''A Bug's Life'' is a platform

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Traveller's Tales Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own games, it grew in profile through developing game ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

. Ports to

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

and a separate version for the

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

were released after. It is based on the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

1998 film of the same name, with changes made to the storyline. After completing levels the player can unlock clips from the film. The

version was released on the

PlayStation Store PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital distribution service for users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content both ...

for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

on July 27, 2010.

Gameplay

''A Bug's Life'' is a

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

in which the player controls Flik throughout settings and a storyline based on the namesake film. The game is divided into five distinct "lands" consisting of three levels each.''A Bug's Life'' (Nintendo 64) instruction booklet, pp. 23–24 To complete a level, the player must either find an exit, complete a goal or defeat a boss character.''A Bug's Life'' (Nintendo 64) instruction booklet, p. 19 Flik's primary form of offense against enemy characters is throwing berries. By default, Flik throws red-colored berries, which are the weakest form of berry and cannot harm certain enemies. Stronger berries can either be found within a level or received from planting purple-colored seeds. Collecting purple seed tokens increases the range of berries a seed can produce. Aside from increased power, some berries travel faster and can home in on enemies. The strongest form of berry is gold-colored and is capable of permanently eliminating enemies and preventing them from respawning.''A Bug's Life'' (Nintendo 64) instruction booklet, pp. 14–15 Several seeds are scattered throughout the levels. Flik can hoist most seeds over his head and carry them to other areas, although some seeds are embedded into the ground and cannot be moved. Jumping on top of a seed creates a plant that aids Flik in some fashion. By default, all seeds are colored brown and bear plants that help Flik traverse high terrain. The color of the seeds and the type of plant they bear can be changed if Flik collects differently-colored seed tokens within a level. Some plants can restore Flik's

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

, provide a shield from enemy attacks, propel him through the air, or damage enemies by firing berries. Plants can be uprooted and discarded, which results in a fresh seed appearing in its place.''A Bug's Life'' (Nintendo 64) instruction booklet, pp. 11–13 Flik's health is displayed as a leaf on the top-right corner of the screen, and the player is given six

lives Lives may refer to: * The plural form of a ''life'' * Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * The number of lives in a video game * ''Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...

at the beginning of the game. When Flik's health is full, the leaf appears whole, but if he is harmed by an enemy or hazard, a bite is taken out of the leaf. Health can be restored by collecting leaves marked with a red cross, which are released from defeated enemies and blue seed plants. Collecting 50 pieces of grain within a level will restore Flik's health completely. If the leaf is completely eaten away, a life is lost. An extra life can be received if the letters F, L, I and K are collected within a level. If all of Flik's lives are lost, it is

game over "Game over" is a message in video games which informs the player that their play session has ended, usually because the player has reached a loss condition. It also sometimes appears at the successful completion of a session, especially in ga ...

.''A Bug's Life'' (Nintendo 64) instruction booklet, p. 18 Floating

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

s grant a rotating view of either hidden items in a level or the level's exit and the surrounding details. Flik's grain harvester is present in certain levels, and can be used to attract distant grain and permanently kill most enemies while it is worn.

Development

The game was announced in October 1997. Developer Traveller's Tales' website suggests a

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

version was once in development.

Reception

The console versions of ''A Bug's Life'' was met with "mixed or average" reviews while the Game Boy Color version was met with "generally unfavorable" reviews. Aggregating review website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

gave the

version 54.40%, the

version 55.73% and the

version 36.63%.

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

gave the PlayStation version 2.7 out of 10, concluding that it was "obvious that Disney was more interested in producing a $40 advertisement for its movie than in developing a playable game". However, the same site later gave the Nintendo 64 version a score of 6.1 out of 10, stating that "children looking to relive the fun of the movie should be pleased with the simplicity of the game".

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

gave the Nintendo 64 version 6.8 out of 10, praising the presentation and sound by stating that it had an "upbeat, cheery look and feel very much like the movie of the same name" with "cheery, happy tunes and strong sound effects" but criticised the gameplay by saying the controls were sluggish with "stuttering framerate" and "tired gameplay mechanics" while they gave the PlayStation version 4 out of 10, criticizing the gameplay as slow and awkward but praising the presentation as cinematic. The same site later gave the Game Boy Color version a score of three out of ten, calling it "short and repetitive" and "below average". Daniel Erickson reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game for '' Next Generation'', rating it one star out of five, and stated that "any way you slice it, this stinks". The PlayStation version of the game sold 1 million units and generated $50 million in revenue.

Awards

The game won the " PC Children's Entertainment Title of the Year" award at the

2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 2nd edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry within the last nine months of 1998 and the first three mon ...

, competing against six other nominees.

References

External links

* * A Bug’s Life (PlayStation) can be played for free in the browser on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugs Life 1998 video games 3D platformers

Video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

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