There were many games released upon the launch of the PlayStation 5. While many have their focus on triple-A exclusive games like Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, there were some lower-level games hitting the console that also captured the attention of an audience. Of course, one of those games is Bugsnax.
The quirky Young Horses game, which also came out on the Epic Games Store, has enamored quite a few fans who enjoy the gameplay mechanics but are also fascinating with how it all looks. The colorful world of Bugsnax is ready to be explored, so it's important for any new player to get some tips going in.
Updated on May 15th, 2022 by Chris Birsner: Bugsnax was one of the best indie darlings to launch with the PlayStation 5 as it was a nice option for PS Plus members to pick up for free. Now, the game is spreading its wings and landing on various other platforms, and it is also no longer an Epic Games Store exclusive. With this comes a massive update to the game called Bugsnax: The Isle of Bigsnax. With it comes a new area to explore, a house for players to decorate, and many more quality-of-life features. Keeping that in mind, it is important to prepare people who are jumping into the game for the first time, so here are some new Bugsnax tips regarding these new updates.
15 Scan Everything
As a journalist that has been dropped on Snaktooth Island, it's important to get as much information as possible about the creatures that inhabit the area. This is where the SnaxScope becomes the most important tool of the game. Once in hand, the SnaxScope will not only give players a read as to the different Bugsnax that live in the area, but they can also scan various characters and objects that are around the island too. The information that the SnaxScope provides can be found in a book called Bugapedia. Scan nonstop.
14 Bugapedia Is A Best Friend
With the previous entry in mind, SnaxScope fills the Bugapedia with a variety of information that is so important to the Bugsnax experience. Sure, it may be fun to try to troubleshoot ideas on how to do things without using a guide. However, this could add a lot more playtime hours and would just make things more difficult than they need to be. The information on Bugsnax in the book include their type, what they like or dislike, and they even help point the player in a direction of how they can be captured.
13 Keep An Eye Out For Hats
While out hunting for Bugsnax, players will see the usual creatures hanging out in the same places and at the same time per day. However, they may occasionally see something different about them: they may be wearing a hat. If players catch a bug that is wearing a hat, players will now be able to own said hat.
Players can put a hat they found on a Bugsnax that has been donated to Gramble's farm. There are a total of 25 hats in the game, with 23 popping up on their own and the remaining ones appearing during the holidays. Players will know a hat is around to be caught by checking for an area photo on the hat board that appears at Gramble's farm after catching the first hat.
12 Bugsnax Hunting Bugsnax
There are plenty of hunting tools that can be used to capture a Bugsnak. Among them may actually be another Bugsnak. There's a variety of different tools that use other Bugsnax as bait to lure a Bugsnak or as a predator to hunt them down.
One of these options is the Buggy Ball, a Strabby inside a glass ball that can be pointed in a specific direction. Covering this in sauce could lure specific creatures. It could also be used as a tool to get a Bugsnak out of hiding. Other Bugsnax in the environment can also be used directly or indirectly as potential hunting tools.
11 Remember To Sleep
Bugsnax has a day/night cycle that doesn't necessarily move quickly. And since certain Bugsnax are only available at certain times of the day, this could get frustrating waiting around for the specific creature to spawn. Because of this, there are beds available in each biome for players to use. These can be found at campsites that have been set up by a character who has moved away from Snaxburg. The game will even give players the option as to how long they want to sleep, making it a bit more flexible as to not time when to go to bed.
10 A Two-Story House Is Possible
At some point early on, Filbo will introduce the player to their newly-constructed hut. This hut can be decorated with gifts that have been awarded to the player after they completed certain tasks. Decorations range from wallpaper to beds to different side furniture.
Players may enjoy the quaint size of their home, but if they want something a bit bigger, it's important to complete 50 different requests. By doing this, players can get an additional room added to the house as a second-story. This allows players to get to use any decorations that they wish they can squeeze into one room in the extra space.
9 Catching Methods Are Endless
As mentioned earlier, the Bugapedia book is a huge resource that can give players ideas on how to catch a specific Bugsnak. With that in mind, players should not refrain from getting creative. The good news about Bugsnax is that the game doesn't restrict the player as to what they should or shouldn't do in order to reach their goal. If a player believes they could use a tool to capture a Bugsnak in an unconventional way, the chances are they may be able to pull it off. So while the book will push players in a direction, don't give up on trial and error.
8 There Are Some Hidden Requests
After gaining access to the mailbox for the first time, players will start actively getting messages from their neighbors about different Bugsnax they want or different chores they want the player to accomplish. However, there is such a thing as requests that the player will never be informed about.
This is because these types of requests revolve around players discovering a feature in the game or just fooling around in Snaxburg. In fact, one hidden request will even unlock a mystery that will build on the lore of Bugsnax's world. Either way, it's important to think outside the box when wanting to discover these kinds of requests.
7 Combine Tools
Along the lines of thinking creatively, some really tough Bugsnax may require a little innovation. This is where using more than one tool at a time may come in handy, combining their usefulness to create one big trap for the Bugsnak. Returning to the Buggy Ball, tools could be equipped to it for catching Bugsnax lower to the ground. Or, players could send specific tools flying from the Lunchpad in order to take down airborne enemies. Always look at the array of tools provided to pave the best path towards a Bugsnak being captured.
6 Fast Travel Using The Map
Especially when attempting to complete side quests that affect the outcome of the game, players will find themselves running back and forth between various areas throughout Snaktooth Island. It may become a bit tedious and exhausting to do this all the time.
Luckily, the newest update adds a way to make players' lives less miserable. Players can look at their map when they open their journals and select the area that they would like to travel to. This does not pass time either, so if players need to reach an area quickly, they can do so. It's also a great tool to escape back to Snaxburg.
5 Look For Traces
Bugsnax are not easy to find and are at times hidden somewhere in the area where the player can't see. But there are also moments where the creatures are just not there. This is when finding traces of the creatures comes in handy.
When players find a pile of food scraps but no Bugsnax to be found, they should crank out the SnaxScope to get more details. These traces will break down when a Bugsnax may appear in the area, whether it's the time of day or under specific weather conditions. Either way, it's another way to fill up that Bugapedia.
4 Interaction Is Important
While the focus of the game may be on filling up the Bugsnax catalog, interacting with the Grumpuses on Snaktooth Island are an equal and essential part of the game. Not only is it an important questline to interview every Grumpus that returns to Snaxburg, but they also open up side quests that help dive the player into the character's backstories and current dilemmas. These conversations also unlock new tools and biomes for players to explore. Plus, it only makes sense for a journalist to ask as many questions as possible.
3 Collect Sauces
For once, getting lost in the sauce is productive. In various plants throughout the open-world island are different plants that contain a specific sauce. These sauces include ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, hot sauce, chocolate, peanut butter, and cheese. These sauces are crucial in catching Bugsnax because placing a sauce on something and leaving it under a trap could lure a Bugsnak. In the Bugapedia, players can see what sauces a Bugsnak likes to weaponize it. After discovering a plant in the wild, players can refill their sauces at Wambus' garden.
2 Replay The Legendary Snak Encounters
After completing an individual's side quest, some may ask the player to come with them in taking down a large creature known as a Legendary Bugsnak. There are a total of five Legendaries in Bugsnax, which includes the one on Broken Tooth Island.
After beating each fight initially, players will be forced to feed the creature to the Grumpus they were helping. The good news, however, is that players can activate the boss fight again by going back to the arena they fought the monster in. There, they will see a statue that they can activate to call on the Legendary.
1 Always Donate To Gramble
This game relies heavily on how players deal with managing the Snakpack while going out on the hunt. If things get tight, there is a way for players can expand their inventory. Once Gramble lives in Snaxburg again, his ranch will be open to donations. Players can donate any Bugsnak they catch to the ranch. Doing so will unlock the ability for players to increase the Snakpack's size to a certain point. With more spaces, players can go around hunting for longer periods of time without needing to figure out a way to clear what's in the bag.
Bugsnax is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.