If you know of the Bubsy games, it’s probably due to the endless mockery that the former Accolade mascot has received online. What started as a Sonic rip-off culminated in one of the worst 3D platformers released on the original PlayStation with Bubsy 3D. Now, 30 years later, Bubsy returns to the three-dimensional realm for Bubsy 4D, which is genuinely a follow-up to 3D and one of the most surprising platformers ever made.
The first thing you’ll notice when booting up Bubsy 4D is that it is hideous. It’s one of the most visually garish games I’ve ever seen. From platforming sections that appear out of nowhere to a purposefully low-detail look and ugly textures, it’s an aesthetic nightmare. However, this is all done by design as it is hearkening back to Bubsy 3D’s style. It’s a genuinely faithful update of that aesthetic, which turns out to be incredibly charming and unique as a metatextual work. We’ve seen a lot of throwbacks to PS1, polygonal art styles lately, but none quite like this. It might be ugly to look at in a vacuum, but as a Bubsy game? It’s the perfect visual style.
What really makes Bubsy 4D fun is the amount of creativity the player is allowed in its platformer. To reach a high point, do you want to simply double jump there or become a bouncy ball? To get across a gap, do you use Bubsy’s signature glide, or will it require a last-second pounce to avoid falling down a bottomless pit? Oftentimes, the game requires players to put these skills together, so your creativity and mastery of the skills are needed. It creates a really fun atmosphere, and the sheer enjoyment of how it controls is what lets it get away with its aesthetic.
Stages are filled with platforming challenges, and some laugh-out-loud funny dialogue exchanges, but it’s the boss at each of the game’s three worlds that really puts your skills to the test. These fights wind up being a blast, testing your pattern recognition and making sure you are able to effortlessly link your abilities together to survive. It’s strange to put it down on paper, but Bubsy 4D has some of my favorite platforming moments I’ve had since Astro Bot, even if it doesn’t constantly stay at that same high.
Levels aren’t overly long, as you can speed through them all in just a few minutes, but there’s a good reason to revisit stages to find hidden collectibles (including blueprints that give you move upgrades that are really essential to get the most enjoyment) and more of the currency you can use to buy skins. Some of the skins are the game’s best jokes. There’s a reference to Sonic that is so funny that I won’t spoil the punchline to it, and you can even get a Bubsy 3D skin that comes with a specific game over screen. Developer Fabraz has really taken a look at every aspect and tried to pack in as many jokes as possible, and it really shows. I never thought we’d get a Bubsy passion project, but this is exactly that.
Bubsy 4D Review: Final Verdict
By showing a degree of reverence and respect for one of gaming’s biggest punching bags, Fabraz has managed to create a wonderfully playing 3D platformer that is undeniably a Bubsy game. Garish to the eyes, but a blast to creatively play, Bubsy 4D is one of 2026’s best surprises. It’s a love letter to a character whose unlikely comeback was fuelled by irony and Bubsy’s first genuinely great game.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 copy for our Bubsy 4D review. Reviewed on version 1.002.000.
