Bugsnax

Bugsnax is a first-person adventure game, in which players traverse the mysterious Snaktooth Island to find clues regarding the disappearance of a missing explorer. The core gameplay revolves around finding and capturing different species of Bugsnax, the half-bug-half-snack creatures that inhabit the island. The game launched with 100 Bugsnak species available for capture, each of which can be found in one of eight biomes during different times of day. The player is equipped with a "SnaxScope" that can be used to scan each Bugsnak, which displays its movement patterns, tastes, and clues as to how to capture it.

The player can also obtain several tools to assist in capturing the Bugsnax, including a slingshot that can shoot different sauces such as ketchup and chocolate to lure Bugsnax; a tripwire that can be used to stun Bugsnax; and a Strabby named Sprout, a strawberry-like Bugsnak in a plastic ball that can be guided using a laser pointer. Some Bugsnax require more advanced techniques to capture them, such as using multiple tools in combination or baiting one Bugsnak into attacking another.

Bugsnax takes place in a world populated by furry muppet-like humanoids called Grumpuses. The game is set on Snaktooth Island, a mysterious island inhabited solely by creatures called Bugsnax who are "half bug and half snack." The ruins of an ancient Grumpus civilization can be found around the island, along with their skeletal remains. Upon discovering the existence of Bugsnax, disgraced explorer Elizabert "Lizbert" Megafig (Helen Sadler) leads an expedition team to the island to study them, establishing the makeshift town of Snaxburg as a base of operations, but disappears under mysterious circumstances. As part of the "Isle of Bigsnax" update, the small neighboring island of Broken Tooth becomes accessible later in the game.

The player controls an unnamed newspaper journalist who is invited by Lizbert to visit Snaktooth Island over the objections of their supervisor, C. Clumby Clumbernut (Barbara Goodson). Aiding the journalist is Filbo Fiddlepie (Max Mittelman), the self-appointed Mayor of Snaxburg who was left in charge by Lizbert before she disappeared, despite lacking self-confidence. Over the course of the game, the journalist meets several other Grumpuses who joined Lizbert on her expedition.

Young Horses took about six years to develop the game in order "not to burn out", as well as "to figure out what the game was." The initial idea was when the company's creative director Kevin Zuhn drew a sketch of a "Wafflepillar"—a caterpillar made out of waffles. Initially the gameplay was inspired heavily by Pokémon Snap, but over time the gameplay evolved into "a weird amalgamation of all of these different game ideas." In addition to Pokémon Snap, the final game also takes inspiration from Ape Escape, Dark Cloud and Viva Piñata. Zuhn also stated that during the developmental phase, the storyline for Bugsnax was intended to be much darker.

The game was first revealed via an announcement trailer during Sony's Future Revealed PlayStation 5 event on June 11, 2020. The trailer featured the game's theme song "It's Bugsnax!", performed by British indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito. The song became popular in its own right, with GamesRadar+ calling it "the internet's new favorite meme ingredient", also writing "even if you haven't heard of Bugsnax, the game, there's a good chance you've probably heard Bugsnax, the theme tune."

Bugsnax on home consoles received "generally favorable reviews", while the Windows version saw "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregator Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 65% of critics recommend the game. Several critics noted how the story and presentation was perceived as lighthearted but that the ending's effect gave the plot a dark tone. The game was also praised for its emphasis on character development and worldbuilding.

LGBT-video game blog Gayming Magazine praised the game's inclusion of same-sex couples. The game was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game.