From Awfully Nice Studios comes one of the most addictive 2D platform games in recent memory. The game takes cues from games like Velocity 2X and Not A Hero to bring you some of the hardest-to-master gameplay experiences ever. However, the game is exceptionally easy to understand and will get your blood pumping within minutes. It combines brilliant shooting with unique visuals to offers something special.
The method behind the madness that is The Bug Butcher is that you’re tasked with doing a run through of a facility overrun by majestic bugs. We aren’t talking about tiny ones here. These suckers are huge! You’re accompanied by a sidekick that you need to protect from the bugs while they do some hacking—or whatever it was that they were doing, it was a little confusing—and then move on to the next area.
The gameplay style is fun and engaging, and I was rage quitting pretty soon afterward before jumping back in—*cue guy throwing controller video*—so I could show those bugs who was the boss around these parts. The game’s fast-paced nature reminds me a lot of games like Velocity 2X and Not A Hero—both of which are some of my favorite indie games on Xbox One—and it will leave you wanting more after a few minutes. The story aspect is a bit sparse in this game, but I feel that it’s not why you play these sorts of platformers in the first place. You play them for the fun gameplay.
Besides the fact that you won’t get The Witcher 3 level stories, the game offers quite a wide variety of upgradeability and customization. It also keeps things fresh with several enemy types. You might think you have a handle on things until a big blue monster comes and hops on top of your vulnerable body. While The Bug Butcher is challenging, the sense of accomplishment is also there.
Summary
The Bug Butcher might be a simple game, but it’s filled to the brim with charm and most importantly, fun and engaging gameplay. The game offers quite an impressive arsenal of weapons and gives you enough to keep coming back to see if you can beat that annoying bug. The game isn’t as rage-inducing as Mighty No. 9, but it’s certainly on par with Velocity 2X—one of the best indie games on Xbox One in my opinion.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.