The Bug Butcher

Release Date: January 19, 2016

Action, science fiction, 2D, indie games, shooters, multiplayer, singleplayer

7.9

OpenCritic

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A two-dimensional shooter set in a science fiction world, developed by Australian Awfully Nice studio. In The Bug Butcher, we play as a guy named Harry, who is a space exterminator of all kind of pests, just as he's received a profitable order to get rid of the vermin overrunning a research lab at a far-away planet, and save the scientists working there.

Videos and Screens

[1:33] The Bug Butcher launch trailer

7.9

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 75% of Critics. There are 31 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

COGconnected: 85 / 100 by Nicholas Plouffe

The art and animations all feel at home in the universe this studio has produced, giving a cartoony kid-friendly vibe that's violent but not over the top.

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DarkZero: 10 / 10 by Tommy Daniels

All in all The Bug Butcher is a distinct pleasure I keep finding myself going back to. It's got that great arcade feel and frantic pace you look for in a title like this, and is so deftly executed it could delight the most stridently anti-nostalgia gamer. But when you get right down to it, The Bug Catcher just makes it so darn fun to wipe out wave after wave of those gross bastard bugs, and that's really all I need to keep me happy for a good hour or two at a time.

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The Escapist: 4 / 5 by Ian Cheong

I went into The Bug Butcher with few expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by how well the classic arcade mechanics held up to today's standards. It's a challenging game that never feels cheap or unfair.

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The Bug Butcher created by Awfully Nice Studios for PC, PS4 etc., is a 2D shooter, modelled on Super Buster Bros. from 1990. The studio was founded by Till Aschwanden and Rainer Zoettel. The latter has previously worked at the famous Blizzard Entertainment, Weta Digital and Scanline VFX, where he contributed to several famous films, including District 9, The Hobbit, Avengers and Cloud Atlas.

Plot

In The Bug Butcher, we play as Harry, who is a cosmic exterminator of all kinds of vermin. He receives a contract in which he has to get rid of pests spreading in a research center on a distant planet and save the scientists working there. Of course, the task won't be easy, because Harry has to face large and very dangerous creatures.

Mechanics

The Bug Butcher on PC, PS4, etc. is a side-scroller shoot'em up, which focuses on killing enemies. Players move in two dimensions, right and left, but shoot only upwards. During the game, we get access to a variety of futuristic weapons, including lasers and rocket launchers which can be modified. In addition, the game also features power-ups temporarily increasing our power. The game offers players 30 levels. The more efficiently and quickly we eliminate the vermin, the better the results - this is thanks to a multiplier, which ends when we receive damage or stay inactive for too long.

Game modes

In addition to the single-player campaign, The Bug Butcher also offers a multiplayer mode in which we fight for points with another player. The game takes place on special platforms, which rise over time, bringing us closer to a deadly energy beam. The better we deal with enemies, the longer we stay alive.

Technical aspects

The Bug Butcher on PC, PS4 etc. is a decent looking 2D game. The developers have prepared a lot of different locations, various space bugs eye-pleasing special effects.

Last updated on December 17, 2019