Bugdom
Encyclopedia
Bugdom is a third-person, action, platform
computer game developed by Pangea Software
for the Macintosh
and was included with the iMac
DV 2000 and later iBook
models, as well as the PC
by Gathering of Developers
, and later Ideas From the Deep following the acquiring of Gathering via Take-Two Interactive
in 2002. However, Take-Two apparently continued publishing illegal copies of Bugdom, prompting Ideas From the Deep to contact the FBI
's crime division. Despite this, Take-Two continued to publish copies following the debate. It was released in North America on December 1, 1999.
Bugdoms story centers on the Bugdom, a kingdom inhabited by insects that appears as an outdoors bug
environment. Originally, the kingdom was peacefully ruled by the rollie pollies
and ladybugs, but not long ago, the kingdom was overthrown by the tyrannic and pompous King Thorax, leader of an evil clan of fire ants, as well as their evil follower bugs recruited prior to the kingdom's downfall. Thorax now rules the kingdom with an iron fist, and the ladybugs have been imprisoned in spider web
cages
scattered across the environment. The player assumes the role of main protagonist
Rollie McFly, who has survived the ambush of the kingdom by taking refuge in the lawn area. Rollie must travel to Thorax's anthill on the distant reaches of the Bugdom, while freeing various trapped ladybugs along the way.
It was generally well-received by critics, being praised for its graphics, gameplay and soundtrack but criticized for certain technical glitches as well as gameplay repetition, and sold fairly well, enough to warrant a sequel, Bugdom 2
, which was released on December 30, 2002, and starred a grasshopper
named Skip who attempts to retrieve his stolen knapsack from a large Bully Bee as opposed to Rollie McFly. As of March 1, 2002, it has sold over 30,000 copies worldwide, prompting Pangea to rerelease the game as a shareware
release.
(levels 1 and 2), a pond
(level 3), a forest
which resembles a bug's interpretation of a garden
(levels 4 and 5), a beehive
(levels 6 and 7), a nighttime-themed level (level 8), and an anthill (levels 9 and 10).
rated Bugdom a 7/10, calling it "one of the best crafted platform games available for the Mac
." However, Robilev also stated "The only thing holding this baby back is that the levels themselves don't offer enough variety. There is a lot of the same activity being performed over and over again. Still, the game is a fun play and younger gamers will definitely have a good time with it." MacMagazin rated the game a 6/6 Mac score, saying "We are sure: Bugdom will be the summer hit this year among the Mac games." iMacSidian rated the game a 5/5, saying "Bugdom really fills the huge gap of platform games for the Mac... The graphics are absolutely top notch - you have to see it to believe it." Mac Gamer's Ledge rated the game a 4.5 out of 5 score, calling it "a feast for the eyes and ears." AppleLinks called the game's musical score "fantastic" and called the game "one of the first games that really can be enjoyed by both children and adults." Inside Mac Games rated the game a 4/5, saying "Bugdom is certainly a great game... and it is good enough to rival many of the Nintendo 64
and PlayStation
titles that it is similar to. Its easy-to-grasp controls and interface are almost totally transparent, even to new users, and the feel of the game is just plush and polished - as is the look."
. It featured a similar style of gameplay, but with a grasshopper who has to get his knapsack back by going in and around a house.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
computer game developed by Pangea Software
Pangea Software
Pangea Software is an Apple computer game company based in Austin, Texas that is owned and operated by Brian Greenstone. The company is a former developer of Macintosh and Apple IIGS games, the former of which they still currently sell, however have recently stated their intention to focus solely...
for the Macintosh
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and was included with the iMac
IMac
The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....
DV 2000 and later iBook
IBook
The iBook was a line of laptop computers sold by Apple Computer from 1999 to 2006. The line targeted the consumer and education markets, with lower specifications and prices than the PowerBook, Apple's higher-end line of laptop computers....
models, as well as the PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
by Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers was a Texas-based PC and video games publishing company, founded in January 1998 with the mission to bridge the gap between publishers and independent game developers, allowing independent developers creative control over their projects, ownership of their IP, and...
, and later Ideas From the Deep following the acquiring of Gathering via Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
in 2002. However, Take-Two apparently continued publishing illegal copies of Bugdom, prompting Ideas From the Deep to contact the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's crime division. Despite this, Take-Two continued to publish copies following the debate. It was released in North America on December 1, 1999.
Bugdoms story centers on the Bugdom, a kingdom inhabited by insects that appears as an outdoors bug
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
environment. Originally, the kingdom was peacefully ruled by the rollie pollies
Woodlouse
A woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs...
and ladybugs, but not long ago, the kingdom was overthrown by the tyrannic and pompous King Thorax, leader of an evil clan of fire ants, as well as their evil follower bugs recruited prior to the kingdom's downfall. Thorax now rules the kingdom with an iron fist, and the ladybugs have been imprisoned in spider web
Spider web
A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web or cobweb is a device built by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets....
cages
Cages
Cages is a 2005 film, directed by American film director Graham Streeter which tells the story of a single mother named Ali Tan who attempts to escape repeated bad releationships which puts her before the man she resents the most—her father, Tan...
scattered across the environment. The player assumes the role of main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Rollie McFly, who has survived the ambush of the kingdom by taking refuge in the lawn area. Rollie must travel to Thorax's anthill on the distant reaches of the Bugdom, while freeing various trapped ladybugs along the way.
It was generally well-received by critics, being praised for its graphics, gameplay and soundtrack but criticized for certain technical glitches as well as gameplay repetition, and sold fairly well, enough to warrant a sequel, Bugdom 2
Bugdom 2
Bugdom 2 follows the adventure of a grasshopper named Skip as he tries to get his stolen knapsack from Bully Bee throughout the game, Sam the Snail and Sally the Chipmunk assist him...
, which was released on December 30, 2002, and starred a grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
named Skip who attempts to retrieve his stolen knapsack from a large Bully Bee as opposed to Rollie McFly. As of March 1, 2002, it has sold over 30,000 copies worldwide, prompting Pangea to rerelease the game as a shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
release.
Gameplay
Players navigate through ten different stages as Rollie. Rollie has the ability to jump, kick, and roll, the latter two of which can be used to attack most hostile enemies. Nuts are scattered throughout the level which, upon being opened, have power-ups, keys, clovers, or enemies. Gates can only be opened when Rollie has the appropriate colored key. Lady bugs are trapped at several points of each level and can be freed by kicking their cage. When Rollie reaches the level exit, the players score is tallied based on the number of ladybugs freed, the number of clovers found, and if all four pieces of the blue clover has been found. In Level 10, if you found all 4 gold clovers in the entire game, they will be tallied in that level. Here are the levels:- Level 1: Training - The level is short and easy. It is designed to get you familiar with the game.
- Level 2: The Lawn - On this level, you'll battle with ants, boxer flies, and slugs. Find keys to unlock gates.
- Level 3: The Pond - You will need to ride the water taxi to get across the pond without being eaten by killer fish. Be careful jumping on lily pads.
- Level 4: The Forest (sometimes known as "The Garden") - This level contains many new things: spiders, bees, stomping feet, etc. One fun part of this level is riding dragonflies. Riding dragonflies is like riding the water taxi except you are in the air and you can shoot fireballs with the mouse button or kick key. Watch out for bats.
- Level 5: Hive Attack - You're in a small forest area with a tree stump that has a beehive swarming with flying bees. Your job is to destroy the hive using the dragonfly's fireballs.
- Level 6: The Beehive - You'll have to jump on firecrackers to get through this level and battle bees and grub. Avoid falling into honey - it is sticky and you'll sink.
- Level 7: Queen Bee - Here the bad thing is the queen bee. She is difficult to kill, but once you'll see her pattern, you'll form a strategy.
- Level 8: Night Attack - This is the most intense level in the entire game. The main goal here is simply to survive and not go in circles. You will battle fire-breathing ants, toxic-gas roaches, slugs, etc.
- Level 9: The Anthill - You have entered the dark and deadly anthill. You will have to do certain things here to survive here.
- Level 10: King Thorax - This is it. If you can defeat King Thorax, you will become ruler of Bugdom. You'll need to kick pipes and lure King Thorax to defeat him.
Setting
The game is set in an outdoors bug environment, in the Bugdom, a kingdom once ruled by insects, namely the rollie pollies and ladybugs that was overthrown by a clan of fire ants who captured all of the Lady Bugs and held them as prisoners, leaving their leader, King Thorax, to rule the land. The player visits several colorful locations throughout the kingdom, namely a lawnLawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
(levels 1 and 2), a pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
(level 3), a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
which resembles a bug's interpretation of a garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
(levels 4 and 5), a beehive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
(levels 6 and 7), a nighttime-themed level (level 8), and an anthill (levels 9 and 10).
Creatures
There are lots of insects out to kill Rollie so he must survive and save the Bugdom.- Slugs - These large fat creatures are invincible, so they must be avoided. They appear in levels 1, 2, 3, and 8.
- Boxer fliesFließFließ is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located5 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. It has 9 hamlets and was already populated at the roman age; the village itself was founded around the 6th century. After a conflagration in 1933 Fließ was restored more...
- These green flies have boxing gloves. The player needs to kick them quick or Rollie's in for some pain. They appear in levels 1 and 2. - Spear throwing ants - These minions of King Thorax have ugly faces and spears. They must be attacked three times before they die. They also hate water. There's also a variety that throws rocks. They appear in levels 1, 2, 4, 8 and 9.
- Mosquitoes - These female flies attack Rollie from above and drain his rolling energy, so their heads become bigger. Rollie must kick them when their noses are impaled in the ground. They appear in level 3.
- Water hoppers - These buggers are invincible like the slugs and must be avoided at all costs. They appear in level 3.
- Killer fishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
- These fish eat Rollie, resulting in an instant kill. They can be avoided by riding the water spider. They appear in level 3. - Human feetFootThe foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
- The humans can kill Rollie. The smelly feet must be avoided. They appear in level 4. - Spiders - These eight legged monsters drop down in front of Rollie. They attack by shooting web. They appear in level 4 and 5.
- BatsBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
- These mammals are a danger of riding the dragonfly. If the player flies too high, a bat eats Rollie, resulting in an instant kill. They appear in level 4 and 5 - Caterpillars - These spiky creatures are like the slugs but bigger. They appear in level 4, 5 and 8
- Bees - These striped monsters follow Rollie wherever he goes. When they sting him, they die. They appear in level 4, 5, 6 and 7.
- Bee grubs - These small white grubs with bee faces can be killed either by being kicked or being jumped on. Ther appear in level 6 and 7.
- Drone bees - These muscular bees can fire their stingers but they die if they fire them. They appear in level 6 and 7.
- Queen bee - This giant bee can spew blobs of honey that generate lots of bees. When fighting her, avoid the shadows as they have spikes. Roll into her face to defeat her. She appears in level 7.
- Fire ants - These elite soldiers of King thorax can fly and shoot fire. They can be defeated by using a buddy bug. They appear in level 8, 9 and 10.
- FirefliesFirefliesFireflies is a novel by Shiva Naipaul originally published in 1970. It was his first book, a comic novel set in Trinidad. In an essay in An Unfinished Journey, Naipaul described how in 1968 as a final year student at Oxford University studying Chinese, he had been moved to write down a sentence,...
- These annoying creatures can carry Rollie off to somewhere that could kill him. They appear in level 8. - Toxic gas roachesCockroachesA cockroach is an insect of the order Blattaria. "Cockroach" may also refer to:*Cockroach , a 2001 album by Danger Danger*Cockroach , a 2008 novel by Rawi Hage...
- These cockroaches have green gas masks that protect them from the toxic slime. In level 8, the slime they leave behind explodes, so they die without Rollie having to fight them. He will have to fight them himself in level 9 though. - Ghost ants - If you kill a spear throwing ant in level 9, he will rise again as a ghost ant. He cannot be kicked but he will die if he is in lava or water. If you hide for a while, he will dissipate.
- King Thorax - The game's final boss. The king of the fire ants can shoot sparks from his staff and to defeat him, Rollie will have to kick the water pipes so they quench the fire on his head, then kick him. After he repeats this process, King Thorax will fall and the game will be completed.
Reception
The Mac OS version of Bugdom received overwhelmingly positive reviews, according to a 70% on GameRankings. Dziga Robilev of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated Bugdom a 7/10, calling it "one of the best crafted platform games available for the Mac
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
." However, Robilev also stated "The only thing holding this baby back is that the levels themselves don't offer enough variety. There is a lot of the same activity being performed over and over again. Still, the game is a fun play and younger gamers will definitely have a good time with it." MacMagazin rated the game a 6/6 Mac score, saying "We are sure: Bugdom will be the summer hit this year among the Mac games." iMacSidian rated the game a 5/5, saying "Bugdom really fills the huge gap of platform games for the Mac... The graphics are absolutely top notch - you have to see it to believe it." Mac Gamer's Ledge rated the game a 4.5 out of 5 score, calling it "a feast for the eyes and ears." AppleLinks called the game's musical score "fantastic" and called the game "one of the first games that really can be enjoyed by both children and adults." Inside Mac Games rated the game a 4/5, saying "Bugdom is certainly a great game... and it is good enough to rival many of the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
and PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
titles that it is similar to. Its easy-to-grasp controls and interface are almost totally transparent, even to new users, and the feel of the game is just plush and polished - as is the look."
Sequel
There is also a sequel to Bugdom, which is called Bugdom 2Bugdom 2
Bugdom 2 follows the adventure of a grasshopper named Skip as he tries to get his stolen knapsack from Bully Bee throughout the game, Sam the Snail and Sally the Chipmunk assist him...
. It featured a similar style of gameplay, but with a grasshopper who has to get his knapsack back by going in and around a house.