Bubsy 4D, for as much as I enjoyed it, definitely had the feel of a side project. Even the ground the once-annoying, now-adored bobcat walked, ran, and bounced on was uneven, tipping the careful balance of friction slightly over the edge. Though I personally had no issue with its fifteen-level length, that too felt almost like a sign of a lack of commitment compared to recent Atari releases. Well, what if there were twice as many levels? That’s ridiculous; have you ever seen a post-release platformer content that much— oh.
Having finished all fifteen new levels found in the Black Hole update, it’s not entirely correct to say that it doubles the content of Bubsy 4D. There are no collectibles to speak of, which significantly cuts the time spent in each stage and shifts the level design. There are also no boss encounters, which were a real highlight. The new levels are speedrun-oriented remixes of existing stages featuring new enemies and hazards.
Though there is less to do in each level, the main paths dictate an addicting, rapid pace. The ball transformation combined with the upgrade that allows you to continuously bounce off the ground is undoubtedly the star of the show this time around, but the levels have enough variety to either let it shine in unique ways or limit its possibilities by focusing on verticality.
Sections where the camera locks into an overhead perspective or turns the game into a 2D platformer stand out in particular. While other levels allow for crazy skips, testing your pathing skills in a hunt for high leaderboard spots, these serve as a brilliant, short detour in this collection of intense levels. This update could have just been a bunch of grueling gauntlets akin to the game’s secret VR mission—instead, the Black Hole levels make up a delightful, well-thought-out campaign in their own right.
This adventure particularly emphasizes one of Fabraz’s qualities—the jagged architecture of their levels. Poles, trees, thin platforms that now interact with the game’s new physics engine, where clipping your paws on a small object will stop your momentum, and a bad landing in the hairball form will have you bounce in an unintended direction. It’s frustrating to be sure, but desired for someone with genre experience.
It opened my eyes to how hard it often is to realize the physicality of 3D platformer characters. They’re a sort of blob from head to toe, top-heavy to climb onto a platform if their upper half is meant to land on a platform. The Black Hole update, and by extension Fabraz’s other recent project, replicate the feeling of a Super Mario 64 bonk. A comedy of failures that will only work if you accept that the game is functioning as intended (though it could still use more silly sounds). For that, these moments need to not feel like a result of some bug, and Bubsy 4D (mostly) succeeds at that following post-launch fixes.
With unique gimmicks and focused design, this free DLC feels like its own game. A side-project to a side-project that somehow transforms the latter into one uniquely complete package. An added bite of difficulty that doesn’t feel like the dry, gauntlet-style challenge stages other platformers like to serve up as a post-game. A must-play if you’ve previously completed the game, and a reason of its own to buy it if you haven’t already.
The Black Hole may not double the amount of content in Bubsy 4D by definition, especially if you were more so an exploration fan, but it undoubtedly doubled my enjoyment of the game. 2026 continues to be the year of Fabraz, and this update marks another notch in a triumphant, triple return—a sequel that’s now the highest-scoring indie 3D platformer on OpenCritic (barring the first-person speedrun-oriented Neon White), a redemption for one of gaming’s biggest laughing stocks, and a return of the long-overlooked genre into the limelight.
Mateusz played Bubsy 4D on PC with a previously provided review code.
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