Bugsnax Critic Reviews

Bugsnax is a joyful, lovely experience from start to finish. With a surprising amount of heart, it'll hit you in the feels time and again - even when you're force-feeding snax down the throat of someone who'd rather keep them as pets (sorry, Gramble). It's the sort of game you can't help but play with a huge grin on your face and, long after finishing the main storyline, you'll want to return to Snaktooth Island to round up more snax and hang out with your new furry friends. You might not be a Grumpus yourself, but Bugsnax certainly leaves you with a fuzzy feeling inside.

While the few times the game seems to simply abandon you to figure out things it hasn’t explained well are still here, almost every other complaint I had with the PS4 version has been fixed. With one of the more unexpectedly interesting narratives I’ve come across in recent years and deeply inventive puzzle gameplay, there’s a lot to like here in a package that isn’t too short but also manages to not overstay its welcome. I made some great friends on Snaktooth Island and I think you will too, especially if you’re playing on the PS5.

Bugsnax leans heavily on the unique nature of its titular creatures, and it succeeds by doing so. They’re cute, they’re creepy, and their existence makes no logical sense whatsoever. Armed with a bit of design this indelible, the developers could have phoned in the rest and raked in the merchandising money. Instead, they fully committed to delivering a narrative worthy of the creatures starring in it. It was a risky choice, but it was also a daring and clever one, and that’s exactly what it wants to be.

It’s just a shame that the core gameplay here is so dull. Everything else in Bugsnax would make it a strong GOTY contender, but the sheer repetitiveness of the game’s main task drags it all down. Still, given how high the rest of the game flies, there’s only so far down it can go — and as it stands, that still means you’re left with one heck of a game.

Bugsnax will be remembered for its brilliantly-crafted world, characters and titular Bugsnax for many years to come, despite some repetition and frustrating load times.

Unsurprisingly, Bugsnax' best qualities are its cleverness and charm. The surprise and delight you feel when you see a Bugsnak wiggling around or watch someone eat one and change their arm into food never goes away. That alone would make Bugsnax worth your time, but creative puzzles and thoughtful story give it the body and depth to make a Snak feel more like a meal.

Bugsnax is a light-lifting puzzle adventure that is elevated by its strong story and characters that I enjoyed until the very end. Despite some simple mechanics, the laughs outnumbered the groans significantly as I found myself surprisingly invested in the events of the island and its inhabitants. With over 100 Bugsnax to discover and catch there’s plenty here to entertain the completionists, alongside those just looking for a well-told six-hour mystery that will keep you guessing until after the credits roll. All of this while making you feel emotionally connected to the characters, something you previously might have thought sounded impossible. Until you saw a carrot crawl, that is.

Bugsnax is a strange, satisfying and utterly engrossing journey into another world – one that is never afraid to embrace its stranger side even if it means leaving your mouth agape in amazed confusion. While the act of capturing and eating Bugsnax is a frequent delight, the finer qualities of Young Horses’ latest outing comes in its story and characters. Underneath the otherworldly designs sits a beating heart of close-knit relationships and relatable issues I found myself growing immeasurably fond of.

Whether it’s the super-catchy theme song, the nostalgia-evoking gameplay, or simply the very basic fun of hunting new Snax to transform the Grumpuses, Bugsnax is a game that is well worth your time. Its simple yet addictive challenge of catching the cute yet strange creatures coupled with some wholesome storytelling delivers a well-rounded and fun adventure.

Bugsnax is a delight in the most unexpected of ways. Despite its cartoonish and exceptionally goofy exterior, it’s got deep messages of community, relationships, and belonging. Though there are certainly missed opportunities for a bigger gameplay loop around catching the various Bugsnax, everything about Bugsnax is a joy, perhaps the reason that I wanted more from it. It may not be an obvious showcase of the PS5’s power and capabilities, but it’s certainly a unique game that shouldn’t be missed.

While far from pushing PS5 to its technical limits, this is definitely one of the most delightful launch titles. Dial ‘D’ for ‘different’ to learn how you can begin your own Snaktooth adventure.

Bugsnax is the ideal game to play between long triple A, but is also one of those that maintains itself in your memories. The characters upgrade what could be a curiosity to a remarkable game.

We should have expected nothing less than this level of surrealism from the developers of Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Bugsnax is about as weird as they come. Yet, underneath all the cutesiness, strangeness and edible bugs there is a surprisingly deep, heartfelt storyline with a mystery worth solving.

A performance cleanup thanks to PS5’s added juice coupled with some well-implemented usage of the DualSense controller means that Sony’s newest console is the best place to play Young Horses’ second indie offering, and it ensures that we’ll be ‘talkin’ ‘bout Bugsnax’ for a while yet.

Finding and collecting the many Bugsnax is as much fun as discovering the island and immersing yourself in the lives of the Grumpuses. The result is a humorous and entertaining adventure that will keep you interested until the end.

A perfectly portioned final course. Just as witty as everything that came before, with plenty more to chew on. Sometimes bigger really is just better.

There may be a lot of games you want to try on the new PS5 console, but if you're looking for a palate cleanser between the bigger, flashier games, Bugsnax is the perfect aperitif to your next-gen feast.

A simple-yet-fun game about collecting... weird, half-animal and half-food hybrid creatures: a Pokémon-style game that shines thanks to one of the best uses of DualSense and Game Help that we've seen so far on PS5.

Beyond its rather ugly aesthetic (so it's not really going to bring out the capabilities of PS5), Bugsnax has been a fun and original game that you arrive at by capturing its more than 100 Bugsnax and you stay for the story and character development.

If you want to catch them all and check off the full list of side quests, Bugsnax takes about 10 hours or so to complete. The gameplay can feel a little clumsy here and there, but it makes up for it with the silliness and creativity of it all. There’s a lot of joy to be had with these bizarre critters, and there’s more to the story than you might guess. So if you’re curious about where this adventure ends up, pack your bags for Snaktooth Island, and be sure to bring a healthy appetite.