Bulb Boy

 Switch
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 47
  3. Negative: 6 out of 47

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  1. nusco
    Apr 9, 2018
    5
    It's hard to even talk about Bulb Boy without mentioning Machinarium, or some other game from Amanita Design. From the quirky eastern European visuals to the weird music and sound effects, this game almost feels like a homage to the Czech team's work. Unfortunately, that's also Bulb Boy's greatest shortcoming: it doesn't really know what it wants to be, aside from "a game like Machinarium,It's hard to even talk about Bulb Boy without mentioning Machinarium, or some other game from Amanita Design. From the quirky eastern European visuals to the weird music and sound effects, this game almost feels like a homage to the Czech team's work. Unfortunately, that's also Bulb Boy's greatest shortcoming: it doesn't really know what it wants to be, aside from "a game like Machinarium, only with gore".

    Bulb Boy starts off well, as a point-and-click adventure with grotesque overtones. The graphics are nice, the atmosphere is spot on, and some of the encounters are genuinely creepy. The hit-and-miss animation constantly reminds you that this is the product of a tiny team that has to cut a few corners–but the game has enough soul to make up for that.

    Then something weird happens: Bulb Boy seems to lose its way, and starts improvising something, anything, to keep you engaged. The gore gradually becomes more gross, morphing into "poop and mucus" humor. The puzzles become illogical enough that it's faster to click around randomly than reason about solutions. By the end of its short life, the game has lost itself, devolving into a pretty unfunny platformer that relies heavily on instadeath and rote repetition.

    Bulb Boy is a game that tries to find its own voice, struggles more and more, and by the end of it, it just gives up. It's also a short and cheap game, so it's a good choice to support an independent team. Just don't expect much–and in particular, don't expect another Machinarium.    … Expand
  2. apa-sl
    Mar 16, 2019
    7
    It excels in climax, the story is nice, mechanics are super simple but overall whole game is definitely to short (2 hours max). But despite that for me it was very pleasant experience on one train journey. Really enjoyed it as a fan of traditional adventure games.
  3. BGShoes
    Aug 2, 2017
    7
    This might the cutest, most-terrifying game I've ever played. Such a cool, bizarre concept with great characters and bosses. The game manages to have charm and personality despite the absence of text or dialogue, pretty impressive. It ended a little too quickly for my liking but I can't say I didn't enjoy playing it. I definitely recommend playing it in the dark with your headphones.This might the cutest, most-terrifying game I've ever played. Such a cool, bizarre concept with great characters and bosses. The game manages to have charm and personality despite the absence of text or dialogue, pretty impressive. It ended a little too quickly for my liking but I can't say I didn't enjoy playing it. I definitely recommend playing it in the dark with your headphones.

    Unfortunately, this game appears to be better fit for PC as the "click" portion of the Point-to-point gameplay is more intuitive. There are a few instances during my playthrough where it was difficult/frustrating to properly click on an item.    … Expand
  4. AllySky
    Aug 31, 2018
    7
    Bulb boy is a small game, it will only last you a couple hours before you beat it, but on that short gaming journey there are several good things to say about the game, the art style is great and smooth, the game feels polished along with its puzzles, however they are simple and straight forward, even players new to point and click could play this game. Most of what the game offers howeverBulb boy is a small game, it will only last you a couple hours before you beat it, but on that short gaming journey there are several good things to say about the game, the art style is great and smooth, the game feels polished along with its puzzles, however they are simple and straight forward, even players new to point and click could play this game. Most of what the game offers however is charm and a comedic approach, while the game may seem spooky, humor is present just as much.… Expand
  5. Kacek1996
    Sep 4, 2019
    7
    This game is a good point&click kind of horror game that made me smile. It's not a hard game, but it's a game that makes you laugh a little from time to time. I bought it on a sale and it did get me surprised. Bulb Boy has nice graphics and decent plot(maybe graphics are a bit too green, but it's not that bad. It won't annoy you with such a length of a gameplay). Also, boss battles are fun!
  6. AliPMcG
    Jan 17, 2020
    5
    Bulb Boy is a beautiful and nauseating 2D point and click adventure game, from the Newgrounds/Flash school of adventure gaming. The game consists of a string of puzzles, passing each one progresses the story to the next, and there's no backtracking or inventory. Visually it's strongly reminiscent of South Park and Adventure Time, with The Binding of Isaac's orifice-fixated sensibilities.Bulb Boy is a beautiful and nauseating 2D point and click adventure game, from the Newgrounds/Flash school of adventure gaming. The game consists of a string of puzzles, passing each one progresses the story to the next, and there's no backtracking or inventory. Visually it's strongly reminiscent of South Park and Adventure Time, with The Binding of Isaac's orifice-fixated sensibilities. Its story is told without any dialogue, which can be quite powerful but also quite confusing. It's not really a 'horror' game beyond the first 15 minutes or so, although Bulb Boy looks terrified most of the time.

    The puzzles are all pretty straightforward but require trial and error, and this game has punishingly long reloading times. It takes up to 10 seconds between dying and restarting, and there are points where you can die easily within a few seconds over and over again, while you figure out what you're supposed to be doing. The final boss and the 'teeth' sections were infuriating for this.

    Puzzles essentially consist of going to a place and clicking on a thing, with some obstacles thrown in. The game doesn't give you much guidance, and there was one point where it took me a long time to realise that I needed to use the right stick, which I don't think was used again thereafter. At another point a puzzle broke, but I didn't know it was broken until I watched a walkthrough and saw what was supposed to be happening, so I had to quit and restart from the last checkpoint - that was annoying.

    Worth playing if it's really cheap and you don't mind cartoon turds.    … Expand
  7. emu0
    Jan 27, 2020
    7
    A game about an irreverent character going through a gross world. The story is fun and the artwork very pretty, but the duration of the game is very short.
  8. SolomonRambling
    Dec 30, 2022
    5
    Bulb Boy certainly has character and could almost pass off as a morbid children's cartoon if it weren't for the mountains of poop, snot, and other unseemly beasties you find. As a visual experience, the game is a treat if you can get it past your gag reflex. As a point-and-click adventure, Bulb Boy lacks anything novel to make it memorable. Puzzles are generally simple when they're notBulb Boy certainly has character and could almost pass off as a morbid children's cartoon if it weren't for the mountains of poop, snot, and other unseemly beasties you find. As a visual experience, the game is a treat if you can get it past your gag reflex. As a point-and-click adventure, Bulb Boy lacks anything novel to make it memorable. Puzzles are generally simple when they're not unintuitive, and despite the general presence of danger, the pace trudges along leisurely. Despite its imagery, Bulb Boy isn't offensive; it's just not much of anything.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Best Switch Game of 2017
79
#79 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
91
#91 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Everyeye.it
    Sep 4, 2017
    86
    A fun and exciting story.
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  2. FNintendo
    Sep 3, 2017
    70
    Bulb Boy is a competent effort at creating a game with a horror atmosphere and which features a very interesting light mechanic that fits very well on an overall well executed presentation. While it may be too linear and have not enough content to please everyone, this is still a game that is worth exploring.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 24, 2017
    80
    A raucous, weird path through the strange world of a strange hero and his relatives that Switch owners should give a look. [Issue #29, p. 21]
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