""An Expedition, 13-Strong,
Of Grumpuses, who all set off
seeking out, a better life
On Snaktooth Island, they did find
A tasty quest, to fill the hole
That many feel inside their soul
Venture deep, to reach the truth
And maybe you'll learn something too!"
-Lyrics to Kero Kero Bonito's "It's Bugsnax!"
Something Niche.Blogspot.com
Presents...
IndiePendence
Hello, young and young at heart explorers, and welcome back to Indiependence, where we here at Something Niche dive into the growing pantheon of indie video games taking over the market! These are the smaller titles made by passionate burgeoning developers without corporate interference in order to provide charming and engaging experiences that stand out from the AAA gaming crowd!
In just a few days, we here in the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving, where we spend time with family, stuff our bellies with empty calories, and reflect on the things that we have been privileged to have access to in our lives. So today, why don't we look at a little something that deals with a lot of the same!
Our topic today is Bugsnax, a little action-adventure gem brought to us first on the PlayStation 5 in 2020 before gracing all other systems in 2022. Created by the Chicago-based Young Horses, Bugsnax takes place in a world populated by Muppet-esque creatures called Grumpuses, within which a group of individuals set out on a voyage to a desert island populated by the titular creatures; a group of insect-like (sometimes arachnid-like or crustacean-like) beings made entirely out of foodstuffs, hence the name. However, after the famed explorer leading the expedition goes missing, it's up to a daring journalist to venture out to said desert island and discover clues in order to find the truth.
Along the way, you will become acquainted with the members of the expedition, all of whom are there for different reasons, who have all set up a quiet, closely-knit community on the island. You will help them solve a series of personal problems amongst the group, many of which involve capturing the titular Bugsnax and feeding them to the group. All of this is done through a unique set of luring and catching mechanics that require different strategies for each particular creature.
Everything with the gameplay is unique and fun, but that's only half of what makes this game a true personal favorite of mine! As you progress through the game, you manage to learn more about each of the major NPCs (all of whom are fully voice-acted, and voiced very well at that) as you continue to complete favors for each, as well as discover that some things may not be as they appear, resulting in some of the best storytelling and worldbuilding that I have personally seen in a video game; even rivaling, if not surpassing, the bigger budgeted epics of the AAA space!
All I can say now is that I hope you all brought your appetites, because we are about to sink our teeth into the muti-course smorgasbord that is Bugsnax!
The Scoop of The Century
Pictured above is the majority of the main and supporting casts members of Bugsnax that you will be communicating with throughout your adventure. As I said, your journey begins with the mysterious disappearance of a famed explorer; Lizbert Megafig (pictured above, grey with pink scarf, voiced by Helen Slater), who journeys to Snaktooth Island with her lover Nurse Eggabell Batternugget (not pictured, voiced by Fryda Wolff) to discover and study it's strange, edible wildlife.
You take control of an unnamed journalist Grumpus, who travels to Snaktooth Island in spite of the skepticism of your boss Clumby Clumbernugget (yellow-orange, with glasses and nametag, voiced by Barbara Goodson). However, just as you reach the island, a giant Bugsnax catches you by surprise and causes you to experience a rough landing on a dark, stormy evening. You are eventually found by Filbo Fiddlepie (cyan with red nose, voiced by Max Mittelman), Lizbert's assistant who has reluctantly taken charge in her abscence, as he directs you towards the small community of Snaxburg.
As you progress through the game, you will come into contact with the remaining members of Lizbert's ragtag group of expeditioners across the island's multiple different biomes and climates, and will work with them individually in order to coax them back into returning to Snaxburg. After they do so, you can also speak with them again in order to complete sidequests, which are important for the game's ending.
The remaining cast members have all journeyed to this mysterious island for a varying number of reasons, with some even being there by humorous happenstance! Apart from Filbo, the first two of the villagers you will meet are Wambus Troubleham (dark blue, straw hat, voiced by modern voice-acting legend Fred Tatasciore), a struggling farmer with a Southern Drawl who wants to establish a new farm on the island, and Beffica Winklesnoot (purple, heart locket, voiced by Cassandra Lee Morris), a gossip-obsessed young girl who claims to be there on vacation (Yes, I'm serious).
There's also the rancher Gramble Gigglefunny (pink, red beanie, voiced by the prolific Sam Riegel), who's taken a liking to the Bugsnax and wants to keep some as pets, the paranoid, conspiracy-obsessed, British-accented engineer Snorpy Fizzlebean (yellow, glasses, voiced by Roger Craig Smith), Snorpy's fitness obsessed best friend Chandlo Funkbun (light green, purple sports cap and tank top, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal), as well as his non-binary scientist sibling Floofty (dark purple, glasses and bowtie, voiced by Casey Mongillo) who wants to study the effect Bugsnax have on Grumpuses (more on that later), and Wambus' explorer wife Triffany Lottablog (dark green, explorer's outfit, voiced by newcomer Havilland Stillwell), who wants to look for her explorer ancestor Bronica Lottablog's remains and lost treasure.
Rounding out the cast are Cromdo Face (not pictured, voiced by Rick Zieff) a Danny DeVito-inspired telemarketer turned wannabe salesman who sees the Bugsnax as a potential business venture, Shelda Smellywag (tan, floral tiara, voiced by Debra Wilson), an elderly lady claiming to be a powerful mystic (who really just ended up there due to tickets won in a raffle), and Wiggle Wigglebottom (orange, sunglasses, voiced by newcomer Kenna Ramsey), a famous singer who was invited to the expedition by Lizbert and is overcome with writer's block, and who starts a relationship with Gramble.
And while their voices may sound like they came from a saccharine children's show, these characters all have a surprising number of layers that you will uncover as you continue to speak with them throughout the story that are anything but. It also helps that they are fully voiced as well!
Gotta Snack 'Em All
But while the characters and their surprisingly-deep stories might be the best part of this game (I'll elaborate more a little later), what good is a game without gameplay? Luckily, Bugsnax manages to operate on several distinct mechanics that help the game become a unique experience.
The central gameplay mechanic of this game revolves around using a kit of Wallace and Gromit-esque gizmos and gadgets in order to capture the game's titular creatures, each with a punny name fitting their design. Examples include the Giant Water Bug-esque Scoopy Banoopy, pictured in the photo above. There are 100 different species of Bugsnax to collect-112 with the game's free DLC update in 2022-each requiring a different strategy and gadget to stun and collect them with.
The first of these gadgets is the Snak Trap, a cylinder-shaped net that'll allow you to trap certain creatures from afar. You can also catch some pre-stunned creatures with a simple Bug Net, or lure them with the Sauce Slinger, a gadget that also ends up becoming closely intertwined with one of my favorite details of the game's quirky worldbuilding. Several plants can be found across the game's world that bear fruits that strangely contain six different types of condiments; ketchup, ranch dressing, cheese sauce, hot sauce, chocolate syrup and peanut butter! The Sauce Slinger, as the name implies, will slingshot one of these fruits to the area you aim towards, causing sauce to splatter all over, which will entice the Bugsnax into ramming into each other or into one of your traps.
Later in the game, you will also acquire a Trip Shot, which will allow you to stun certain Bugsnax quicker for an easy catch, as well as the Launch Pad that can be used to propel objects and solve puzzles. Finally, there is your trusty SnaxScope, which will allow you to scan the enviroment around you in order find out attributes and information (plus some chuckle-worthy quips from the villagers!)
After these bugs are collected, you can do a few different things with them, but the main objective is feeding these edible creatures to your new friends in Snaxburg, allow their body parts to morph into the form of whatever Bugsnax were eaten. There's even a few "legendary" Bugsnax bosses that'll require a lot of puzzle-solving in order to collect.
The game's semi-linear world is spread out among a sequence of 8 different biomes-Flavor Falls, Garden Grove, Scorched Gulch, Sizzlin' Sands, Boiling Bay, Simmering Springs, Sugarpine Woods, and Frosted Peak. Snaxburg will serve as your central hub for the game, where you will meet up with the expedition members for banter and the aforementioned optional sidequests.
Stirring the Pot
Bugsnax is the sophomore IP of Young Horses, a small group of passionate developers based in the Windy City. And this team had already been a group of well-respected craftsmen in the indie gaming space thanks to their runaway hit Octodad and it's sequel, subtitled Dadliest Catch. After both of those games became cult hits, the team managed to acquire the funding and people to work on their next IP (Which could explain its surprisingly high-profile voice cast for an indie game!), and they went through several different ideas before they settled on the game we are discussing right now.
"We ended up just returning to the same method that we learned from mentors in school about how to decide what to make", Young Horses Studio Head John Murphy explained when asked about the creative process that led to Bugsnax. "...How we did it was...everyone reflected on what they were preoccupied with or inspired by. And everyone on the team would pitch here, just like, a few random inspirations that people had; things like Space Jam, or Pharrel's big hat."
Before the team settled on what would become Bugsnax, several other potential ideas were thrown around, including a set of three different prototypes. The first was an adventure game set at a summer camp, and that was followed by a second that focused on building a high school sports team in order to seal a portal to Hell that has opened in the school's soccer field. The third and last of the prototypes was the one that would ultimately give way to Bugsnax, focusing on a cute monster that hunted for earlier versions of the creatures in order to sell them to local townsfolk. The team was also inspired to follow through on this concept after Creative Director Kevin Zuhn, who would ultimately become the game's director, drew a doodle of what he called a "Wafflepiller" (which didn't make it into the final version of the game, though another creature made out of waffles-the Waffstackrack-did). Some gameplay mechanics brainstormed for the first two prototypes were implemented into the storytelling of Bugsnax.
"It was an interesting process for us, because when we started internally pitching ideas to one another on what we would do next, the general idea was that we would try to do something entirely unique again." Young Horses Co-Founder and President Phillip Tibitoski said on the team's creative process. "That's what we promised ourselves with Octodad. Like, "hey, if this does well, we're not going to immediately go back to the Octodad well." Even though we love it, we're going to do something entirely new."
When the game was in development, it's design and gameplay mechanics cycled through many different ideas that ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor. The Grumpuses, for instance, went through several different designs before their final Muppets-inspired designs were chosen. For example, at one stage, they took on the form of sheep-like creatures, as depicted in the concept art above.
Furthermore, Bugsnax initially had to be peeled or otherwise prepared before they could be fed to a Grumpus, as opposed to just being eaten whole, as depicted in the final version of the game. At one stage, said Bugsnax also had to be fired out of cannons into the mouths of Grumpuses.
Lastly, before the Sauce Slinger was ultimately implemented, Bugsnax had to be captured using a series of lures based on different flavors of food; Sugary, Salty, Meaty, and Fruity.
For the gameplay of the final version of the game, the team took inspiration from titles across every major platform. Much of the game's capture and scanning mechanics took direct inspiration from both the PS1 title Ape Escape and Nintendo's Pokémon Snap, Snaxburg's design was inspired by the PS2 RPG Dark Cloud, and the community engagement elements and character designs were influenced by the Xbox 360 title Viva Pinata. The game also lifted a few small bells and whistles from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Witcher.
Behold, The Eighth Wonder of the World!
After being developed in secret for so long, Bugsnax made its grand debut at PlayStation's Future of Gaming Digital Event only a few months before its launch in June of 2020. And almost right out of the gate, it became a viral sensation. The game's cutesy tone and mysterious trailer caused the game to stand out from the crowd right at the starting gate, and its titular Pokémon-inspired creatures practically became a meme overnight due to their goofy animations and quirky speech patterns (Much like Pokémon, Bugsnax communicate solely by saying their names!). One particular breakout star was the Bugsnak Bunger (pictured above, to the left), who ended up gaining a huge cult following and became one of the game's unofficial mascots!
When reflecting on the game's instant virality after its reveal, programmer Devon Scott-Tunkin had this to say; "Seeing your hard work in such a big event, with so many people talking about it, is really an exciting experience. Exciting and frightening. The reaction amongst the team was a lot of us realizing that a lot of people outside of ourselves are as excited as we are, and that is a great feeling to have, but also a reality check! This is real! It has to be really good!"
Another big standout from the trailer was the original song "It's Bugsnax!", recorded specifically for the game by the quirky British indie pop group Kero Kero Bonito. That quote at the top of this post shows some of the song's lyrics. The game's composer, Seth Parker became a fan after seeing them in concert in Chicago a couple of years prior and contacted them directly to compose the song. After it was featured in the teaser, the song attracted a small, but very dedicated following in the online community.
"I think once we heard the first demo from Kero Kero Bonito, we were all pretty sure." Scott-Tunkin explained when asked about the theme song's status as a surprise hit. "But the level of virality is not something we've experienced or comprehended, even with Octodad's previous popularity and catchy song."
Initially, Bugsnax was released as part of a timed exclusivity deal with the PlayStation brand, being released first on the PS4 and as a launch title for PS5 on November 12, 2020. It was also released for PC storefronts the same day. After the exclusivity deal was finished, the game broadened its horizons to Xbox and Nintendo's systems a year-and-a-half later in April of 2022, which is when I came across this game for the first time via my Nintendo Switch.
Bugsnax's viral success would successfully translate to critical acclaim, with reviewers appraising the game's overall uniqueness, campy tone, voice acting, storytelling, and depth. It was also able to further translate that acclaim into commercial success, despite its initial limited availability, managing to surpass the Octodad games' lifetime grosses as Young Horses seemingly laughed all the way to the bank.
Heaven on Earth, with and Onion Slice
So, as you can see, much of the general public seems to agree that Bugsnax is a true gem that came out of seemingly nowhere and quickly established a legion of adoring fans that only seems to be growing. But, as they all say, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. If we weren't, we most certainly wouldn't succeed as a society after all! And this also means not everyone has to like the same things.
However, in this case, I can actually agree with the general public on the quality of this game, which is something I don't often do. Sure, the slow pace may not be some people's cup of tea, but I personally believe that this game truly earned all of the acclaim it has received. And I'll tell you exactly why.
Bugsnax's design, while nothing new, definitely works well with the game's style. Every environment is soaked in colors that are just bright enough to not come off as overstimulating, and all of the titular collectible creatures are as fun to watch as they are to collect. Each biome is also unique in design, with their own details and quirks to their name, ensuring that nothing ever comes off as boring.
Speaking of collecting, every game mechanic gets their chance to shine during the course of the game. And they are all simple enough to use and learn for younger, inexperienced gamers, while still engaging and fun enough for us crusty old veterans of the medium to get lost in. You could even use the gadgets you collect to just screw around if you like!
Furthermore, for a game made by a relatively small number of developers, Bugsnax is also a game that has a surprising number of things to do. Not only does the game have over 100 creatures to collect, but there's also a surprising amount of side content to keep the player engaged for a while. Every character has their own side quests that'll keep you engaged, and will even affect the game's ending, giving the game a nice amount of replay value that'll keep you coming back.
Also, collecting all the Bugsnax to feed to villagers and see all the crazy combinations in their designs you can make can unlock your inner artist. You can also unlock some side amenities as you continue to get different villagers back to Snaxburg, such as a pen in Gramble's ranch where you can donate excess Bugsnax to keep on display. Later updates even added new side requests from the townsfolk and a customizable home for the player to decorate with rewards for completing them!
To make a long story short, Bugsnax is a game where you can do practically ANYTHING-even play pranks on the townsfolk!
However, even that's not the main reason I and many others hold this game in such high regard!
I Like Mine with Lettuce and Tomato
Although Bugsnax may shine bright in the gameplay department, as all great games should, that's not its biggest strength. No, Bugsnax's greatest strength comes within a department one wouldn't expect in a game with this design; storytelling!
Indeed, while Bugsnax may appear to be a silly monster collector on the surface, as you continue to progress through the game, you'll find a real treat of a storyline underneath it's YouTube Kids-esque exterior. One that even rivals-and arguably, even surpasses-those of the multi-hour longs epics of the AAA sector of gaming!
Like I said at the beginning of this post, every character you encounter on the island has their own motive for attending Lizbert's expedition, and as you continue to communicate with each, we get to learn about each of their respective relationships and insecurities in the process. Many of these relationships deal with topics such as achieving goals, trust, family disagreements, and even romantic struggles (With both nuclear and same-sex couples!), and can even get surprisingly deep at times.
Every character goes through a substantially-built arc as you continue to help them, especially through their respective sidequests, which are actually required to get the best ending for this game. Not a single one of them ends up coming across as unmemorable as a result, and by the end, you'll want to see all of them succeed. The fact that they are portrayed through top-notch voice acting, dialogue, and expressive animations probably helps!
The game's storyline also includes a surprising amount of mystery and dark intrigue, as depicted through infrequent, but well-directed intermission segments between every few townsfolk returns, as well as a number of optional interviews with the townsfolk. The Bugsnax themselves even become the subject of a jaw-dropping plot twist towards the endgame! I won't spoil it here, but I personally can say that their true nature seems to be a metaphor for a little something something that became rather prominent at the time of the game's launch right in the middle of a...certain world-altering event.
Of course, the game also isn't afraid to embrace it's goofy side as well. Every character gets their own funny quips and get stuck in a variety of slapstick situations that'll make you love them even more. And the game's dialogue is peppered with a shocking number of quotable lines of both the humorous and serious variety (such as Chandlo's highly-memeable "LIFTIN' YOU'RE CRIB, DAWG!" as he literally tries to lift Snorpy's cabin of the ground). The SnaxScope descriptions even get a nice number of hilarious blurbs and reactions from the cast, some of which even reference other works of pop culture (Including a reference to a classic Sunny D commercial from Gramble). Even the Bugsnax themselves get their moments to shine thanks to their peculiar speech patterns and mannerisms during gameplay.
Saving Room for Dessert
With all of this in mind, I can certainly say that, like EVERY great indie game that I have come across, Bugsnax is a title that has outshined even the most acclaimed of the AAA market in terms of quality and innovation. And as a result, it's a title with a world that deserves to be explored again and again for new players of different generations.
Luckily, it would seem that Bugsnax may very well be on its way to joining the likes of Shovel Knight and Cuphead as not only a well-respected title in the indie space, but an enduring cult classic amongst ALL games! At least, that's what it would seem to be if all of the updates on this potential franchise that have come out since its release are anything to go by!
Indeed, Bugsnax's critical and commercial success seem to have given it a longer shelf life even over five years since its launch. The first of which came around the same time as it made its move from PlayStation and PC to all other major platforms in early 2022. That was when Young Horses released a DLC expansion for the game dubbed The Isle of Bigsnax, in which a 9th biome was added to the game's world; an island ruins area called Broken Tooth populated by giant-sized Bugsnax-all of which were newly introduced.
This new biome not only came with new creatures, but it also introduced new mechanics such as the "Shrink Spice", which, as implied by the name, could be used to shrink the giant-sized Bugsnax down and make them capturable. There was also a new storyline added to the island where we get even more moments of development for a few of the characters, especially Floofty, where we find out how they and Snorpy's sibling rivalry came to be and their pasts as now-blacklisted research scientists. A new set of side missions were also introduced, as was a side mode where you could decorate a hut that your player character was staying in on the island with collectible furniture.
Two years later, the franchise then made its biggest move yet. That was when it launched a now-successful Kickstarter for Bugsnax: The Card Game, which was even introduced to the world via a teaser trailer narrated by none other than Filbo himself! This collectible trading card game (some cards from which are pictured above), combines elements of Bugsnax's primary inspiration Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh as players select a deck pertaining to one of the game's main NPCs, each with their own special abilities. They will then utilize those special abilities and as set of trap cards in order to catch Bugsnax cards to "eat" and earn points. The first player to gain 6-points by the end of the round wins!
And finally, like a lot of indie video games, Bugsnax has been generous enough to share its likeness with other games within the indie pantheon, with characters often making special guest appearances in other works. Perhaps most notable among them is Balatro, a roguelike deck builder that received many Game of the Year nominations and also collaborated with many of the mainstream titans of the industry, including Fallout, Assassin's Creed, and Dead by Daylight!
Come Hungry, Leave Happy
So, in the end, Bugsnax is an indie gem with a story like no other. While a lot of indie games have struggled to become mainstream successes in today's fast-moving, algorithm-based world, Bugsnax managed to get everyone's eyes on it from the very beginning. It's debut immediately gave it a cult following that did not slow down once it was released, building up a dedicated following that's kept the IP growing over half-a-decade after its release.
And it shouldn't be hard to see why! The game is a truly unique experience with enough engagement for both young and old players alike thanks to its creative capture mechanics. And it even managed to buoy itself with a surprising story that normally can only be found in massive AAA titles, and even manages to surpass those titles in multiple cases!
But above all, Bugsnax is not only a gaming gem, but a true success story that's sure to inspire many future game developers. It managed to cram all of the vigor and scale of a AAA game into a small budget in order to create a game with very few (if any) weaknesses, managing to appeal to the best of both worlds! It's a game that truly deserves to be a title that's remembered and respected by the industry for decades to come. I'd argue it should even be studied in College Academia...well, at least in classes on video game storytelling, anyway! (Yes, there are some of those!)
But what about you? Have you ever played Bugsnax? Are you interested in tracking it down after hearing me gush about it for minutes on end? Do you agree that it's a masterpiece, or do you think its overrated? Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments below! And above all else....
Happy Thanksgiving from Something Niche!
Sources:
Carter, Chase. “Bugsnax Card Game Brings the Bizarrely Charming Video Game of Edible Critters to the Table.” Dicebreaker, Dicebreaker, 3 Apr. 2024, www.dicebreaker.com/games/bugsnax-the-card-game/news/bugsnax-the-card-game-kickstarter-announcement.
Croft, Liam. “Interview: The Bugsnax Team Reacts to Going Viral and the Pressure It Brings.” Push Square, Push Square, 5 Aug. 2020, www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/08/interview_the_bugsnax_team_reacts_to_going_viral_and_the_pressure_it_brings.
Gilbert, Ben. “Here’s How an Adorable and Bizarre New Game from a Tiny Indie Studio Stole the Show at the Big Playstation 5 Reveal.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 20 June 2020, www.businessinsider.com/bugsnax-ps5-reveal-history-interview-2020-6.
Kent, Bobby. “Balatro Releases Today on Xbox Game Pass, with Bugsnax, Fallout and More Crossovers.” GameLuster, 24 Feb. 2025, gameluster.com/balatro-releases-today-on-xbox-game-pass-with-bugsnax-fallout-and-more-crossovers/.
Kratky, Otto. “Bugsnax Developer Reveals Inspirations, Including Viva Pinata & Dark Cloud.” DualShockers, DualShockers, 17 June 2020, www.dualshockers.com/bugsnax-inspirations-viva-pinata-dark-cloud/.
Leri, Michael. “Bugsnax Switch, Xbox Release Date Comes alongside Free Bigsnax DLC.” ComingSoon.Net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More, 12 Apr. 2022, www.comingsoon.net/games/news/1217794-bugsnax-bigsnax-xbox-switch-release-date.
Morales, Greysun. “Bugsnax Is Big Sales Success for Young Horses despite Being a Free PS Plus Game.” Game Rant, Game Rant, 2 Feb. 2021, gamerant.com/bugsnax-big-sales-success-young-horses-despite-free-ps-plus-game/.
Riendeau, Danielle. “Video: Make Games like a Horse: The Design of Bugsnax.” Game Developer, 25 July 2023, www.gamedeveloper.com/design/video-make-games-like-a-horse-the-design-of-bugsnax-.
Staff, DS. “Bugsnax Developer Details the Game’s Inception, Its Catchy Theme Song, and Developing on the PS5.” DualShockers, DualShockers, 17 June 2020, www.dualshockers.com/bugsnax-young-horses-playstation-5/.
Suddi, Aran. “Interview – Talkin ’bout Bugsnax and Its Surprising Inspirations with Young Horses.” TheSixthAxis, 19 June 2020, www.thesixthaxis.com/2020/06/19/bugsnax-interview-young-horses-ps4-ps4-pc/.
Comments
Post a Comment