Bugdom was ported to Microsoft Windows by Hoplite Research and released in 2000 by On Deck Interactive, a division of Gathering of Developers.[1] Following the acquisition of Gathering by Take-Two Interactive in 2002, the game was ported again by Ideas From the Deep.[2] However, Take-Two Interactive apparently continued publishing illegal copies of Bugdom, prompting Ideas From the Deep to contact the FBI's crime division. Despite this, Take-Two Interactive continued to publish copies following the debate.[3]
Bugdom was generally well received by critics, being praised for its graphics, gameplay and soundtrack but criticized for certain technical glitches as well as gameplay repetition, and sold fairly well.
A sequel, Bugdom 2, was released on December 30, 2002.[4]
Gameplay
Bugdom is a third-person3Dplatformer in which the player controls the main character Rollie McFly through ten different stages set in the Bugdom, namely a lawn, a pond, a forest which resembles a bug's interpretation of a garden, a beehive, a nighttime-themed level, and an anthill.
Rollie has the ability to jump, kick, and roll, the latter two of which can be used to attack most hostile enemies. Nuts are scattered throughout the level which, upon being opened, have power-ups, keys, clovers, buddy bugs, or enemies. Gates can only be opened when Rollie has the appropriate colored key. Ladybugs are trapped at several points of each level and can be freed by kicking their web cages. When Rollie reaches the level exit, a hollow log, the player's score is tallied based on the number of ladybugs freed, the number of clovers found, and if all four pieces of the blue clover has been found. In Level 9, if all 4 gold clovers are found, they will be tallied in that level.
Plot
Bugdom's story centers on the Bugdom, a kingdom inhabited by insects that appears as an outdoors bug environment. Originally, the kingdom was peacefully ruled by rollie pollies and ladybugs, but not long ago, the kingdom was overthrown by the tyrannical and pompous King Thorax, leader of an evil clan of fire ants, as well as their evil follower bugs recruited prior to the kingdom's downfall. Thorax now rules the kingdom with an iron fist, and the ladybugs have been imprisoned in spider web cages scattered across the environment. The player assumes the role of Rollie McFly, who has survived the ambush of the kingdom by taking refuge in the lawn area. Rollie must travel to Thorax's anthill on the distant reaches of the Bugdom, while freeing various trapped ladybugs along the way.[5]
Characters
Many bugs are out to kill Rollie so he must survive and save the Bugdom. Some other bugs are friendly.
Ladybugs - They once ruled the Bugdom with Rollie McFly until they were trapped in webs by the terrible minions of the anthill led by King Thorax. Rollie must rescue them by kicking the web trap, making the beautiful bugs fly to safety.
Buddy bugs (bees) - These small striped bugs behind Rollie are like smart bombs that can immediately be shot on enemies, killing them. They come from nuts and are handy when Rollie is being attacked by multiple enemies.
Termites - These are minor enemies that come from nuts.
Slugs - These large fat creatures are invincible, so they must be avoided.
Boxer mantis - These green mantises wear boxing gloves. Rollie must kick or roll into them quickly.
Spear-throwing ants - These minions of King Thorax have ugly faces and spears. They must be attacked three times to defeat them. They also hate water. There is also a variety that throws rocks.
Mosquitoes - These female flies attack Rollie from above and drain both his life and rolling energy, swelling their heads. Rollie must attack them when their noses are impaled in the ground.
Water hoppers - They can only be defeated by buddy bugs and should be avoided at all costs.
Water spider - He is an aquatic taxi. If Rollie gives him a coin, the water spider will offer him a ride, making Rollie avoid the killer fish and frogs.
Killer fish - These fish eat Rollie, resulting in an instant kill. They can be avoided by riding the water spider.
Human feet - These pounding feet do big damage to Rollie, even if he runs into them from the side. They are all left feet.
Spiders - These eight-legged monsters drop down in front of Rollie. They attack by shooting webs and then bounce on top of Rollie when he is trapped. They have made webs that King Thorax's fire ants have trapped ladybugs in.
Dragonflies - These green insects will offer Rollie a flight and can shoot fireballs (a spoof on actual dragons).
Bats - These mammals are a danger of riding the dragonfly. If Rollie flies over the wooden fence, a bat will eat him, resulting in an instant kill.
Caterpillars - These spiky creatures are similar to slugs, albeit bigger.
Bees - These striped monsters follow Rollie wherever he goes. They die upon stinging him. They can be painlessly dispatched by rolling into them.
Bee grubs - These small white grubs with bee faces can be killed either by being kicked or being jumped on.
Drone bees - These muscular bees can fire their stingers but they die if they fire them. If Rollie is on the ball, they will try to pound their fists instead.
Queen bee - This giant bee can spew blobs of honey which generate many bees. When fighting her, the shadows must be avoided as they have spikes. Rollie must roll into her face to defeat her. Buddy bugs can be shot at this female giant.
Fire ants - These elite soldiers of King thorax can fly and shoot fire. They can be defeated by using a buddy bug.
Fireflies - If Rollie is seen in their flashing glow, these annoying creatures can carry him off to somewhere that could kill him. They will explode if shot by a buddy bug.
Toxic gas roaches - These cockroaches have green gas masks that protect them from the toxic slime. The gas they leave behind explodes if ignited by fire ants or buddy bugs, so they may die without Rollie having to fight them.
Ghost ants - If a spear-throwing ant is killed, he will rise again as a ghost ant. He cannot be kicked but he will die if he is in lava or water. If Rollie hides for a while, he will dissipate.
King Thorax - The game's final boss. The king of the fire ants can shoot sparks from his staff and to defeat him, Rollie must kick the water pipes so they quench the fire on his head, then kick him. After he repeats this process, King Thorax will fall and the game will be completed.
Pangea Software considers Bugdom to be their most popular Mac game. The Mac OS version of Bugdom received generally positive reviews, according to a 70% on GameRankings.[7] Dziga Robilev of IGN rated Bugdom a 7/10, calling it "one of the best crafted platform games available for the Mac."[8] However, Robilev also stated "The only thing holding this baby back is that the levels themselves don't offer enough variety. There is a lot of the same activity being performed over and over again. Still, the game is a fun play and younger gamers will definitely have a good time with it."[8]MacMagazin rated the game a 6/6 Mac score, saying "We are sure: Bugdom will be the summer hit this year among the Mac games."[9] iMacSidian rated the game a 5/5, saying "Bugdom really fills the huge gap of platform games for the Mac... The graphics are absolutely top notch - you have to see it to believe it."[9] Mac Gamer's Ledge rated the game a 4.5 out of 5 score, calling it "a feast for the eyes and ears."[9] AppleLinks called the game's musical score "fantastic" and called the game "one of the first games that really can be enjoyed by both children and adults."[9]Inside Mac Games rated the game a 4/5, saying "Bugdom is certainly a great game... and it is good enough to rival many of the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation titles that it is similar to. Its easy-to-grasp controls and interface are almost totally transparent, even to new users, and the feel of the game is just plush and polished - as is the look.[10]
Legacy
A sequel to Bugdom, Bugdom 2, was released in 2002. It stars a grasshopper named Skip who attempts to retrieve his stolen knapsack from a large Bully Bee. As of March 1, 2002, it has sold over 30,000 copies worldwide, prompting Pangea to rerelease the game as a shareware release.[11]
In December 2020, an open source version of Bugdom that uses OpenGL was released for modern systems (MacOS X, Linux, Windows) by Iliyas Jorio with the approval of PangeaSoft.[12] In February 2021, Jorio also released a ported version of PangeaSoft's game Nanosaur.[13]
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