Bugsnax is coming | Have you heard the song?
Young Horses recently revealed their trailer for the upcoming PS5 adventure game, Bugsnax, with an insanely catchy theme song by Kero Kero Bonito.
When you think of the PlayStation 5 (and other next-generation consoles), you think of AAA game titles with 4K resolution, 120fps, and hyper-realistic graphics. However, Bugsnax, an adventure game that has players capture half-bug and half-snack creatures, is a lot further from the futuristic and immersive gaming experience that long-anticipated titles are promising, and is a lot closer to a new-age Viva Piñata.
Young Horses, the indie company behind Bugsnax, doesn't have an impressively-long resume. The company’s only other noteworthy game is Octodad: Deadliest Catch, which has a similarly cartoonish aesthetic. Still, Bugsnax looks interesting, to say the least.
The trailer starts with a cute strawberry with googly eyes walking around on its stem as if it were a bug out in the wild. Just as viewers are getting the chance to admire the interesting creature, it is swiped up by an unknown anthropomorphic walrus named Elizabert Megafig.
After consuming the cute strawberry, Elizabert’s hand turns into a strawberry, alluding to the fact that characters body parts change based on the creatures that they consume. To us, these body-part transformations seem to be Young Horses' nod to the Kirby franchise.
You Are What You Eat
Various bugs from apple crabs to submarine sandwich centipedes are shown roaming around Snaktooth Island in the trailer. The trailer moves on to show another humanoid creature, like Elizabert, transforming their entire body from head to toe into different foods. With cinnamon roll feet, ice cream scoop legs, a chocolate chip cookie torso and a doughnut nose, the trailer leaves little to the imagination in terms of potential customizability.
The trailer's end leaves viewers on a dark and mysterious note, as a hostile and gargling creature runs towards the camera before the video cuts to black. This might imply potential combat gameplay or some sort of evil creatures on Snaktooth Island. This wouldn’t come as a surprise, as it wouldn't be too entertaining if the entire game just involved aimlessly walking around an island consuming different bugs to see how it would aesthetically affect your character.
Could this possibly mean that there is strategy behind eating certain creatures over others? Could eating a cute strawberry gives the player a club hand to use against enemies? It doesn't sound harrowing to have a strawberry smacked against your head, but it would be an exciting concept. While this does sound fun, there's no confirmation yet on the gameplay. It could really just be an exploration simulator as you (the player) look for Elizabert while studying various bugs and their effects on the body.
Kero Kero Bonito Played The Trailer’s Music
The biggest thing that made this trailer as interesting as it was was the music played by Kero Kero Bonito. Kero Kero Bonito is an indie-pop band based out of London. Its J-POP inspired theme with lead vocalist, Sarah Bonito sang (pun intended) through the Bugsnax theme song. The announcement trailer's music is fun and extremely catchy, which makes us hope that Kero Kero Bonito is involved with more than just the trailer.
Bugsnax Will Have Adult Themes
While the announcement trailer for Bugsnax might initially give the impression that it’s a children’s game, it still looks like something that will be fun for all age groups. It’s already confirmed that Bugnsax will have jokes for adults that children will not get. Knowing this, we’ll compare it less to Kirby and more to a watered-down version of Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
The trailer's ending also implied this cute and colorful possibly-for-children's game is going to take a dark turn or have creepy elements. This has led some fans to theorize that the game may possibly even be a horror game in disguise.
Bugsnax looks like a fun cartoony game that will surely be over-the-top with silliness. Still, there's not too much right now outside of speculation over the announcement trailer. If anything, gamers are almost more excited about the Kero Kero Bonito theme song.
Bugsnax will release on the PlayStation 5 sometime during the 2020 holiday season.