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Bugsnax is a game where you play as a journalist who’s trying to discover the mysteries of an unusual island, called Snaktooth Island, after being invited by Elizabert Megafig. However, when you arrive she has gone missing and the individuals that she went to the island with have all left to do their own thing due to infighting and a lack of food. So, it’s your job to gather the folks back to camp, discover what happened to Elizabert, and what the deal behind these mysterious Bugsnax is.
While you are convincing everyone to come back to town, you will be tasked with feeding individuals certain Bugsnax. In order to do this, you have to use various tools and sauces in order to capture them. Different Bugsnax require different things to be done in order to get them. So, you have to figure out what works best for each one. Especially when side-quests require you to go against bosses that you later feed to those villagers.
The game has a charming and cute exterior, but it has a lot of darker undertones. When the individuals eat the Bugsnaxs their bodies are replaced by what they eat. Through your exploration, you discover that they aren’t actually food. They cannot be replanted to grow again, they have personalities and favorites, and they contain no bones. Not to mention, anyone who has found themselves stuck on Snaktooth Island has disappeared or died.
Not only do the creatures replace limbs, but if someone were to cut off a limb a Bugsnax can be used to regrow that missing limb. So, while they seem cute and edible… you really shouldn’t be putting these into your bodies.
Spoilers Ahead
As you find out later in the game, the Bugsnax are not actually food. They are a mind-altering parasite that eventually transforms anyone who eats them into more Bugsnax. So, all the foods you’ve been feeding individuals are the previous residents of the island. As I said, there is a dark undertone to this game. It is a psychological horror after all.
In the free DLC, you will learn that Triffany’s grandmother was killed on the island when some previous group decided to try to make a new Bugsnax Queen. This group was called the Snakolytes that Snorpy thought was the “Grumpinati”. This is only after you complete the side quest stories for all the characters that end up going to the second island. It also is where you learn a lot sooner than the ending the truth about the Bugsnax.
But once you’ve explored everything and done all the side quests you want, it’s time to end the game. In order to leave, you have to defend the Grumpuses (villagers) during the sequence to prevent them from becoming Bugsnax themselves. If you fail, those individuals are dead. Any that survive, along with your character and Filbo will escape on the journalist’s (your) airship. Afterward, you get fired from your job regardless of the outcome of your game as there are multiple endings. Then you will learn what happened to all the villagers after the escape (if they survive) and that your boss was part of the Snakolytes. One of the parasites also is shown emerging from your airship, implying that the outbreak may spread in the future.
Final Thoughts
It’s a cute game. I seriously enjoyed playing it. There are some characters that irked me, but I still enjoyed their questlines. And it was a challenge at times to figure out how to capture certain Bugsnax, or where to go next. There’s not an exact guide that tells you how to get to places. You have to figure it out or remember clues that appeared during your game experience.
Overall, I would give the game a 4-star rating.
I know I don’t normally do that sort of thing for video games, but I thought I would start whenever I finish a game over on Twitch. If it’s something I haven’t played before or haven’t watched someone else play it.
Have you played Bugsnax? If so, what did you think?
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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