Why Is Bugsnax So Addictive?!

Bugsnax is an adventure, sort of Pokemon collection type game created by Young Horses for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Mac platforms. The game's entire premise is to run around on an island, collecting creatures that are sort of a fusion between real-life animals and… food. This is a weird game, throughout its entirety, you encounter weirdly delectable creatures which at times seem too goofy and at times feel beautiful even. The game was one of the few that were shown during Sony's presentation in 2020, and while it raised some eyebrows as to the quality of PlayStation games; it has ADDICTED its entire player base to keep on playing. The game has gotten mostly positive reviews ever since it first released in November of 2020, so what makes the game so addictive? Is it the peculiar world you're put into? Is it the monotone storytelling and joyful characters you encounter in this adventure? Or is it just the simplicity of collecting weird food and animal fusion creatures? Let's dive deeper into it.

THE WORLD

The game is addictive for more than one reason, which is obvious but the single most important aspect of this is the mystery of it all. Snacktooth Island is a place where every living creature that isn't sentient is food. You play as a reporter who is invited to this island to document these strange creatures and dive deeper into the mystery of this world. The cartoony graphics, the ridiculous designs for these creatures, the ominous story, and the world right off the bat captivates you because you never expected the game to have a world with such a deep mystery attached to it. You as a player are meant to document these creatures, and that perspective is completely switched when you are tasked with catching them; which brings me to my second point.

THE SIMPLY SIMPLISTIC GAMEPLAY

The gameplay here is not the most unique nor is it game-changing in any way whatsoever. You are simply tasked with collecting animals; there is no larger objective here. You set traps to catch animals, use different kinds of sauces to lure them in or anger them, and are tasked to catch them all. The graphics are cartoony so there aren't any threatening vibes attached to this world, so why is it so addictive to catch these animals?

Well, it's because it's so simple that you have to use your brain. The usage of sauces to lure or infuriate the Bugsnax depends on what creature you are trying to catch, while each of these creatures has a different personality to it. Some are dumb and just walk right into your traps for some ketchup, the others are smarter and assess their surroundings and some hide deep inside of bushes as soon as they feel any threats upon their lives. This dynamic behavior is what encapsulates players into the simplistic gameplay, because while the game by design isn't complicated; the complication of the actual act of catching these creatures is entirely dependent on how you choose to play.

PLAYGROUND

Bugsnax's gameplay is specifically created to be unpredictable, which has a direct thematic connection to its world and story, and even its kooky, abysmal creatures. The characters you encounter in this world all seem to have a connection with it, and the urge to find out WHY is what pushes players to play through the entirety of it. If you just dropped people in this world and asked them to catch food Pokemon they'd be bored within three hours of gameplay, but this game offers so much more than just a sandbox to play in.

Bugsnax is an addictive game not because it has addictive gameplay or a story that is so interesting that you cannot stop playing it until you finish. Bugsnax is addictive because the gameplay here blends perfectly well with the mysterious world and storytelling. Just like you have no idea what condiment you should use to lure in a species of Bugsnax you've never seen before, you have no idea what the world of the story has to offer you as you dive deeper. The subtle unpredictability of this cartoony, whacky, hunger-infusing world is why players are hooked to this game.