who exactly are the fans clamoring for a Bubsy revival, let alone one that’s seen multiple titles released since 2017, with the property rights changing hands across its revival history? Bubsy was something of a ‘90s relic and running joke compared to more acclaimed platformers of the era, including Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World, a Sonic knock-off that was marginally a cut above Rocky Rodent and Awesome Possum… Kicks Dr. Machino’s Butt. When the original series ended with Bubsy 3D, it wasn’t just because the PlayStation game was a clunky early exploration of 3D platforming completely outclassed by Crash Bandicoot and Super Mario 64, but also because the bobcat had decidedly overstayed his welcome.

To the credit of Bubsy 4D, the developers appear to be very much aware of the checkered history of the series and its perception outside of its hardcore fan base. With his latest return from the digital grave, Bubsy has been positioned as a fourth wall-breaking wisecracking protagonist in the tradition of Deadpool and Metal Gear Solid’s Psycho Mantis. That means the wily bobcat isn’t above poking fun at his own reputation and the need for him to make another crack at industry relevance and he does so on multiple occasions throughout the game.

As for the game itself, it’s a decent enough 3D platformer at a time when the genre’s biggest properties seems to be inactive or avoiding it in favor of different gameplay experiences, Donkey Kong Bananza notwithstanding. While the game won’t reinstill your faith in 3D platforming like 2024’s Astro Bot did, Bubsy 4D does feature engaging level design, relatively intuitive gameplay mechanics, and a solid presentation. Dare I say it, seventh time’s the charm for Bubsy, with Bubsy 4D as the best game in the entire series for whatever merit that distinction is worth.

The real question that I keep circling around is why exactly does Bubsy 4D exist when beloved 3D platformers that started in the ‘90s like Banjo-Kazooie and Spyro the Dragon remain largely dormant? Yes, the first two Banjo-Kazooie games have been remastered for modern platforms and available on Xbox consoles and the Nintendo Switch’s digital library of Nintendo 64 games and, yes, Spyro did get a compilation of its original games rebuilt from the ground up. But this is far from the same as either of those properties receiving a brand-new 3D platforming title even though they’re more deserving of one than Bubsy.

The industry appears to be in a weird position where it’s revisiting retro titles not necessarily because they were good in the first place but because millennial nostalgia has proven to be a considerable cash cow. Crystal Dynamics’ Gex trilogy and the Argonaut Software’s Croc series were both remastered for modern consoles in 2025 – and like Bubsy, they weren’t all that great in the ‘90s. While Capcom released the excellent Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection compiling their arcade classics in 2024, this year’s Marvel MaXimum Collection by Limited Run Games has reminded us how terrible Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge and Venom/Spider-Man: Separate Anxiety truly are (in the collection’s defense, it does have the 1992 X-Men arcade game and Captain America and the Avengers, the only things worth the price of admission).

On the one hand, I am all for game preservation, ensuring titles from an era that didn’t go out of its way to store games for future generations don’t fade away into pixelated waste. But Bubsy 4D really does feel like a blast from the past that most didn’t seem to be asking for and one unlikely to draw in newcomers to the franchise. The bobcat had received his own remastered collection, preserving his ‘90s titles, and the furry fellow starring in a brand-new game in the Year of Our Lord 2026 just wasn’t on my bingo card, leaving me thoroughly puzzled that Bubsy 4D exists.

— Sam Stone, Den of Geek contributor

It’s hard to underestimate how many Sonic the Hedgehog clones littered the gaming landscape in the early to mid ‘90s. Bubsy was the king of a dubious heap of games that included everything from High Seas Havoc to Socket, the latter being a Sega Genesis game starring a speedster blue duck that similarly runs really fast around looping stages. If we’re bringing back all the Sonic pastiches from the ‘90s, let’s put them all together in a single collection just to get it all out of our system at once. Heck, I’ll even buy a copy.