Difference between revisions of "Bug!"
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| − | | peripherals= | + | | peripherals= {{SAT}} [[Saturn Backup Memory]] |
| players=1 | | players=1 | ||
| genre=Action{{fileref|Bug sat jp back cover.jpg}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200304081325/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html}} | | genre=Action{{fileref|Bug sat jp back cover.jpg}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200304081325/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html}} | ||
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| System(s): Sega Saturn, Windows PC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega
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| Developer: Realtime Associates, Sega Away Team
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| Peripherals supported: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre: Action[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg){kind=small}
Bug!, known in Japan as Bug!: Jump Shite, Fundzukechatte, Pecchanko (バグ！ ジャンプして、ふんづけちゃって、ぺっちゃんこ) is a platform game developed by Realtime Associates and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn in 1996.
Contents
Story
The plot revolves around the title character, Bug, an actor in Hollywood hoping to make his "big break." Players take control shortly after Bug has signed a deal for the lead role in an action film, in which his family is kidnapped by the evil Queen Cadavra and he is tasked with rescuing her. The gameplay takes place "on the set" of each scene of the movie, and cutscenes between levels show Bug moving from one set to the next.
Gameplay
Bug! is a "2.5D" platform game. For the most part, the game is played like a traditional side-scrolling title with movement restricted to a track. At various points in the level, Bug is allowed to travel towards or away from the camera, up vertical surfaces, and even upside down, adding a third dimension in the process. However, players are always confined to corridors, meaning gameplay is not as "open" as future 3D platformers, such as Super Mario 64. Though levels are built using 3D geometry, the objects in a level are represented by 2D sprites.
The game is set on "Bug Island" and consists of six worlds made up of three levels (called "scenes") each, with a final level culminating in a boss encounter (called a "finale"). Each level ends when Bug finds and jumps on a "Bug Stop." Levels often contain branching paths that lead to additional items or converge back to the main path. It is often necessary to find a switch or solve a simple puzzle in order to progress. Signs sometimes appear to warn the player of impending hazards or provide directions.
Bug walks with 
and 
and moves in and out of the scene with 
and 
. Platforms have borders to indicate edges that Bug cannot walk or jump through. Bug can push some platforms by moving into them. He jumps with 
and ducks with 
or 
. Enemies come in the form of insects and are defeated by jumping on them. Bug can also gain two special attacks by finding items: a close-quarters zap attack with 
and a ranged spitting attack with 
.
Bug has a health meter depicted as a can of "Bug Juice." He can sustain five hits from an enemy or hazard before losing a life. Since platforms are all floating in the air, Bug also loses a life if he falls off a platform and onto the ground below. If he loses a life, he starts over from the beginning of the level or the last checkpoint. If he loses all of his lives, the game ends, but the player can find continues throughout the game. The game saves the player's progress to the Saturn's internal memory, allowing the player to start a new game from any previously completed level.
Items
| Blue Crystal | |
|---|---|
| Collect 100 to earn an extra life and a dragonfly icon. If the player accumulates a dragonfly icon for every level in a world, the player takes part in a special Dragonfly Ring Chase bonus level after defeating the boss. | |
| Red Crystal | |
| Equivalent to collecting 5 Blue Crystals. | |
| Heart | |
| Replenishes a fifth of Bug's health. | |
| Bug Juice | |
| Replenishes all of Bug's health. | |
| 1-Up | |
| Gives the player an extra life. | |
| Clapper Board | |
| Gives the player an extra continue. | |
| Spit Wad | |
| Allows Bug to spit deadly globs at enemies with . It can be done while ducking or jumping. Green shoots a single glob, red shoots two globs at a time, blue shoots three globs in quick succession, and purple shoots bouncing globs. Lasts until the end of the level.
| |
| Zap Cap | |
| Allows Bug to unleash a bolt of electricity at nearby enemies with . This attack can only be done a limited number of times per item. It can be done while ducking but not while jumping. Lasts until it is completely used, the level ends, or Bug loses a life.
| |
| Coin | |
| Lets Bug enter a bonus level by finding Daddy-O Longlegs. | |
| Statue | |
| Collect 10 in a bonus level to earn an extra life. | |
| Stunt Double | |
| Temporarily swaps Bug for his "stunt double," a blue version of him that is invulnerable. | |
| Surprise | |
| Drops a mystery item or sometimes an enemy. |
Levels
| Insectica | |
|---|---|
| Reptilia | |
| Splot! | |
| Quaria | |
| Burrbs | |
| Arachnia | |
Bonus levels
The game has two types of bonus levels.
If Bug collects 100 Blue Crystals in a level, he earns an extra life and a dragonfly icon. The player enters the Dragonfly Ring Chase bonus level by earning a dragonfly icon for every level in a world. These bonus levels are played after defeating the boss. The player controls Bug while he is riding a dragonfly. The D-Pad moves in any direction; the vertical controls are inverted so that dives and climbs. The player must fly through the rings to reach the end. Collecting balloons increases the dragonfly's movement speed. The bonus level ends if the dragonfly fails to fly through a ring or collides with a ring. The player earns a continue if the dragonfly makes it to the end of the level.
There are also bonus levels that can be entered within each level by finding a Coin and taking them to Daddy-O Longlegs. The game contains many unique bonus levels, including a race against Sonic the Hedgehog. The goal of each is to collect as many Bug statues as possible before time runs out (or before Bug gets squashed, which ends the bonus level but does not cost a life). Every ten statues collected earns an extra life.
History
Development
Realtime Associates developed the game using Silicon Graphics workstations, which were then used to pre-render the game's characters and then convert them into sprites.[16]
According to producer Steve Apour, "Once we were working on Bug!, we'd meet twice a week to talk about gameplay, just to plow through it and decide what the system could do. Some ideas we weren't able to include, such as the 'wait animation' where Bug was going to leap up and come down right in your face."[17]
Legacy
By the end of 1995, 150,000 copies of Bug! had been sold in the US, making it the second most popular Saturn game (behind Daytona USA)[4][18]. In Europe, it was the best-selling CD game across all platforms for two weeks[4]. Bug! toys and merchandise were sold in the gift shop of Sega World Sydney. According to Sega, discussions were underway for an animated TV series, though this never materialised.
A direct sequel, Bug Too!, was released for the Saturn in 1996.
Production credits
Saturn version
- Programmer: Michael DiMambro
- Assistant Programming and Gameplay Design: Cheryl Harada, Steve Shimizu
- Additional Programming: Chris MacDonald
- Tools and Support: Eric Pugh, Glen Volk
- Map Layout Design: Scott Stoabs, Dwight Velarde
- Character Design and Animation: Jeff Cook
- Lead Animation: Tom Grevera
- Animation: Paul Drzewiecki, Doran Fish, Dan Goldman, Darin Hilton
- Background Graphics: Phil Knowles
- Additional Animation: Martin Foster, Mike Norville
- Animation Cleanup: Rich Neves, Ann Petersen, Virginia Smith
- Original Score and Sound FX: Greg Turner
- Voice actors: John Frost (as Bug), Perry Keifer, Tim W. Jones
- Producer: David Bean
- Executive Producer: Dave Warhol
- Special Thanks: Bob Meissner, Mike Mito, Sean Platter
- Producer: Steven Apour
- Assistant Producer: Eric Rawlins
- Product Manager: Sarah Mason Richmond
- Video Technicians: Katie Weathers, Eric Caplain
- Test Lead: Atom Ellis
- Assistant Test Leads: Don Carmichael, Peter Clark, Lance Nelson, Lloyd Kinoshita, Mark Pentek
- Testers: Anthony Borba, Nathan Caroland, Rayman S. Suansing, Morgan Weiss, David Wood
- Manual: Neil Hanshaw, Carol Ann Hanshaw
- Special Thanks: Tim Dunley, Renee Greenwood, Larry Loth, Doria Sanchez, Angela Stern, Gail Tsujita
- Opening and Win Movies: Asbury Entertainment
- A Realtime Associates, Inc.
- Sega Away Team Production
- SEGA OF AMERICA, INC.
- Senior Liaison: Yukimi Shimura
- Software Liaison: Osamu Shibayama
- SEGA Enterprises,ltd.
- Special Thanks: Masato Nishimura, Ryutaro Nonaka
- Subtitle Design: Miki Okada, Hideki Kawabata
- Producer: Masanobu Tsukamoto
- Project Manager: Hideki Yohkaichiya
Windows PC version
- Executive Producer: Adam Lancman
- Producer: Ben Palmer
- Technical Design: Andrew Lacey
- System Programming: Shane Lontis, Peter Litwiniuk
- 3D Systems: Chris Schladetsch
- Data Conversion and Programming: Eddie Retelj
- Audio Programming: Ian Tran
- Lead Tester: Shane Collier
- Testers: Jared Quinert, Leigh Reynolds
- Video Beam Player: Adrian Thewlis
- Additional Audio: Marshall Parker, Gavin Parker
- Additional Artwork: Mark Maynard
- Executive Producer: Matt Wolf
- Producer: Scott Hawkins
- Associate Producer: J. Tony Smith
- Product Manager: Jill Braff
- Product/Marketing Specialist: Paul Stathacopoulos
- Special Thanks: Shinobu Toyoda, Bill White, Greg Suarez, Geraldine Dessimoz, Victor Caldwell, Jeff Goodwin, Jeannie Ash, Kristi Walker
- Lead Testers: Atom Ellis, Nicole Tatem
- Assistant Lead Testers: Dave Dodge, Ben Rubright
- Testers: Don Carmichael, Rick Greer, Jeff Sanders, Cesar Lemus, Sam Ford, Howard Gipson, Len Jung, Etin Fritz, Robert Hermandez, Jason Totes, Tony Lynch
Magazine articles
- Main article: Bug!/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Artwork
JP cover
Physical scans
Saturn version
|
83 |
|---|---|
| Based on 43 reviews | |
| Saturn, JP |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Spinecard  Disc  Manual |
| Saturn, US |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Disc  Manual |
| Saturn, EU |
|---|
 Cover
|
 Disc |
| Saturn, DE |
|---|
 Cover
|
Disc |
| Saturn, PT |
|---|
|
| Saturn, AU |
|---|
 Cover
|
Disc |
| Saturn, BR |
|---|
   Cover
|
PC version
| Sega Retro Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
71 |
|---|---|
| Based on 9 reviews | |
| PC, US |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Disc   Jewel Case |
| PC, US (Expert Software) |
|---|
   Cover
|
 Disc  Jewel Case |
| PC, US (Expert Software; alt) |
|---|
|
 Jewel Case |
| PC, US (Jack in the Box) |
|---|
 Cover
|
| PC, EU |
|---|
 Cover
|
 Disc   Jewel Case |
Technical information
- Main article: Bug!/Technical information.
External links
- Sega of America webpage: Saturn
- Sega of America webpage: PC
- Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Saturn
References
- ↑ File:Bug sat jp back cover.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-03-04 08:13)
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/4ClA7-GJFzA/m/0EQtdEX9-Y4J
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Press release: 1995-10-16: "BUG!"-mania hits Sega
- ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1995-09-18), page 96
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-12), page 62
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/jeaGoAYETIo/m/Oz54xDeTE1EJ
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Computer & Video Games, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-14), page 52
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sega Magazine, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-13), page 56
- ↑ Games World Magazin, "" (DE; 1995-0x-xx), page 16
- ↑ Press release: 1996-08-26: Sega Entertainment kicks off fall line-up with free PC games promotions
- ↑ Press release: 1996-09-09: SEGA ENTERTAINMENT GLAD TO HAVE A BUG! IN ITS SOFTWARE LINEUP
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Press release: 1997-06-20: Sega chooses Expert Software for PC distribution agreement
- ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1996-10-21), page 20
- ↑ PC Games, "11/96" (DE; 1996-10-02), page 108
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/02/what-hath-sonic-wrought-vol-10
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 50
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 25
- ↑ File:Bug Saturn credits.pdf
- ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1996-xx-xx), page 27
- ↑ CD Consoles, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 98
- ↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 118
- ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 170
- ↑ Edge, "November 1995" (UK; 1995-09-28), page 73
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
- ↑ Fusion, "Volume 1, Number 1: August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 78
- ↑ Gambler, "11/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 1
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 7: July 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 13
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 9 September 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 58
- ↑ GamePro, "September 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 46
- ↑ GamePro, "November 1995" (DE; 1995-10-04), page 52
- ↑ Gamers, "November 1995" (DE; 1995-10-11), page 36
- ↑ Game Informer, "September 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 37
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Octubre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 74
- ↑ Joypad, "Octobre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 45
- ↑ Joypad, "Octobre (Joypad International supplement)" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 16
- ↑ MAN!AC, "10/95" (DE; 1995-09-13), page 66
- ↑ Maximum, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-01), page 147
- ↑ Mega Fun, "09/95" (DE; 1995-08-23), page 88
- ↑ Magazina Igrushek, "5/1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 93
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-08-25), page 66
- ↑ Player One, "Octobre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 110
- ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, September 23, 1995" (UK; 1995-09-23), page 1
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 3" (JP; 1996-01-19), page 78
- ↑ Saturn+, "Christmas 1995" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 61
- ↑ Sega News, "Leden 1997" (CZ; 1997-xx-xx), page 22
- ↑ Sega Power, "November 1995" (UK; 1995-09-21), page 54
- ↑ Sega Pro, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-07), page 52
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1995-13 (1995-12-08)" (JP; 1995-11-24), page 197
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 16
- ↑ Strana Igr, "Mart 1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 101
- ↑ Super Juegos, "Octubre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 76
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Octubre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 36
- ↑ Top Consoles, "Octobre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 90
- ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 14
- ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-01), page 72
- ↑ Última Generación, "Noviembre 1995" (ES; 1995-1x-xx), page 98
- ↑ Videogame Advisor, "Volume 1, Number 3: July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 31
- ↑ Video Games, "10/95" (DE; 1995-09-27), page 96
- ↑ VideoGames, "August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 80
- ↑ Hacker, "12/1996" (HR; 1996-xx-xx), page 26
- ↑ LeveL, "Říjen 1996" (CZ; 1996-10-01), page 24
- ↑ PC Action, "11/96" (DE; 1996-10-16), page 106
- ↑ PC Gamer, "Vol. 4, No. 1: January 1997" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 259
- ↑ PC Games, "11/96" (DE; 1996-10-02), page 160
- ↑ PC Game Parade, "Dicembre 1996" (IT; 1996-1x-xx), page 77
- ↑ Power Play, "11/96" (DE; 1996-10-09), page 154
- ↑ Score, "Listopad 1996" (CZ; 1996-11-01), page 48
- ↑ Secret Service, "Grudzień 1996" (PL; 1996-12-01), page 26
| Bug! | |
|---|---|
|
Main page | Comparisons | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Technical information | Bootlegs | |
| Games in the Bug! Series | |
|---|---|
|
Bug! (1995) | Bug Too! (1996) |
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Bug! (1997) |
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