Throughout most of Bugsnax, players will likely think it's nothing more than a cute game about catching bug-snack hybrids, but things quickly start to get more serious. Even early on, there are surprisingly adult themes about things like Wambus' wife leaving him and the like, but the saddest ending to the game eclipses all of that.
There are spoilers ahead for Bugsnax' big reveal, so players wanting to discover it for themselves should turn back now. Ultimately, there are two different endings for the game, and though they are very similar, they have some major differences as well. The bad ending has a lot of variations within it as well depending on the player's actions.
One wouldn't think it when playing through the game, but the survival of each Grumpus depends solely on the player's actions. There's even a trophy for saving all Grumpuses and escaping Snaktooth Island without losing anyone to the Bugsnax. Naturally, the saddest ending in the game is the result of doing the exact opposite.
During the final scenes of Bugsnax, the player is tasked with defending the Grumpuses of Snaxburg from attacking Bugsnax using weaponized versions of the tools they once used to catch them. If the player fails to stop the Bugsnax from reaching their friends, the Grumpuses will eat them and further transform. If a Grumpus is fully transformed by the end of their portion of the Escape From Snaktooth Island, they will die, prompting a comment from the other Grumpus in the area.
The saddest ending in the game results from losing every Grumpus to the Bugsnax, but it's actually rather difficult to obtain. Players will need to have already fed their Grumpuses a bit before this final mission, and not have completed any full side quest arc for a character. At this point, sitting back and watching will see the characters eat so many Bugsnax that they turn into a Bugsnax themselves. When returning to the ship, Filbo makes a comment about how he can't believe that this is all that's left before the player and Filbo make their escape.
Later on the beach, rather than hearing uplifting messages from everyone about their future plans, it's just the player and Filbo. When told that he needs to move on and leave Eggabell and Lizbert behind, Filbo makes a comment about how many friends they've lost, but otherwise the ending is the same. The tragedy here comes mostly from watching each character give into the self doubt they've been struggling with the whole game, and it's truly difficult to watch, lending credence to the theory that Bugsnax might secretly be a horror game.
Bugsnax is available now on PS5.