Bubsy: Paws on Fire!

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Bubsy: Paws on Fire! is a platform game made by Choice Provisions and published by UFO Interactive Games (Accolade brand). It came out for PlayStation 4 and Windows on May 16, 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2019. It’s the sixth Bubsy game, with Bubsy 4D planned for 2026.

Gameplay is 2.5D side-scrolling with auto-scrolling levels. Your goal is to collect victory tokens to enter Oinker’s zoo, the Amazootorium. Tokens appear in levels, and you can earn more by replaying levels as Virgil or the Woolie. You can play as Bubsy (glide and pounce), Virgil (double-jump and duck), or the Woolie (rapid fire in a ship). Each level has three checkpoints and infinite lives, so you restart from the last checkpoint if you hit something. If you collect all three tokens, you unlock a 3D bonus tunnel level as Arnold the Woolie’s pilot.

The game has three worlds with nine levels each: the Village, the Research Lab, and the Amazootorium. Boss battles appear at the end of each world, with Oinker P. Hamm as the final boss. In some bosses, Bubsy uses the Woolie’s ship and has its abilities. Collectible items include yarn balls (Bubsy), atoms (Virgil), golden yarn balls (Woolie), and crystals (Arnold). These can be spent to buy costumes for the characters.

Story-wise, Bubsy and friends celebrate the Yarn Ball when Oinker begins kidnapping animals for his zoo. With Arnold, Virgil, Poly and Ester, Bubsy travels through three worlds to stop him.

Development notes: some characters were reused from older games. Music was composed by Stemage in 32-bit, mixing electronic, chiptune, and rock. Each track changes with the character you’re playing, with different intros, variants, and outros for variety.

The game was funded in part by a Kickstarter that raised about $25,000. The Switch version was delayed for adjustments, and a Limited Edition for Switch included a booklet and a soundtrack CD.

Reception was mixed. Destructoid liked the visuals and music but found the game repetitive and bland. Nintendo Life praised the flow and new ideas but criticized performance and repetition. TechRaptor gave a negative view, while Push Square called it frustrating with few redeeming qualities.