𝅘𝅥𝅮 Everyone's talkin' bout Bugsnax! 𝅘𝅥𝅮

Bugsnax

Kinda Bug and Kinda Snack



Bugsnax Logo over a background image containing the character Filbo Fiddlepie, a cyan Grumpus, holding a net and a bugsnax trap, with a slingshot in his. He is chasing a strabby, a strawberry shaped bugsnax. Behind the logo there is a large Watermelon bugsnax, surrounded by smaller bugsnax in the shape of melon balls. to the right there is a taco shaped bugsnax. In the background there is a crab shaped bugsnax made of green apple slices, as well as the gray grumpus Elizabert, holding a camera.

Developer: Young Horses
Publisher: Young Horses

I didn't know what to expect when I first started playing Bugsnax. I knew very little about it aside from the catchy themesong that played during its reaveal in an indie game showcase while telling us absolutely nothing about what this game was. Unfortunately, the game was exclusive to playstation and the epic store. Bleh. So I didn't get a chance to play it until a couple years later, when it released on steam, and by that time, I had long since forgotten about it.

Fast forward to one day when I noticed the game on sale, and for a decent price. I snagged it and tossed it into my backlog. My partner and I played it together, not really knowing what kind of game this was.

You play as an unnamed reporter, who is of a fictional, muppet-like race called the Grumpus, bipedal humanoids with colorful, fuzzy bodies, big teeth, and a variety of sizes. You've been invited to the Isle of Snaktooth with the promise of the scoop of a lifetime: a chance to discover and write about the mystical creatures known as Bugsnax.


An orange-furred Grumpus with four teeth and an overbite, a round pink nose, green eyes, and an angry expression. She is wearing white cat's eye frame glasses, and a brown fedora with a piece of paper with the word PRESS. She is sitting behind a large wooden desk with a name plate reading C. Clumby Clumbernut. On screen there is dialogue from Clumby. She says: Wow. That's your new lead? Another monster hunt...

You're given the task of capturing these little critters, part bug, part food item, somehow entirely edible, and the main food source on Snaktooth. At first, all you get is a basic trap, but you soon get other tools to help you out. The core gameplay loop consists of helping the residents of Snaktooth with procuring various bugsnax, from the timid but easy to catch Strabby, to much more elusive and difficult to catch snax. The first area teases you with some creatures that you can't catch quite yet, and require you to progress and obtain more tools to capture your targets.


Gameplay screenshot of the player using the tool known as the snackscope. They are focused on the bugsnax Strabby, which looks like an upside down strawberry with googly eyes, and it is walking on the green crown on the berry as if it were a set of legs. On the bottom is a description window which says Strabby: a very simple Snak. Watch its walking pattern, along with button prompt below that says more info. To the left is a hiding bush for the strabby, to the right is a small stream, and behind it is a cave and a tree. There is green grass in the foreground.

All in all, I was hooked!

It took me somewhere around 30 hours to complete the game and its included free DLC, The Isle of Bigsnax. It has quite a lot of content for such a simple premise. The characters are charming with distinct personalities and mannerisms, and the voice acting is professional and done by some incredible names in the industry, including Yuri Lowenthal, Roger Craig Smith, and Debra Wilson. The music is fun and very fitting, and I never felt like it wore on me. The story went in a direction I absolutely was not expecting, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it!

If you're a fan of interesting creature designs, creature collection games, endearing characters, or any combination of the above, definitely give this game a try!

Also, there's even an official picrew to make your own grumpus avatars!


A headshot portrait Eggie's Grumpus avatar, a Pink grumpus with shiny black eyes, a triangular cyan nose, and an overbite with two sharp fangs and two rounded incisors, and freckles. She is wearing a flower crown with two white flowers and one pink flower in the middle, and a white spaghetti strap top with a frilly neckline. She is holding up her right paw, upon which sits a strabby. She is standing before a gradient background that is teal at the top that blends into deep blue at the bottom.

Bugsnax Official Website
Bugsnax official Picrew avatar creator

Click here for the more in depth, spoiler filled review!

Home | Back to Game Reviews