The Bug Butcher
By Michael Lafferty,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Retro-style shooter versus space bugs is just too short.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Bug Butcher
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
THE BUG BUTCHER is set on a space station overrun with mutant bugs. "Harry," the bug butcher or exterminator, is called in to clean up the mess. Along the way, Harry gets help from a television monitor with legs that releases the bugs into the levels but can also release power-ups. The game can be played in a single-player story or timed mode,or a cooperative timed mode. Clearing a level results in a score based on coins picked up, as well as on how quickly the level was cleared. The game keeps track of the high scores for each level. If Harry runs out of lives, players can simply retry the level.
Is It Any Good?
With viable ties to old-school 2-D side-scrolling shooters, this space title has a few smiles under its helmet but might just be a touch short on level numbers to warrant any kind of longevity. There are 30 levels, but many of the levels can be cleared in three to five minutes tops. The Bug Butcher does have several difficulty modes (including an easy mode for younger players experiencing this type of game for the first time) and three ways to play (single-player story, single-player Panic, and cooperative Panic), but each of the levels is more of the same.
Still, what makes this a nice little diversion is that the controls are easy to use and the game has a nice visual style. There's no blood splattering on the walls, and the power-ups are visually appealing. The price is also a nice selling point, but it stays in line with the amount of content (or lack thereof). The dialogue is text-driven, and the sound is serviceable. What sells it is that this feels like an old-school side-scrolling action game, with all those bells and whistles, and has a simple but nice feel. If The Bug Butcher were longer, with more levels or more modes of play, it would be one of those games that most true gamers should own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about arcade shooters. What makes them fun and worth replaying? How can you use strategy to work through each level?
Discuss the importance of friendship. How can helping others be beneficial to both the person helping and the person being helped?
Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Awfully Nice Studios
- Release date: January 19, 2016
- Genre: Arcade
- Topics: Adventures , Bugs , Robots , Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: NR for No Descriptions
- Last updated: August 24, 2016
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate