Yes, Bugsnax is adorable. It's also a weirdly conflicted game that can't really commit to a tone or a perspective. Read our review.
, it immediately won over almost anybody who digs games that are cute and quirky. From the start it stood out in a business that still somehow heavily revolves around grimy men with guns.is here, I can confirm that it’s definitely cute. For sure, it has some quirks. And it is nothing like the new Call of Duty and its irresponsible Reagan Era revisionism. It also doesn’t quite live up to the promise of that first trailer—which, to be clear, didn’t really give anybody much to go on.
The Grumpuses, who look like a cross between Muppets and Ugly Dolls, all have a unique and broadly defined personality. One is an arrogant scientist who treats everybody like a test subject; another is a crass, volatile salesman who looks and talks like Danny DeVito. There’s a paranoid conspiracy theorist, a buff workout bro, a superficial gossip hound, a sturdy farmer with the voice of Sam Elliott, and a half-dozen more stereotypes that have to be rounded up over the course of the game.
Even with bugsnax becoming increasingly tougher to catch, that repetitive loop can get a little boring. Fortunately the Grumpuses often have entertaining dialogue which can keep things moving. And although most of them wind up being fairly one-dimensional, there are a few with fears and concerns that are recognizably human. At its bestis a surprisingly realistic and poignant depiction of depression and the toll it can take on relationships.