It feels almost surreal to write these words, but Bubsy is back. After decades of ridicule, half-baked revivals, and a reputation that made the bobcat more of a punchline than a platforming hero, Atari and Fabraz are giving him another shot – this time with a new intergalactic twist. Bubsy 4D doesn’t shy away from the character’s checkered past, but instead embraces it, leaning into campy humor and pulp-style storytelling while layering on modern platforming sensibilities. We went hands-on with the game at Gamescom to see if this unlikely comeback might actually stick the landing.
What we know
Bubsy 4D is a third-person platformer that takes the wisecracking feline into space for a new adventure. The story picks up with Bubsy’s old foes, the Woolies, who have captured Earth’s sheep. Their mechanical experiments backfire when the sheep revolt and return as robotic BaaBots, now bent on stealing Bubsy’s Golden Fleece. To stop them, Bubsy teams up with familiar faces like Virgil and Oblivia while hopping across craft-themed alien planets, each capped with a BaaBot boss fight.
Gameplay revolves around Bubsy’s expanded moveset: he can jump, glide, claw up walls, and pounce on enemies. A new “hairball” form lets him roll at high speeds, bounce off surfaces, and launch himself across gaps. The game balances accessibility and mastery, with online leaderboards and ghost data support encouraging speedrunning. There’s also light customization, with outfits and upgrades unlockable through yarn collection or hidden blueprints. The soundtrack, composed by Fat Bard, blends jazz, big band, and electro-swing to match the game’s eccentric tone. Bubsy 4D is slated for PC and consoles.
What we saw
Atari invited us to a hands-on session at Gamescom, where we played through a short demo build of Bubsy 4D. The demo included one early level, showing off the art direction, enemy designs, and a handful of Bubsy’s new abilities. The developers talked us through the controls and ideas behind the moveset while we played, giving us a sense of how they hope Bubsy’s return will stand apart from its infamous predecessors.
What we thought
The biggest surprise is that Bubsy 4D feels… solid. The platforming mechanics don’t reinvent the genre, but they’re responsive, snappy, and fun to chain together. Moves like wall-clawing and gliding are intuitive, and the new hairball form adds a bit of flair, letting you build momentum for tricks or speedruns. It’s clear that Fabraz, known for Slime-san, has a firm grasp on the fundamentals of 2D and 3D platforming design.
Narratively, the game embraces the absurdity of Bubsy’s legacy instead of ignoring it. The intergalactic premise and over-the-top Woolie/BaaBot setup are pulpy, tongue-in-cheek, and in on the joke – making the whole project feel self-aware rather than desperate. That gives the game a certain charm, even if it’s undeniably campy. At the same time, the humor can be hit-or-miss, and Bubsy’s trademark quips may still grate on players who never warmed to him in the first place.
Visually, the demo wasn’t particularly striking. Bubsy 4D has a colorful, cartoony aesthetic that gets the job done, but it’s nowhere near the production values of big-name platformers like Ratchet & Clank. Depending on your expectations, this could feel underwhelming, though the quirky art style does fit the series’ tone. The environments we saw leaned on simple, crafted motifs, which kept things clear for platforming but didn’t wow us artistically.
What elevates Bubsy 4D is the sense of confidence behind it. Having a developer with actual platforming pedigree makes a big difference, and while the game doesn’t try to compete with the genre’s heavyweights, it has the potential to carve out its own niche. The inclusion of time trials, ghost races, and online leaderboards could give it legs for competitive players and speedrunners, while casual fans will still find a breezy, accessible platformer. Bubsy may never be the mascot he once tried to be, but with Bubsy 4D, he might finally find a home as a cult favorite.
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