Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is an impressive collection in terms of presentation, bonus content, and emulation. The only issue is that the games included are not especially fun at their core. If you have nostalgia for Bubsy the Bobcat or an interest in game preservation, this is a strong collection, but otherwise, you probably won’t get too much out of this.
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection
Developer: Limited Run Games
Price: $20
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review.
I have a long history of reviewing the more recent Bubsy games here at MonsterVine. They’ve ranged from awful to alright, so you can imagine my expectations for Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection were set pretty appropriately. These expectations were both right and wrong, as the collection itself is top-notch, while the games being preserved are, well, more complicated than that.
The games included in Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection are Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, Bubsy II (and Bubsy II on Game Boy), Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales, and Bubsy is 3D in Furbitten Planet. Like the newer titles, these range from terrible to okay – almost in chronological order. I’ll briefly run through them here, then return to the collection itself:
Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
Although it features expressive pixel art and decent music, this one is somewhat at odds with itself from the start. Bubsy has some sort of slippery ice physics at all times and can run extremely fast. The game seems to be more focused on vertical movement and leaps of faith, though, so you’ll often run into enemies you couldn’t see coming. Throw in the fact that one hit kills you, and you have a very frustrating platformer. Also, a lot of the levels are forest-themed, which seems like an odd and mundane choice.
Bubsy II
Bubsy II improves upon Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind in a few ways. The levels are more interesting thematically, you can take more than one hit, and the visuals are slightly improved upon. The stages are more maze-like, which can be annoying to navigate, and there are a lot of reused enemies, but this is probably the best game of the bunch overall.
Bubsy II (Game Boy)
In sharp contrast, the Game Boy version of Bubsy II is likely the worst of the bunch. It’s slow, hard to look at, clunky, and generally bad all-around. Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection itself seems to realize this game stinks, as the commentary on the main launcher screen notes that you can skip this title.
Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales
For whatever reason, this Atari Jaguar game goes back to the first Bubsy’s sprites and one-hit kill system, making for yet another mixed-at-best title. The storybook theming is fairly inspired, and the level design didn’t get me as irritated as the first game’s, but overall, this is a middle-of-the-road Bubsy game and a slightly below-average platformer.
Bubsy is 3D in Furbitten Planet (Bubsy 3D)
Finally, we’ve reached the most infamous installment in Bubsy’s history and the only game to rival Game Boy Bubsy II in quality – Bubsy 3D. The bobcat’s foray into the third dimension is brutal, with terrible level design and unmanageable controls – a cardinal sin for a 3D platformer. Bubsy talks way too much, the graphics are hard to look at for long, and the music is all over the place. This one has earned its reputation, to say the least.
As a side note, Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection also includes an updated version of Bubsy 3D that moves the camera to the right stick. This actually makes the game much more playable, though it doesn’t fix the awful visuals and level design, or Bubsy’s many quips.
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection features strong emulation.
All that being said, the games included in Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection are rather well-emulated. The controls are as tight as they could be given the source material, and the inclusion of both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis versions of the first two games is a good choice. This is probably the best way to play them, if you’re so inclined.
The visuals of Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection are quite solid, with different aspect ratios, a CRT filter, and sharp borders available to spruce up the various titles. The menus have plenty of ‘90s style to them, and the commentary on the collection’s title screen features that “iconic” Bubsy wit.
The best part of Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is the bonus content. You can take a look at instruction manuals, comics, magazine articles, merchandise, and even the Bubsy cartoon pilot. My favorite bit of content is the insightful videos about Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind’s Japanese localization, which are helmed and narrated by Clyde “Tomato” Mandelin – the fellow who helmed the critically acclaimed Mother 3 English localization. It’s fascinating to learn about how the game was translated for Japanese audiences, and I’m glad this was included in the package.
The Final Word
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is an odd case. As a collection and as a piece of digital preservation, it’s brilliant. There are lots of interesting bits of bonus content, tight emulation, and pleasant visuals. It’s just that the Bubsy games themselves aren’t very good to begin with.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
