A Kick (???) for Kickstarters: Bubsy: Paws on Fire! Spicy Extras!

The Bubsy franchise’s beginnings were humble, started with a solid-though-unspectacular title that was one among many attempts from developers who aimed to capitalize on the mascot platformer trend in the 16-bit era. Several of these franchises subsequently transferred to 3D well, but Bubsy was far from one of them. Bubsy 3D has been so constantly eviscerated on so many professional sites and general blogs that picking on it now feels like bullying. It was enough to kill the franchise to the point that it would never recover.

Or so it seemed. Developer Black Forest Games bravely (or foolishly?) gave it another go with Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back in 2017, nearly 21 years after Bubsy 3D released in 1996. At the very least, they wisely made this a 2D installment reminiscent of the 16-bit titles, albeit with 3D polygons. (They also likely had no choice here, considering the cost of creating a 3D platformer.) But even with that, it wasn’t clear whether there was a big enough audience that wanted a Bubsy revival, and every comment I read left me wondering who this was for. The question was more relevant after its release, as reviews from critics and general purchasers considered it mediocre at best. Since it was a digital release, there was no way to tell how well it sold.

Yet, it sure appears those sales were at least satisfactory, as there’s already another game coming called Bubsy: Paws on Fire!, just a little over a year after the last game released. Since Black Forest Games is now a subsidiary of THQ Nordic, development is now being handled by Bit.Trip series developer Choice Provisions, who appears to be pretty talented. Instead of being a general platformer, this title is an endless runner reminiscent of this developer’s Runner 3, except with Bubsy characters. And even better (or worse), a crowdfunding campaign just went live on Kickstarter.

Notably, the campaign isn’t for the game itself, which is currently receiving final tuning ahead of its April release. It’s actually for the “Spicy Extras!” downloadable content the team wants to release later in the summer if it’s funded.

The campaign was first announced through a trailer, which provided a preview of the game and what pledgers could receive for helping to fund the initiative. Funnily enough, the initial trailer contained box art for the physical PlayStation 4 version that included an “M for Mature” rating, which left my mind swirling as to what the hell this game was going for. My top guess involved this being a spiritual successor to Rare’s Conker franchise, which started with the innocent Conker’s Pocket Tales on Game Boy Color before receiving a vulgar makeover with Conker’s Bad Fur Day. The trend of edgy platforming mascots died with Jak and especially Shadow the Hedgehog, but this would have been a hell of a direction to travel in depending on which age group played the last game.

The replacement trailer contained an updated box that depicted the correct “E for Everyone” rating. A damned shame, because that would have been an entertainingly disastrous direction to go in that would have at least made everyone rolling their eyes at Bubsy’s continued existence curious. Again, this could have involved shooting themselves in the foot if young people were the last game’s biggest fans.

The campaign has several pledging tiers at various prices. Nearly all of them include a digital copy of the game on a platform of choice, either PS4, Switch, or PC, while others bravely include a bundle of both games (the “Two-Fur” pack — oh boy) for PS4 and PC (the first game isn’t on Switch) despite the reception to the first one. Some tiers also include a digital or physical soundtrack, copies of Choice Provisions’ previous games, a digital background and map, and the aforementioned physical PS4 version. Interestingly, none of the tiers are too expensive, going as high as $100.

The campaign has an initial goal of $25,000 which will add two outfits for Bubsy and additional voice quips from new voice actor Vic Mignogna, a man quite credibly accused of being a pedophile, sexual harasser, homophobe, and transphobe. Very cool stuff. Even more content will be added if the stretch goals are reached, including outfits for the other playable characters, a brand-new character, and new levels. They go up to a whopping $225,000.

Given the pace at which pledges are being made, there’s no chance it will make the highest stretch goal. Heck, it may not even make the first one. But there are surprisingly enough Bubsy fans around that the initial goal is within reach, considering it’s at over $11,000 as of this writing with 25 days remaining. If you’re still wondering who the hell this is even for, feel free to peek in at the comments section on the Kickstarter page for a gaze into the abyss.

For their sake, though, hopefully Paws on Fire turns out well. Choice Provisions is a good company judging from the games they previously developed, and hopefully they’ve been given enough time to produce a quality runner. The fact that this is releasing around a year-and-a-half after the last game gives me a little paws pause, though. The game will release in April.