Bubsy: Paws on Fire!
Rating Summary
Based on 19 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Beneath the bland mascot lurks a decent arcade game.
Ultimately, however, the repetitive gameplay, bland presentation and hollow world prevents players from immersing themselves in its optimistic spirit. The Bubsy experiment has ended. It's time to let the bobcat go.
An OK-ish platforming game that offers some good humor, but fails in many aspect of the level design.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It took a little over 25 years, but Bubsy: Paws on Fire is the bobcat's first truly great outing. With a fun, cheeky cast of characters and entertaining core gameplay, you won't have to ask yourself, "What could possibly go wrong?"
Anyone with any nostalgia for this despicable bobcat should find enjoyment here, even if in only short bursts.
Bubsy: Paws on Fire is a combination of elements that range from merely adequate to frustrating beyond belief. In fact, the best part of the game is often being able to break the rules and cheese your way to victory. With almost zero redeeming qualities to speak of, the only way this game could possibly offer anything of benefit is to Trophy hunters, as there are a fair number of easily unlocked gold trinkets. If that's not something you care about, then steer well clear - it's just not worth it. Despite the shockingly long legacy as a series, surely this time must be the last, right?
Finally, a decent Bubsy game. What could possibly go wrong from here?
It'd be easy to look at the bobcat's resumé, look at this and dismiss it out of hand. Unfortunately, although Bubsy: Paws On Fire has the foundation of a decent runner and developer Choice Provisions knows what it's doing in terms of creating levels with an engaging flow, less than stellar performance, bland and repetitive stages, superfluous gameplay additions and long loads combine to drag the experience down. It's not awful, it's just nowhere near as good as the Runner series and ultimately we'd recommend ditching the bobcat and spending time in the company of Commander Video instead.
The long and short of Bubsy: Paws on Fire! Is that it's a running game that isn't particularly difficult, doesn't really stress scores and feels rather hollow. Sure, it's fun and if you like repetitive tasks that reward you for slight improvements, it will certainly shine, otherwise it's just a bland game that is as forgettable as any of the other sequels. Add in a lack of online play or even interesting costumes and it's ultimately a game that coasts on whatever fame Bubsy has and is only really redeemed by having a platinum/variety of achievements that are not particularly hard or engaging to obtain.
At its peak, Bubsy: Paws on Fire! is a generic runner that brings nothing new to the genre other than messed up hitboxes, poor controls, and awful padding. It also tries to be a boring SHMUP for some reason.



















