When I sat down to play Bubsy 4D at this year’s Game Developers Conference, I didn’t exactly have high expectations. The Bubsy series has been reduced to a punchline over the past few decades, and its latest installment sure sounded like an ironic way to capitalize on the meme. Even its title is a cheeky riff on the maligned Bubsy 3D. And yet, within minutes of playing, I was totally captivated by this mechanically deep 3D platformer that gave me countless ways to chain together my moves. It reminded me of another game I had been playing recently: this year’s critically acclaimed Demon Tides.
