REVIEW: Bubsy 4D? More like delightful, desirable, dashing, and damn is this really happening?

When Bubsy 4D was revealed, the universe collectively had two reactions. "Bubsy? That guy? Really?" and "Oh fuck, that actually looks so good." In an industry desperate for IP revival and eager to make nostalgia plays, Bubsy 4D stands out as special, and as something other than a cash grab. Because the audience certainly wasn't clamoring for it, and the decision to tap Fabraz — one of the indie scene's greatest platformer developers — to work on it was inspired.

I believe that Bubsy's latest might be his best, marking another step in Atari's return to prominence in the modern era.

​Just the Facts

Developer: Fabraz

Publisher: Atari

​Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4/5*, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch 1/2 *denotes platform reviewed on

​Price: $19.99, $39.99 on Nintendo Switch 1, $49.99 on Nintendo Switch 2

Release Date: May 22, 2026

Review key provided by publisher.

Born out of the '90s scramble for mascot heroes, Bubsy was Accolade's answer to Sonic the Hedgehog. They focused on his attitude, making him a smarmy alternative with his constant mugging for the camera, asking players "what could possibly go wrong?" and winking at the camera across his library of games titled with cat puns. Early returns had fans excited by this new hero, but like Gex, Boogerman, and Ristar before and after him, Bubsy failed to deliver a gameplay experience that matched the energy of his wisecracks (or made them worth enduring if you ask some folks). It all culminated in Bubsy 3D, a game so bad it regularly tops the rankings of many "Worst Games of All Time" listicles and YouTube hit pieces.

Enter Fabraz. Hot off the heels of Demon Tides, the highly acclaimed open world follow-up to 2021 indie hit Demon Turf, Fabraz has become an established, prominent studio shoring up the platforming genre. Pulled into the fold by Atari, which has already worked with a few indie devs to help inject life into their large library of properties, Fabraz went to work on a follow-up to Bubsy 3D — what many joked would become the first good Bubsy game.

The story begins with Bubsy lounging at home, bugged by his niece and nephew (characters born out of the failed '90s Bubsy animated show!) about being old and prodding him into freshening up his look. This brief moment of domestic bliss is broken up as his old enemies, the yarn-stealing alien race known as The Woolies, reappear suddenly . . . just to steal a few sheep and leave nearly as quickly as they came. Some time passes, and the arrival of Oblivia, another failed Bubsy spinoff character, brings about the real inciting incident for this latest adventure.

The sheep have gone rogue, having enslaved the Woolies and rebranded themselves as Baabots, returning to Bubsy's planet only to steal their supply of Golden Fleece. So of course it's up to Bubsy and the gang to head to space to defeat this new threat and restore order to the yarn-producing world.

It's an intentionally absurd romp, full of fun references to the series and hand-waving explanations as to why Bubsy's got new abilities or how a group of sheep ended up in power. There is certainly more effort put into storytelling in this project than into previous Bubsy installments, but still scant and far from the reason you'll be playing.

Bubsy himself, brought to life in this release by Sean Chiplock, is a comedic presence throughout. His cartoonish death animations, commentary about desperately needing chunks of yarn to pay for some addiction, and direct addresses to the player whenever you pause the game, never ended up annoying — though, if you'd prefer it that way, the "verbosity" slider from The Woolies Strike Back returns and allows you to directly scale how much the pantsless cat chatters.

Oblivia, Terri, Terry, and the final pilot-born hero Virgil Reality, are kind of just there to be there. But considering their obscure origins, it's fun that they're there at all. Who actually makes more of an impression, shockingly, are the Baabot villains. There's the bratty Baarbee, faced off against in a skate park; the beefy Baabot Baartholomeo, who talks with a goofy snuffling nose; and the shocking diva Baaptiste who waits at the end. Each brings a fun amount of character and, again, begs the question of how these sheep suddenly developed so much character in the course of an evening in space.

What really makes Bubsy 4D's story scenes stand out is Fabraz's animation, leaning into the expressive styling of the cat's cartoonish roots. Whether it's Bubsy flattening into a pancake from a high jump or having his eyes pop out of his head when he comes face to face with an enemy, Fabraz's animators lean into the mantra of "more is more." And so too does the art team on the whole, creating unique looks for each of the three planets you'll explore in the 4–6 hour adventure. There's the yarn-covered world most aligned with Bubsy's usual aesthetic, a world built out of crafts — cardboard, paper, glue, and staples — and finally a world made out of mounds of trash and tech.

Every level has some fun visual surprise, with colors exploding out of every corner of the world and theming that makes each of the game's 15 levels cohesive, despite the level design prioritizing play over sensible building. Levels are designed for experimentation, placing platforms just within reach and amplifying potential shortcuts wherever possible.

One of the reasons Fabraz has jumped to the top of the platforming heap as of late is their incredibly expressive platforming style. From flowy jumps to the new Hairball form that inflates Bubsy into a speedy ball to roll across stages, there's a joy in getting around that Bubsy gamers have never experienced before.

Bubsy 4D promotes horizontal momentum, showcasing a pounce-forward move set that feels like it aligns with Bubsy's feline intuition and chains beautifully to make it feel like you're gliding across each stage. To compare it to one of the big boys, Fabraz's platforming language sits somewhere between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Odyssey. There's no one way to master these levels, and the freedom to find what's comfortable for you is what makes a Fabraz platformer so fun. (And if you're a Bubsy fan who falls in love with this game, I guarantee you'll have a great time with Fabraz's other releases too.)

Like Demon Tides, released earlier this year — almost exactly like it in some respects, to the point that at times it can feel like a Bubsy-themed DLC level pack — Bubsy 4D is all about offering you a tool set of great-feeling platforming moves and setting you loose into an array of levels, ready to stitch your abilities together to beat these levels as fast as possible. And speed is certainly a priority here.

Bubsy 4D offers a little something for every kind of platforming fan, with tons of collectibles scattered about each level to unlock both cosmetics (including the infamous Bubsy 3D model) and new moves for Bubsy's platforming toolbox, but speed might be its most important aspect.

If you're looking to collect everything, levels can take 6–10 minutes on first playthrough. Achieving that 100% completion is trickier than you'd think, requiring you to poke around tons of corners sneakily hiding entire challenges and balls of yarn. But if you're revisiting stages with all the moves unlocked and shortcuts plotted out, you'll regularly shave that down to 2 minutes or less. And when it feels as good to bounce around as it does in Bubsy 4D — they make it easy to learn new routes and speed concepts by being able to challenge any ghost on the leaderboard — you find yourself wanting to chase the speed leaders.

Gamers without the speedrunning gene may find the experience a bit thinner than expected, but personally, I think there's enough platforming joy to be found in exploring these levels either way.

A few wonky camera moments and a slight lack of challenge in the vanilla experience aside, there aren't many things to complain about with Bubsy 4D.

One of the most unexpected video game releases in a very long time, Bubsy 4D marks a triumphant return for the charismatic cat. With the platforming acumen of indie legend Fabraz, Bubsy finally gets the great game the series has been looking for in its 30-plus year history.

Surely this mean's Bubsy's here to stay, right? I mean . . . what's the worst that could happen?

Video Games Are Good and Bubsy 4D is . . . GREAT. (8/10)

+ Fabraz's signature platforming style offers the best Bubsy experience, great visual design and expressive animation, a genius collaboration

- speed focus may make the game thinner for non-speedrunners, narrative simultaneously bigger and underwhelming, easier than expected once you get your legs under you

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