Developer: Igrek Games
Publisher: Ultimate Games S.A., Gaming Factory S.A.
Platform: PC, Switch, Xbox One
Tested on: Switch
Bug Academy (Switch) – Review
Welcome to the Bug Academy! Become a cute little insect and take on challenges in this wacky, physics-based, single-player game. Finish all the lessons, pass the final exam, and successfully graduate from the renowned Bug Academy.
Story
Flying right into the tutorial (pun intended), we start out as this cute little fly which is just a mere dot on your screen. After following a set of instructions, the player continues on through a suction tube and gets dropped right in front of the academy’s doorsteps, ready to start the first class. As you progress, you can switch your life as a fly to a firefly, a mosquito or a bee.
As a small flying insect, you will have to pass all the classes to be able to partake in the final exam. There are four classes the player can join in total, with approximately 1-10 lessons in every class. These lessons will teach you how to successfully deliver fridges, herd cows, build towers, work in mines, catch ghosts, steal diamonds, launch rockets, … – well, you know, the usual, everyday insect activities.
Graphics
In Bug Academy, we buzz through a colorful 2.5D world where the sceneries look like a diorama someone crafted, put together with random stuff like Lego blocks, cardboard, paper mâché, and clay. It’s charming and looks quite appealing even though it may seem like an odd combination. The game is also pretty colorful and uses different shades in all the right places. The graphics are truly vivid, textured, and nicely detailed which is very much appreciated.
Sound
The music that goes along with this game is ingenious! We are treated with a good amount of tracks. Every track has this nice synth-wave, big beat mix that keeps the tempo and gameplay up. The soundtrack is joined by upbeat kazoo melodies accompanied by goofy sound effects that come from the swarm of insects and the surrounding environment such as tooting horns and squishy dog toys. This makes playing the game thoroughly more enjoyable.
Gameplay
Bug Academy has fun and frivolous gameplay. It is an action, adventure single-player game that is very physics-based. Even though this is kind of a puzzle game, you don’t need to use your noggin that hard to play it through. Some levels might even be challenging at times, but definitely not impossible to beat. The only thing you actually have to do is navigate through the level, pick things up and then drop it off at the designated spot. You could compare the gameplay of Bug Academy to similar video games such as Goat Simulator, Octodad, and I Am Bread, mixed with some Rayman Legends and Little Big Planet for the scorekeeping.
Following the story, you fly from class to class as this teeny weeny insect, trying to finish all the lessons so you can graduate from the Bug Academy. But before you are able to graduate, you have to pass all the classes to enter for the final exam. But how does this all work?
Playing as this tiny insect, you fly through all the areas you can find in the selection menu. You navigate through the menu exactly the same way as you would navigate levels in the game. But the player can only go to the left or the right, just like any other platform games. The player can also find areas dedicated to credits/special thanks and a gift shop. The other areas are the classes you can choose from to play. To jump into a chosen area you have to pull a lever to open up a suction tube you get sucked into. How strange it may be, that’s how you enter and exit the space you’re in. So even if you’re only in the selection menu, you’re actually kind of playing the game already.
After choosing a class, it’s time to start the first of many lessons/levels. These classes have multiple levels, which are called lessons in-game, each with its own objective and challenges. The challenges differ on every level but the gameplay stays the same. You simply fly around, linear to the left or right, using your left joystick, and press A to pick things up/let them go. So how the game mostly works is that the player flies around the level, gather more insect friends to make a swarm, look around to pick items up and bring them from A to B. The faster you do this, the better your score will be. Your scoring is presented by a bronze, silver or gold star that you can earn at the end of each lesson. It all depends on how well you’ve played. These stars are also necessary to unlock future upcoming lessons and classes. So be sure to always try your best!
Conclusion
Bug Academy is an enjoyable, entertaining game that can keep you busy anywhere at any time. The added story wasn’t very astonishing but complements the gameplay very well. It was a nice extra to have to make the game goofier. Just as the amusing soundtrack that comes with it creates an incentive to keep playing. The gameplay itself isn’t hard and the game’s puzzles are simple enough for anyone to pick up the game and start playing.
Bug Academy (Switch) – Review,
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