The Bug Butcher Demo

Super Pang was one of the first games I played during my early computer classes at school. It was pretty darn nice back then, but now, it’s almost punishing to look at. Luckily, the people at Awfully Nice Studios decided to build on top of that rock solid concept and have come up with The Bug Butcher.

If you remember Super Pang, then the core gameplay should be familiar, if not, this is how it works: you are in a room and you can only move from left to right and back; bugs of various types and sizes bounce around and you have to shoot them all. The ones you shoot split up into two smaller ones and so on until they eventually die out.

However, The Bug Butcher doesn't just use that game recipe, no, it adds a considerable amount of gameplay mechanics that make it totally addictive. Not to mention that the 2D cartoon style graphics and excellent animations work very well in its favor. In fact, from visual and gameplay points of view, from what I’ve seen in the demo, there’s absolutely nothing to object to. As it is, it’s a perfect example of a well-crafted and thought out casual indie game.

There’s even a little story to the game. You are Harry, the main man when it comes to bug infestation solutions. However, this is the future, and the action takes place in a research facility on an alien planet. As you can imagine, you won’t be dealing with your everyday Earth roaches. These bugs get really big. On the bright side, the guns get big as well.

That’s another thing that The Bug Butcher offers. In most part, it is a casual shooting game but there are plenty of moments when the screen gets full of bugs and picking up a weapon powerup makes you feel like you’re playing a genuine arcade shooter. It gets intense at times, and that’s great.

Without a doubt, The Bug Butcher is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable indies I’ve come across in the last few months. It looks good, the bugs are big, the controls are excellent, the bugs get bigger, gameplay is smooth, and the bugs get really big.