Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection review for Nintendo Switch

System: Switch
Release date: September 9, 2025
Developer: Limited Run
Publisher: Atari

There’s something about that bobcat, isn’t there? Since making his debut in 1993, Bubsy has lived in gaming infamy for his in-your-face attitude, and also for the reputation of his games not being the best the platforming genre has to offer. Even still, the character has had an unmistakable impact on the industry, and whether ironic or sincere, he has garnered a following and earned himself a cult status amongst platforming mascots. This led to a revival of the series in the late 2010s with a nineteen year gap between the releases of Bubsy 3D in 1996 and Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back in 2017. Now, in 2025, we have a brand new collection of Bubsy’s original run of games before his near two-decade long catnap.

Included in The Purrfect Collection are Bubsy in: Claws Encounter of the Furred Kind, Bubsy 2, Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales, Bubsy 3D, and the rare Japanese version of the original Bubsy title as they were originally released. However, that’s not all this bundle has to offer. Also in the mix are versions of Bubsy and Bubsy 2 on different systems, the Game Boy version of Bubsy 2, and a brand new Bubsy 3D: Refurbished Edition that substantially changes that particular game. Alongside these playable titles, a Mewsic jukebox mode is included with the soundtracks of all Bubsy releases included, and a Meowseum mode with a treasure trove of things to read, watch and discover from the bobcat’s history. We’ll quickly go over each main game on offer.

Bubsy 1 is a 2D action platformer where our orange protagonist sets out to stop the invading alien woolies from stealing earth’s inventory of yarn balls: including his own personal collection. Bubsy moves quite quickly, and stages are structured in a way to encourage you to move along quickly as each stage has a ten minute countdown timer. There are sixteen stages, broken up into distinct level themes with a boss fight at the end of each. However, while Bubsy moves quickly, he is exceptionally fragile. One hit kills him, and nearly everything takes away one of his starting nine lives, though more can be earned through collection five hundred yarn balls. If Bubsy runs into an enemy, he dies. If he runs into a wall, he dies. If he falls from too high a height without stopping his momentum with a glide, he dies. The only way he can strike back is from jumping on enemies or avoiding confrontation altogether. There is a lot of unfair enemy placements in the game, and although the level design encourages you to move along quickly, it is very easy to run into a hazard that was off-screen and lose a life. This was always what stopped me from entirely enjoying this first Bubsy game. Luckily, this new collection comes with some new bells and whistles that makes the experience much more enjoyable, and these options apply to all titles included. First off: a rewind ability can be activated by pressing both of the shoulder buttons in at the same time. In Bubsy 1 especially, this is a Godsend when you are killed by something you didn’t know was coming or an obstacle the player would classify as unfair.

If the player presses the right control stick in, a new menu opens with a lot of extra options, akin to the Gex Trilogy, also from Limited Run. These additions include being able to alter the screen size from native, 4:3 and 16:9, a CRT filter option, a plethora of border options around the screen, a quick reset button, and the ability save and load. All games have save files included, which is also a major addition that made everything a much better experience to pick up and play. This is without question the ideal way to play Bubsy 1, and especially thanks to the rewind feature, it becomes a lot more of an enjoyable adventure. 

Bubsy 2, in my opinion, is the best title in the series. It immediately fixes my problem with Bubsy 1, as he can tank more than one hit against enemies, and their placements in stages is a lot more forgiving. Rather than the first title’s standard one stage on to the next structure, Bubsy 2 instead features an overworld where Bubsy selects which stage he goes into next. The level themes are more varied this time around, and they aren’t always traditional 2D platforming stages either. In a vein similar to Crash 3: Warped, there are also levels where Bubsy mans a vehicle to progress. This is the game I had the most fun playing in this collection, and one I could actively seeing myself going back to play in the future. As is the case with the first entry, and indeed every game in this collection, they are the best versions on offer.

The nicest thing I can say about Bubsy 2’s portable version included in this collection is that I think it is really cool the handheld version is now easily accessible to fans of the series and that it is being preserved. I’m not overly fond of it, but again with the new suite of options this collection includes, the game becomes relatively playable. Still, I can’t see this as anything more than a neat bonus rather than a substantial addition to the roster of titles. Another thing that I noticed playing through these games is that they are all quite short, and with the benefit of the rewind feature, most can be beaten in less than two hours, some taking considerably less than that. This is something quite refreshing actually: in an era where titles boast on the lengthy playthroughs on offer, it’s nice to pick up a game, beat it in one or two sessions, and move on. There’s still a place for those types of releases, I think.

The last major title left in the lineup is Bubsy 3D; perhaps the most well-known title in the series and not for the best of reasons. The game as originally launched is preserved here, so if those curious after seeing it in the past online and always wondering if the experience is as bad as some would lead you to believe, the option is there for you. However, this is not the version included here that is worthy of attention: that goes to Bubsy 3D: Refurbished Edition, a significantly reworked edition of the bobcat’s original 3D escapade which improves almost everything wrong with the base game, save for its empty environments and unimpressive art style. The core is still very much Bubsy 3D, for better and indeed for worse.

Those who have played the original Bubsy 3D will notice after first sitting down and playing the Refurbished Edition is that the game controls lightyears better than the original. Bubsy moves around at a speed comparable to his 2D platformers, and his glide is considerably less clunky. He doesn’t have retro Resident Evil-esque tank controls either anymore, moving around and turning much more smoothly in 3D. The most marked improvement comes in the camera work, which to put it politely, was an absolute mess in the original version. Now, it is much easier to control and it is way easier to see where you are intended to go in order to reach the end of a stage. This is a very impressive inclusion in this collection, and alone I think is worth the price of admission if you are a Bubsy fan. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, you are still playing Bubsy 3D so mileage is going to vary from person to person.

I found this collection quite tricky to review. Although I’m not fond of too many games included within it, I am deeply fond of just about everything else. The UI is terrific, the style just pops off the screen, the plethora of options included to improve on each Bubsy game is admirable, and the Meowseum is the best one I have ever seen. There’s lots of concept art, design documents, interviews with Bubsy’s developers, marketing material, full promotional comics, and even the full pilot for the ill-fated Bubsy cartoon show. It is stellar, and a must-buy for Bubsy fans. For everyone else, your mileage will vary, but when the package is this beautifully dressed, I think it is worth giving this collection a shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection copy provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.