Going into the game I really wasn't sure what to expect, I had seen clips of the game during a State of Play then not much else, then when I was reading reviews they were pretty mixed so overall I was a bit conflicted when starting the game like some reviews said it could be fantastic or as others set it might not be very good but I went in with an open mind and was actually pretty surprised with the outcome.
I picked this game up free for the PS5 through me having a PS Plus and after a single play-through I don't think I would have picked it up as a full price game. Don't get me wrong as you will find out I enjoyed the game I just don't think I would have paid over £20 for this game after trying it so I am very grateful that I got to try this free of charge because if not this post might not have happened for a good few years.
When I first started the game I honestly did wonder what I had got myself into as the game is just so random. Like the snax combinations were so strange, you just couldn't help but laugh as you encountered them like the Kwookie a spider type cookie ice-cream sandwich how do you even thing of these things. The you have the actually game characters themselves or should I say the 'Grumpus' each with their own personality, strange names and funny looking features each one is different and great. I have to say I think that my favourite one was Chandlo though the weightlifting and basketball just did it for me. I never got bored interacting with any of the characters either as you never knew what they would come out with or ask you to do plus the personalities were highlighted in every interaction which I though was great as you was always dealing with a different personality mixing it up a bit each time. What I did really enjoy though was feeding the snax I had caught to each Grumpus and watching them transform, I have to admit I probably spent a lot longer than I should deciding which part of he Grumpus to transform each time.
The game was pretty easy to play once you got to grips with it but some of the snax were really difficult to catch and I actually used a guide quite a bit just so I knew what I needed to do. Some snax gave you clear instructions on how to catch them... others not so much having the guide on my phone to help definitely help me continue with the game as if not I might have given up due to some bits being very stressful with little instruction on what to do, I did try not to rely on the guide too much though. I honestly thought it was a game aimed at a much younger audience when I first saw it but after playing through it I really think kids could struggle with this one as I know I did far too often so imagine a 7 year old trying to give it ago... although they probably would do much better than me these days. Some of the bugs were definitely harder to catch than others and the one I had the biggest problem with was when it came to catching the Charmellows, I just couldn't find any at all I even checked a guide to see where they were and they still wasn't there. So I went to the nearest bed and tried various times during the day in hopes of them re-spawning but that didn't happen either, I ended up coming of the game for the night at that point and returning the next day where they magically appeared. That was the only issue I had through my whole play-through other than that it was pretty plain sailing and I had no bugs or issues that would effect the game in anyway. For some of the parts I got stuck on I asked Liam to have a go for me but he point blank refused due to the game looking stupid and making no sense yet I know if he gave it a try he would end up liking it.
I don't like when games drag out objectives for the sake of it so I loved the fact that in Bugsnax the objectives seem to be nice and quick, they are just the right length as they don't take forever to do and don't make you go all over the place to complete them it just keeps you in one area and it is great for this. The objectives were all pretty fun and had you discovering new things too which was great as I didn't feel like I was just repeating myself over and over. To be honest though I did enjoy the last few objectives a bit more than others as I didn't actually have to go out and catch anything it was just a case of following a few instructions and I was done, it definitely brought the games to a nice end for me. What really did surprise me though was the fact that even though this game drove me absolutely insane at times once I got my motivation back for gaming I actually really looked forward to getting home to play the game which doesn't normally happen at all, normally if a game drives me mad I just put it back on the shelf for long time and maybe revisit it later down the line or just give up on it all together so there was definitely something about Bugsnax for it to keep me coming back no matter what.
Once you got into the game a bit more the controls are pretty simple and easy to remember, in the past if I have come away from a game a bit I tend to forget what control does what and I need to recap myself however, with this one I didn't need to as they are pretty basic and even if you make a mistake with a control it doesn't really effect things too much due to the pretty relaxed pace of the game. Thanks to this game being on the PS5 I got to experience the game with pretty fast load times meaning less waiting around and more actually playing which makes a nice change although it was strange just playing the game instead of having to occupy my time until a load screen ended, I am so glad load times are slowly disappearing as they are always something that drove me mad so thank you to the PS5 for massively reducing them as I can have more game time instead of just being sat around. The quality of graphics throughout the game were brilliant too. To be honest I totally expected them to be great due to what I had seen clips of and the fact it is on the PS5 but I didn't expect them to look so good. The colours throughout were very vibrant and stood out really well and to say what style of game it is they have gone above and beyond to create the best possible graphics for us gamers. For me I have never really been interested in graphics in the game if the story or campaign is good but the graphics for this are a very good added bonus.
Overall Bugsnax is a really good game that is fun and is easy to jump in and out of it you are just looking for a game that isn't too intense even if some parts are a bit stressful for the likes of me. For once I am even actually considering going back to it at some point so that I can try get my platinum trophy for this one which I never usually bother with, that is just how good that game is in my opinion. If you get the chance I would highly recommend giving it a go for yourself and don't forget to let me know what you think to it.
That is game number 4 complete for the year now onto the next one...
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