Bugsnax Isle of Bigsnax PS5 PS4 1

For a game that revolves around yummy snack foods that come to life, Bugsnax is somewhat of an acquired taste. When this unusual adventure game launched in 2020 on both the brand new PlayStation 5 and PS4, many had it down as a meme game to be played ironically, if at all. As it turns out, the game is a highly enjoyable, if quirky, excursion to Snaktooth Island that's worth sampling. In fact, many of its fans have been waiting for another portion of the title's creature-catching chaos, and developer Young Horses is about to dish up a free DLC expansion: The Isle of Bigsnax.

Arriving later this month, The Isle of Bigsnax builds upon the original game with a brand new area to explore. As the name implies, you'll be whisked away to a small island that's home to new Bugsnax, and many of them are supersized. It's this new environment, and the 11 new creatures that inhabit it, that make up the bulk of new content in the DLC.

Accessible towards the end of the main game after completing the side quests of certain characters, you'll be able to talk to Snorpy about a mission that takes you to the new island alongside Chandlo, Floofty, Shelda, and Triffany. As you explore the new area — larger than any environments in the base game — and make progress, new story beats will also emerge, giving you more background on the aforementioned Grumpuses, with Shelda in particular getting some extra time in the spotlight. We weren't told about any new narrative threads, only that we can expect more of the same sort of character conflicts and drama present in the original.

So, what of these giant Bugsnax, then? Well, first off, they'll be a little trickier to capture than the ones you're used to. Your regular traps and gadgets won't work on these larger creatures. Fortunately, a mysterious substance known as Shrink Spice can be thrown at a Bigsnak, which will bring it down to a size you can capture. The first one you'll meet is a Bunger Royale, but some other large snax we saw include Chocolant, Cellystix, and Spaghider. Bugsnax's creature designs and names are a highlight of the base game, and that continues in the expansion.

As well as discovering new beasties to collect and feed to your companions, the island will feature new puzzles to deal with. These include vertical mazes through which you need to guide the Buggy Ball, a tool in the original that the studio felt was underutilised. We also saw some environmental puzzles that use Bugsnax in new ways, like having a flying Tikada Masala carry eggs over to a certain spot.

The island will offer roughly three to four hours of new missions and story, but that's not all there is to see and do in the Isle of Bigsnax update. It also introduces a fully customisable hut in Snaxburg, the hub town in the main game. Through completing side quests — as well as brand new tasks delivered to your mailbox — you'll earn furniture, decorations, and all kinds of bric-a-brac with which to adorn your new home. Though it serves no practical purpose, you can really go to town customising your house with all sorts of fun objects.

Beyond that are Bughats, which are, as you might've guessed, hats you can put on Bugsnax. After feeding the townsfolk various Bugsnax, you will notice some creatures in the wild are wearing little hats. Catch these bugs and you'll add its hat to your collection. These can then be placed onto critters you've donated to Gramble's ranch. Again, it's not some game-changing new addition — it's just fun putting hats on those little guys. Oh, and if you're thinking it'll be a pain to travel around the map looking for hatted Bugsnax, this DLC throws in the ability to fast travel, which is a long overdue feature we're glad is finally coming.

After seeing all this in action, it got us excited to dive back into the weird and wonderful world of Bugsnax. The promise of new story beats with the new island has us most intrigued to play it ourselves, but the more superficial additions are more than welcome too, giving players more excuses to just hang out in the town. While the DLC doesn't look to make too big a departure from what we have already, there seems to be just enough included to convince us to make a return trip — and a trio of new Trophies certainly doesn't hurt, either. Yes, Greg Miller really did get his wish.

The Isle of Bigsnax DLC is a free expansion for Bugsnax, launching on 28th April 2022 for both PS5 and PS4. Will you be checking out this new slice of the game? Get the theme song stuck in your head once again in the comments section below.

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