The Bug Butcher Reviews

The Bug Butcher is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Eric Zander
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2016

The Bug Butcher is exactly what the name implies and more. Sporting 30 levels, each usually lasting less than 2 minutes, there is a strong urge to try "just one more time" to beat your high score. Fans of the Pang/Buster Bros series will feel right at home with this game.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2016

The Bug Butcher is a great game with entertaining gameplay and neat weapons that is only slightly held back by longevity issues.

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85 / 100
Jan 18, 2016

The art and animations all feel at home in the universe this studio has produced, giving a cartoony kid-friendly vibe that's violent but not over the top.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 31, 2016

In the end, this is a decently fun arcade shooter, much like Galaga or Space Invaders. It has a neat art style and plays really well. All for ten bucks too. If you're feeling a little old school and want something that could last you around four to five hours, this is it. You'll get your money's worth out of it.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 15, 2018

Gorgeous graphics, combined with explosive—and addictive—gameplay make The Bug Butcher the perfect addition to your Nintendo Switch library.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 13, 2018

The Bug Butcher feels like Earthworm Jim and Alien Hominid met in an arcade to play Space Invaders and the residual DNA collected from their shared joystick and button usage was used to genetically engineer The Bug Butcher. Its frenetic pace and creative arsenal create a humorously fun experience full of equal parts mirth and mayhem. If you enjoy arcade-style side scrolling shooter, The Bug Butcher needs to be in your go-to rotation.

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9 / 10
Nov 15, 2018

The Bug Butcher is a spiritual successor that is very much possessed by its muse. This isn't a subtle nod, it is soaked in Pang and it's great because of it. The ability to play the game endlessly to beat your own score will keep you coming back. The fact that you can do it with a friend is just an even bigger incentive. The Bug Butcher isn't reinventing anything, but it is a damn fine version of a classic game.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2016

I loved the responsive controls, and that's a big factor when examining an action-heavy game like this, but the presentation is also commendable. The art and sound design play pivotal roles. Bugs are squishy, just as you'd expect, while power-ups serve as a visual and auditory jolt of energy. The thumping electronic soundtrack is unrelenting, further helping to keep you in The Zone.

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91%
Jan 25, 2017

You know a game is fun when you're done writing a review for it, and you still end up going back to play some more. The Bug Butcher is an excellent arcade-style action game that is a must-have for PlayStation 4 owners. The bite-sized nature of each level makes the whole package highly addictive. You'll keep playing to get all three stars and to meet the combo requirement in a level… only to then aim at beating your high score, or beating the high score of your friends.

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10 / 10
Apr 27, 2016

All in all The Bug Butcher is a distinct pleasure I keep finding myself going back to. It's got that great arcade feel and frantic pace you look for in a title like this, and is so deftly executed it could delight the most stridently anti-nostalgia gamer. But when you get right down to it, The Bug Catcher just makes it so darn fun to wipe out wave after wave of those gross bastard bugs, and that's really all I need to keep me happy for a good hour or two at a time.

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Unscored
Jan 20, 2016
The Bug Butcher (Critical Eye): Programmer's Nightmares video thumbnail