Bug!

He may be small, but he's a big pain for his enemies!

(For other uses of the term "Bug", click here)

"He Shoots, He Scores!"
—Bug, when killing an enemy.
"This is the character! This is the character that is going to do it for Saturn."
—Steven Spielberg at CES Jan 1995, in a temporary fit of insanity.

Bug! is a video game by Sega for the Sega Saturn. Released in 1995 in North America, Japan and Europe, it was one of the earliest 3D platform games and the first 3D Sega Saturn game. It was later released for Windows 3.x and Windows 95 on August 31, 1996 by Beam Software, on one CD that contains both versions of the game.

Bug, an actor in Hollywood hopes to make his "big break", and has signed a deal for the lead role in an action film (named "BUG!") in which his girlfriend and family are kidnapped by a black widow and must rescue them while facing off against cartoony bugs and other nasties.

Bug! is played like a traditional side-scrolling adventure title, including the way to defeat enemies by jumping on them. What sets Bug! apart is the game's 3D levels, which take the side-view and tweak it- it allowed players to move in all directions, but it did not allow movement along more than one axis at once — the player could move left to right, or forward and backward, but not diagonally left and backward at the same time.

Players could pick up two powerups to give Bug new forms of attack- the Zap Cap and the Spit Wad. You also collected blue crystalline sugar cubes which helped you qualify for a "Dragon Ring Chase" bonus round.

The game did well enough to get a sequel, which was called Bug Too! In it, Bug gets two new co-stars to work with, Superfly and Maggot Dog, and their agent signs them up to work on a six-flick deal consisting of the movies Weevil Dead 2, Lawrence of Arachnia, Antennae Day, Flea-Wee's Big Adventure, Swatterworld, and Cicada Night Fever. The catch: all of the shots have to be completed in one day.

Realtime Associates President David Warhol announced that the game 'will return someday' in late 2011/early 2012. Sega & Realtime Associates will return to publish and develop the game. Unlike the original, the remake will be a open world third-person/first-person video game to be released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii & Microsoft Windows.

Definitely Needs More Love.

Tropes used in Bug! include:
One of the oldest 3D platform games out there. No, really.
  • 2½D: One of the most experimental take.
  • Adipose Rex: Queen Cadavra, a fat black widow queen (which does make her a Giant Spider).
  • Advancing Wall of Doom: Quaria had a few sections like this. Not to mention that in one of the sections, said wall was a One-Hit Kill to Bug (who otherwise had five hit points).
  • Airborne Mook: Several. Each stage usually had one.
    • Insectia had the ever-annoying Bees
    • Reptilia had Kamikaze Cicadas
    • Splot- Swamp Flies, Lightning Bugs
    • The Burr-ubs had acid-spitting flies, as well as ice flies.
    • Arachnia had those acid-spitting flies again.
  • All Deserts Have Cacti: Reptilia has saguaro cacti as part of the landscape. Then again, Reptilia IS set in an Arizona-like desert, not a Sahara-like desert, so this trope is Averted.
  • And Your Little Dog, Too: Bug's entire family is captured by Queen Cadavra, who has presumably captured other citizens of Bug island. Plus, Bug's dog is captured too.
  • Apologetic Attacker: One of the enemies in Splot is a swamp bug that attacks by farting at Bug's face! It then apologizes to Bug, saying stuff like "Sorry, just ate".
  • Aquatic Mook: Pretty much everything in Quaria.
  • Ash Face: Happens to Bug if he is hit by a fire ant's fire breath, or if he touches lava.
  • Asteroids Monster: Some of the starfish enemies in Quaria split when destroyed. One of the enemies in Arachnia is like this.
  • Ax Crazy: The mantis enemies from Insectia Scene 3 that attack in a mad frenzy with their claws. You know that they're mad when you see them drooling while moving around.
  • Beware My Stinger Tail: Used by the main character, as well as scorpion enemies.
  • Big Creepy-Crawlies: Subverted, your character is a bug, so it's pretty normal for the enemy bugs to be around his size.
  • Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: The boss of the Burrubs, an abominable snowbug. Some of the scenes in Burrubs also had them as environmental hazards that would try to squeeze Bug like a toy.
  • Black Screen of Death: In the PC version, the screen blacks out when Bug dies, leaving only Bug's death animation.
  • Bond One-Liner: Bug sometimes says lines according to the enemy he's defeated:
    • Mantises- "Hiiii-yah!" (probably due to mantis Kung Fu?)
    • Snakes- "Shish Kebab!"
    • Weak crabs- "Howdy Crabcakes!"
    • Dogfish- "Fish bait!"
    • Sometimes, he also says "SWAT-TED!" or "SQU-ISH!" when he kills a Mook (usually an insect).
  • Bonus Level: Two kinds-
    • The first kind can be accessed via collecting a coin power-up and then finding the friendly spider beside a tube. This bonus level allowed Bug to gain lives.
    • The second kind can be accessed if Bug had collected at least 100 blue crystals in each stage of a level. This one helped Bug get extra continues.
  • Boss Arena Idiocy: The boss of Reptilia, a giant lizard, had an attack that made rocks fall onto the arena. The rocks would then roll into catapults which Bug could then use to shoot at and damage the boss.
  • Boss Arena Urgency: Splot. Once you damage the Splot boss enough, the platform you're on sinks, forcing you to jump on the boss' body in order to reach another smaller platform. The platform which you battle Queen Cadavra on sinks into the lava once you damage her enough.
  • Boss Corridor: The Giant Ant Mini Boss at the end of Reptilia Scene 2. Funnily enough, you see a sign stating "Beware! Giant Ants!" at the start of the corridor, then you run into three tiny ants that flee from Bug. Until you get to the end of the corridor...
  • Bottomless Pits: LOADS of them around, that's for sure. In fact, each entire level is technically one- you're on a floating terrain, and any fall off it will kill you.
  • Bullfight Mook: One of the enemies in Insectia was a Stag Beetle that tried to charge at Bug (see picture), changing directions if Bug jumped over.
  • Bug Buzz: Certain grasshoppers in Insectia are capable of shooting sound waves from their legs, similar to how they make sounds in real life.
  • Cameo: Sonic the Hedgehog appears in Reptilia, once in a bonus level, and the second in a secret hard-to-reach area. If you turn on the cheat that makes Bug able to move anywhere, you can actually move up to him and kill him for the lolz.
  • Cartoon Creature: Bug himself. He doesn't seem to be based off any kind of real-life bug, having the head of a praying mantis but the stinger of a bee.
  • Ceiling Cling / Wall Crawl: Bug can do this. Then again, so can most bugs in real life.
  • Chain-Reaction Destruction: The first and third bosses (the giant snail and swamp worm) die like this. The snail can be justified as its shell serves as a helicopter bomber, but the swamp worm has no excuse.
  • Character Title: In-game as well- the Movie that Bug is starring in is called "Bug!"
  • Check Point: Every level has a different kind- for example, Insectia uses a flower, while The Burr-ubs uses a snowman with a flag.
  • Chekhov's Volcano: The volcano in Arachnia's background. Bug pushes the defeated Queen Cadavra into it. And yes, it erupts as soon as she falls in.
  • Chest Monster / Poison Mushroom: Some of the "mystery" power ups (a purple ball with stars) may contain enemies or a trap instead of a Power-Up.
  • Climactic Volcano Backdrop: Arachnia.
  • Clothing Damage: When hit once, the stag beetle enemy (mentioned above) gets stripped of his exoskeleton, all the way down to his boxer shorts. It starts shivering and dies after a short time.
  • Combat Tentacles: Use by the octopus boss once it gets tired of playing fish tennis with Bug.
  • Convection, Schmonvection: Played straight in Arachnia. Bug doesn't even feel hot at all even when he is dangerously close to a sea of lava.
  • Cool Shades: Daddy-o-Longlegs sports a pair.
  • Critical Existence Failure: Bug can be left at one hit point, and still look alright. The next hit however will (usually) make him swoon and faint.
  • Death Course: SEVERAL of them, such as an area where a lot of indestructible rolling rocks would keep bouncing down a zigzagging path.
  • Death Throws: Happens to the yeti bug boss when you beat him.
  • Denial of Diagonal Attack: Bug had no reliable Anti-Air move, making the flying mooks a pain in the ass to beat.
  • Disconnected Side Area: Multiple, especially in Reptilia. Usually, you had to do a Leap of Faith off an otherwise hazardous-looking platform area, and hope that you land on the secret area.
  • Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: Played straight in Reptilia, one of the hazards was a dust storm (that looked like a mini-tornado). It didn't suck Bug in, and would only do damage if Bug touched it.
  • Dramatic Disappearing Display: The bonus levels. Granted, you do take one hit to die on them, so a life meter is useless. Also, when bug dies, everything else turns black (as the directors cut the scene).
  • Drought Level of Doom: Reptilia, sort of. The instruction manual says that Bug Juice (heals all of Bug's hitpoints) is rare (and it unfortunately is). However, somewhat subverted as there are many "hearts" that restore 1hp around.
  • Enemy Chatter: Some enemies will actually say stuff.
  • Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods/Kraken: The boss of Quaria is a giant octopus.
  • Everything's Worse with Bees: Bee enemies in Insectia are incredibly annoying to defeat. Some of them even appear out of nowhere to ambush Bug!
  • Evil Laugh: Queen Cadavra, in the intro and also in the boss fight against her.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The fire-breathing ants in the final stage are aptly known as "Fire Ants" in the game's manual.
  • Excited Show Title!
  • Fartillery: One of the enemies in Splot would fart in Bug's face as an attack. It then apologizes to Bug for doing so.
  • Fat Bastard: Queen Cadavra.

"With her insatiable appetite for bugs, this porky prima donna is intent on devouring all the denizens of Bug Island. She's brassy, loud, egotistical and obnoxious. When she's not eating her minions, she's chewing them out!"

  • Flash of Pain: Only present in the Saturn version, where enemies flash red when damaged.
  • Floating Platforms: Every single level is like this, although the platform is one large terrain and such.
  • Flunky Boss: Queen Cadavra, who summons small invincible bug-things that run around.
  • Four-Legged Insect: Played straight with Bug and his family, as well as some insect enemies. Most of the insect enemies actually have six. Arachnid enemies like scorpions and spiders have the correct amount of eight.
  • Frogs and Toads: Lots of them in Splot.
  • Funny Animal: Bug himself. Oddly enough, many of the animal Mooks aren't.
  • Funny Background Event: At the end of Quaria Scene 1, you'll see a diving bug chasing a small fish offscreen. Later he comes back in... being chased by a dogfish!
  • Gas Mask Mooks: The stink bugs from Splot, who try to fart at Bug as an attack.
  • Giant Enemy Crab: Subverted- while you do fight crab enemies in Quaria, they're about Bug's size.
  • Giant Mook: The second stage of Reptilia had perhaps the ONLY Mini Boss in the game- a giant version of the Army Ants you fought in the stage. It would fire out a TON of grenades at Bug as its main attack. (Hint: Kill it with the Zap Cap)
  • Giant Spider: Queen Cadavra, the Big Bad Final Boss.
  • The Goomba: Yellow bugs in Insectia- they're the first enemy you face, move slowly, take one hit to die, and have no special abilities.
  • Goomba Stomp: Bug's main form of attack was jumping on enemies with his stinger (You have to sting them or bounce on them while spinning, falling on top of them will get you damaged).
    • Goomba Springboard: Required to get past certain areas, such as multiple flying enemies over a chasm.
  • Grievous Harm with a Body / Shamu Fu: Used by the octopus boss- he grabs and throws dogfish at you. You counter by using a tennis racket to bat them back at his head.
  • Guns Akimbo: Used by the snail boss if you get too far away from him. Taken Up to Eleven with Queen Cadavra and her machineguns in each leg!
  • Hat of Power: The Zap Cap allows Bug to fry enemies in front of him.
  • Healing Potion: Bug Juice, which restores all of Bug's health. Small Hearts will restore one hit point.
  • Helicopter Pack: The giant snail boss has a helicopter shell.
  • Helpful Mook: The chameleons in Reptilia. They didn't do any contact damage, and while they did try to catch Bug with their tongues, they would spit him out onto a higher platform without harming him (in fact, they're the only way to get to certain places).
  • Hit Points: You have five.
    • Life Meter: A can of Bug Juice. It gets its sections greyed out as Bug's health depletes, and melts into a puddle when Bug dies.
  • Hit Streak: Every successful jump on enemies will give additional points (1 jump- 50, 2 jumps- 100, 3 jumps- 200, 4 jumps- 500, 5 or more- 1000)
  • Human Popsicle: Not really a human, but the Abominable Snowbug boss is first seen like this before he breaks out.
  • Hyperactive Metabolism: Collecting a can of Bug Juice instantly refills all of Bug's health.
  • Idle Animation: Bug tries to flex his muscles, only for him to become unable to inhale in any more air. Thus he gasps it out.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Dung beetles roll balls of dung, then kick it at you. Caterpillar enemies fire out their segments at you. Swamp bugs fart at Bug's face.
  • Incredibly Durable Enemies: Some of the levels, most notably Splot, Quaria, The Burr-ubs and Arachnia. You know that there is a Difficulty Spike when the regular Mooks you fight take three hits instead of one. And especially the machine-gunning snails in Splot- they take nine, more than any other Mook in the game.
  • Indy Escape: In the last level of Insectia.
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons: Bug's ride is a dragonfly with the head (and fire breath) of a dragon! Rule of Cool, really. Unfortunately, you only get to use the dragonfly in the dragonfly express bonus rounds.
  • Invincible Minor Minion: The spiky lizards in Reptilia could not be killed via ANY means. Not even the invulnerability powerups that allowed Bug to kill enemies via touching them would do any good against them.
  • Invincibility Power-Up: Known as "Stunt Bug", Bug's invulnerable stunt double would come in and replace him for a short period of time.
  • Large Ham: Bug. About 50% of the time when he kills a Mook, he shouts stuff like "OW THAT'S GOTTA HURT!", "HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES!!!" or "SEE YA!". About 50% of the time when he gets damaged he says things like "AAAAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!", "I HATE THAT!" or "EGAD! WATCH IT, BUDDY!". At certain points in a level, he also says comments like "Wooooow, Trippy!" or "Buzz Off!" (when he faces a bee).
    • He's probably supposed to act like a Large Ham, after all, he is a movie star.
  • Law of One Hundred: Collecting 100 of the blue crystals in each stage of a level would allow Bug to access the dragonfly bonus round after the boss fight.
  • Leap of Faith: Some secret areas can only be accessed this way. Usually by doing a blind leap off a platform into the foreground, no less.
  • Ledge Bats: Some enemies are placed in strategic locations (at the opposite side of a pit, of course), and will either attack or jump into you when you try to jump to the other side.
  • Level Goal: Bug Stops.
  • Make My Monster Grow: The abominable snowbug, who roars, beats his chest, and flexes all the muscles in his body to grow twice in size. Unfortunately for him, his hitbox stayed the same, so Bug could still jump on him as easily.
  • The Many Deaths of You: Regular death (Bug swoons and faints), getting squashed (by falling into a Bottomless Pit or getting flattened), electrocuted (by a lightning bug), Drowning in swamp water, Frozen (by a bug with freezing breath), or burned (by lava or an ant's flamethrower). All of them come with the screen turning to black, leaving only bug's death sequence.
  • Mascot with Attitude: Bug himself, who spams quotes that show his attitude. Obviously trying to follow Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Our hero is a razor-witted, irreverent mighty mite with feelers, who uses his derriere and deadly aim to trounce upon enemies. Despite his lack of manners, Bug is convinced he can turn this role into an award-winning performance."

  • The Maze: The final part of the final level is one. With annoying enemies running about, no less.
  • Mercy Invincibility: Found in this game, thankfully.
  • Monstrosity Equals Weakness: The second boss (and also the largest), a giant lizard. There's an easy way to avoid all his attacks, and he shouldn't be too hard once you know the strategy to beating him.
  • More Dakka:
    • One of the powerups gave Bug a rapid fire spit attack.
    • Splot had snails that fired machinegun bullets at Bug.
    • The Final Boss, Queen Cadavra, had an attack where she took out EIGHT machine guns and fired all of them at the floor around her.
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Queen Cadavra.
  • Nice Hat: Daddy-o-longlegs has one.
    • The snake enemies in Reptilia wear cowboy hats, and some will throw them at Bug like a boomerang!
    • Ice bugs from The Burr-ubs wear The Cat in the Hat's hat. Yes, that red-and-white striped one.
  • Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: The first boss, a snail. With a helicopter shell that drops bombs, and also dresses up as a cowboy to fire out bullets at you!
  • Nintendo Hard: Definitely. After Insectia, you'll be seeing increasingly nasty enemies and obstacles. That fact that the Saturn version penalized for saving by removing continues added to this. And let's not forget about that bubble jumping section in Splot Scene 1...
  • Non-Mammal Mammaries: Bug's girlfriend (the one you rescue in Splot) is a clearly female bug with huge knockers. A sort of multi-armed amazon enemy from the sequel combines this with My Breasts Are Down Here.
  • Orcus on His Throne: When you meet up with Queen Cadavra, she's looking at herself in the mirror. The only other time she does any action is at the start of the game where she kidnaps Bug's family.
  • Pass Through the Rings: The Bonus Level. Bump into the flaming rings, or miss even one, and the level would end.
  • Playing Tennis With the Boss: A literal example in Quaria. The boss is an octopus who throws fish at you, so you take a tennis racket and swat them back at his head.
  • Punny Name: The bee enemies are called Bee-52s.
  • Red Boxing Gloves: The Kamikaze Cicadas sport a pair.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The second level, "Reptilia", was a desert stage that contained spiny lizard enemies that Bug had to jump over or avoid. You can't kill them. The boss of Reptilia was a large lizard that tried to crush Bug with its tongue and falling rocks.
  • Roar Before Beating: Used by the Abominable Snowbug, as soon as he breaks free from his icy prison.
  • Save the Princess: Bug's family is kidnapped by Queen Cadavra and he has to save them... and then kick her butt.
  • Scary Scorpions: Loads of them abound in Reptilia. Thankfully, they're amongst the easiest enemies there- they take one hit to die, some don't attack, some will try to extend their claws to attack Bug (you can hit their claws to beat them) and some will try to sting him (the sting can be hit too).
  • Sea Mine: Present in Quaria as an obstacle.
  • Shock and Awe: Bug could obtain the Zap Cap, which allowed him to do a constant stream of damage to an enemy in front of him.
    • Lightning bugs in Splot were the literal kind- they would fire out a stream of lightning at the floor, electrifying Bug if it hit.
  • Sliding Scale of Linearity vs. Openness: Type 2- there are many paths to take to the end of a level.
  • Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness: Definitely silly. If the sounds played when you hit an enemy isn't enough, there's also Bug's quotes when he kills an enemy or when he gets hit.
  • Smashing Hallway Traps of Doom: One of the more deadly hazards. In Insectia, there were quite a few stompers, but getting squashed by those would only take away one hit point. Later levels used terrain blocks to squash Bug, which were fatal.
  • Soundtrack Dissonance: In the PC version of Bug, different levels got different remixes of background music for them. Quaria got Arachnia's music, Burrubs got Quaria's and Arachnia got Burrubs'. Reptilia got the credits theme. However, the dissonance is subverted in a way as the remixed music really does fit their new environments.
  • Spikes of Doom: Present. Thankfully, not a One-Hit Kill.
  • Spit Weapon: The Spit Wad gave Bug a mid-range spitting move, and it came in four different varieties: Green- regular, Red- Multishot, Blue- Rapid, Purple (Orange in the PC version)- Bouncy
    • The Boss of Splot also tries to spit at the player. You had to spit at him too when he did so, making it sort of a spitting competition.
  • Springs Springs Everywhere: A different type of spring for each level! Sometimes, a level may have two kinds!
    • Insectia had mushrooms, and rather stiff-looking leaves that jutted out off walls.
    • Reptilia had mini-geysers.
    • Splot had swamp gas geysers.
    • Quaria used beach balls.
    • The Burrubs had leaves (like Insectia), ice vents, and for some reason, mushrooms.
    • Arachnia had gas vents as well as mushrooms (don't ask)
  • Squashed Flat: Happens to Bug if he get hit by smashing traps, boulders, or if he falls off the terrain.
  • Stealth Pun: Several of them-
    • The ants in Reptilia drop via flower parachutes, wear soldier hats, and fire out bouncy grenades. They're Army Ants.
    • Splot has insects that fire out a stream of electricity from a plug-like butt. They're lightning bugs, aka fireflies.
    • Quaria has fishes that have the head of a bulldog and make growling noises. They're dogfishes.
    • Also in Quaria, there are swimming beetles which sport scuba equipment. Diving beetles.
    • The Burrubs had annoying white fleas that jumped out of the snow and threw (or rolled) snowballs at Bug. They're snow fleas. (Then again, the manual does tell you that they're called by that name).
    • In Arachnia, you face flame-breathing ants. Fire Ants, indeed (The manual also calls them that).
  • Stock Ness Monster / Swamp Worm: The boss of Splot.
  • Summer Blockbuster: In-game. BUG! is the biggest film that Bug would be starring in, and is supposed to be a blockbuster.
  • Super Drowning Skills: Played straight in the third level, Splot, where Bug would die if he even touched the water. And like lava in Arachnia, Mercy Invincibility does not save you! Completely subverted in the following level, Quaria.
  • Super Not-Drowning Skills: Quaria had the entire level underwater. Bug can still move in it properly.
  • Swamps Are Evil: Played Straight with Splot, the third level. The stages contained swamp water that killed Bug instantly if he fell into it. Enemies were machinegun-toting snails that were Made of Iron, swarms of mosquitoes, lightning bugs that fired a continuous stream of electricity (making it hard to jump on them), bee-making flowers, the above mentioned swamp bugs whose flatulence homed in on Bug, and of course, TONS of frog enemies that would piss you off after a while. The boss, a swamp worm, was That One Boss.
  • Tactical Suicide Boss: The giant lizard from Reptilia makes boulders fall from the sky in an attempt to crush you... which then roll into catapults at the sides of the arena, allowing you to launch them at him.
    • The octopus from Quaria throws fish at you, in which case you use a tennis racket to bat them back to his big head.
    • The main villain, Queen Cadavera, tries to squash Bug with her huge girth after every attack. Allowing Bug to sting her in her big fat butt.
  • Taking You with Me / Suicide Attack: Sign in Reptilia: "Warning! Kamikaze Cicadas". They appear every time you walk on a wall, or when those signs appear, and are very annoying.
  • Tentacle Rope: The octopus uses its tentacles to grab dogfish, and throws them at Bug.
  • That's Gotta Hurt: One of the quotes that Bug may shout when he kills an enemy. "OW THAT'S GOTTA HURT!"
  • Throw Down the Bomblet: The first boss, a snail... which grows a helicopter out of its shell, then starts to drop bombs on Bug!
    • Army ants in Reptilia will fire out bouncy grenades, usually down a hill. It gets very annoying.
  • Unique Enemy: The ice bug in Burrubs Scene 3, that had freezing breath. While there are other ice bugs, they only appeared in an area where Bug had do Goomba Springboard off them. It's the only enemy in the entire game that can freeze bug.
  • Use Your Head: The Abominable Snowbug has a move where it grabs Bug then uses his head to smash Bug's. It's also the only move in the game that bypasses the invincibility cheat.
  • Video Game Settings:
  • "Wake-Up Call" Boss: The snail boss from Insectia. New players will learn how to dodge the hard way, as the snail uses different (and sometimes hard-to-avoid) methods of attack for each phase. Furthermore, it gets faster after each phase and needs an extra hit before going on to the next.
  • Wings Do Nothing: Bug has wings, but he never uses them except for flying off the Bug Stops.
  • X-Ray Sparks: Subverted. When Bug is electrocuted by a lightning bug, he flashes black and white but no skeleton shows because he's an insect and doesn't have one. However, it could also mean that the trope is played straight with his entire exoskeleton.
  • Zerg Rush: Kamikaze cicadas attack in swarms of three normally, but there's an area in Reptilia Scene 1 where you face off against a whole swarm, while on a floating platform. Funnily enough, it's scripted that none of them will be able to touch you (and you can't move off the platform).

Tropes used for BUG Too!:

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