Queen Cadavra, a ruthless web widow, just loves to munch on show-biz bugs and has captured Bug's friends and pals. Bug immediately hops onto a dragonfly in pursuit to save his friends. This is where you, the player, take over and control the fate of Bug and his friends.
The game of Bug! will take you through six different areas of Bug Island where in each level you must hop and jump through three different levels. The first area called Insectia, takes you through the grassy areas of Bug Island where you find beetles, bees, grasshoppers, dung beetles, snails and more. Your goal is to travel through the area in search of the bus stop where you get on a dragonfly who takes you to the next level. In order to ride the dragonfly you must have a dragonfly icon which you can earn by collecting 100 blue crystals found along your path. If you happen to have three dragonfly icons when you complete a level, you'll get to play the Dragonfly Ring Chase!
Bug is not indestructible and you can monitor how weak or strong he is with the can of Bug Juice found in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Bug runs out of Bug Juice, you lose one of the three lives that Bug has. In order to help you maintain your health, cans of Bug Juice are available throughout your journey which will restore your health 100%. You can also find a heart which will restore your can of Bug Juice by one hit point. Another item which you may encounter along the way are the 1-UPs which supply Bug with an extra life. Once Bug runs out of lives, you may choose to continue the game from your last level completed. You may only continue a game up to three times in which afterwards you must start all over again unless you discover a Clapper Board! A Clapper Board is worth an extra continue, so be sure not to miss these valuable items!
Bug will have to get passed many other bugs along his path. In order to do this, he can jump over them or on them. By jumping on a bug, you can collect points and eliminate the bug. Killing a bug is worth 50 points, but you can double your points by killing another bug without touching the ground. For instance, if you kill three bugs in a row, the first bug is worth 50 points, the second 100, and the third 200 points. Keep an eye open for ways to kill many bugs at once. Besides jumping, Bug can also spit and zap. You must first energize your Spit Attack and your Zap Attack by collecting Spit Wads and Zap Caps. There are four different levels of spit abilities ranging from a single-glob fire to a bouncing ricochet fire. The Zap Cap allows bug to shoot a blast of energy towards his attackers.
Other items which you will discover are the gold coins, surprise packages, switches and mushrooms. The gold coins give you access to a mini-bonus round when you visit with Daddy-O Longlegs, Queen Cadavra's only surviving ex. A bonus round will refill your can of Bug Juice and you may even gain an extra life! The surprise packages are exactly that, a surprise! You never know what you may find inside them, it could be good for your health or bad! Be careful when attempting to open one of these packages. There are switches located in different areas of the game which control mechanisms and remove gates. If you are having trouble getting passed a certain area, look for a switch that controls the device you are having trouble with to turn it off. Mushrooms are used sort of as trampolines and allow you to jump up to higher areas.
The other areas of Bug Island are the following: Reptilia - a desert where bug juice isn't widely available and where you'll run into snakes and tornados; Splot - a very swampy looking place with frogs and machine-gunning snails; Quaria - an undersea exploration with moray eels and killer scallops; The Bur-r-bs - the north pole of Bug Island where you find snow beetles wearing silly hats and earmuffed tundra fleas; and Arachnia - a land of volcanoes, lava and flames. Once you survive all 18 levels you are ready for the final scene with Cadavra where you will hopefully save your friends.
The 3D graphics and sound in Bug! are tremendously well done! Bug makes hilarious comments throughout the game such as "AHH! Get away from me!", and "I was just trying to get by". The 3D environment is a whole new experience when compared with other platform games. In Bug!, you can see what lies in the distance as the levels stretch around you in every possible direction. Bug is able to move up, down, left, right, in and out, and you will even find him climbing walls.
The game of Bug! is worth every penny! This game will provide hours, even weeks of entertainment for the whole family as they try to save Bug's friends. I personally recommend this game to everyone who enjoys arcade games as a great time killer!
Sega of America Inc.,
255 Shoreline Drive,
2nd floor,
Redwood City, CA 94065
In Europe:
In UK:
Sega Europe Ltd.,
247 Cromwell Road,
London SW5 9GA
In Netherlands:
Sega Video Games Netherlands B.V.,
47, Huizermaatweg,
1273 Na Huizen.
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