A Bug's Life is a platform game in which the player controls Flik throughout settings and a storyline based on the namesake film. The game is divided into five distinct "lands" consisting of three levels each. To complete a level, the player must either find an exit, complete a goal or defeat a boss character. Flik's primary form of offense against enemy characters is throwing berries. By default, Flik throws red-colored berries, which are the weakest form of berry and cannot harm certain enemies. Stronger berries can either be found within a level or received from planting purple-colored seeds. Collecting purple seed tokens increases the range of berries a seed can produce. Aside from increased power, some berries travel faster and can home in on enemies. The strongest form of berry is gold-colored and is capable of permanently eliminating enemies and preventing them from respawning. Several seeds are scattered throughout the levels. Flik can hoist most seeds over his head and carry them to other areas, although some seeds are embedded into the ground and cannot be moved. Jumping on top of a seed creates a plant that aids Flik in some fashion. By default, all seeds are colored brown and bear plants that help Flik traverse high terrain. The color of the seeds and the type of plant they bear can be changed if Flik collects differently-colored seed tokens within a level. Some plants can restore Flik's health, provide a shield from enemy attacks, propel him through the air, or damage enemies by firing berries. Plants can be uprooted and discarded, which results in a fresh seed appearing in its place. Flik's health is displayed as a leaf on the top-right corner of the screen, and the player is given six livesat the beginning of the game. When Flik's health is full, the leaf appears whole, but if he is harmed by an enemy or hazard, a bite is taken out of the leaf. Health can be restored by collecting leaves marked with a red cross, which are released from defeated enemies and blue seed plants. Collecting 50 pieces of grain within a level will restore Flik's health completely. If the leaf is completely eaten away, a life is lost. An extra life can be received if the letters F, L, I and K are collected within a level. If all of Flik's lives are lost, the game ends prematurely. Floating telescopes grant a rotating view of either hidden items in a level or the level's exit and the surrounding details. Flik's grain harvester is present in certain levels, and can be used to attract distant grain and permanently kill most enemies while it is worn. In some levels of the game, a harvester can be found and used to permanently defeat most small enemies as well as attract nearby grain like a magnet.
Development and release
Most of the film's main cast reprised their roles in the game, with the exceptions of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary, who were replaced by Jodi Benson, Andrew Stanton and Nick Jameson as Princess Atta, Hopper and Francis, respectively. Though the film was Roddy McDowall's final theatrical performance, the game was his final work overall before his death.
Reception
A Bug's Life was met with generally mixed to poor reviews. Aggregating review websiteGameRankings gave the Nintendo 64 version 54.40%, the PlayStation version 55.73% and the Game Boy Color version 36.63%. GameSpot gave the PlayStation version 2.7 out of 10, concluding that it was "obvious that Disney was more interested in producing a $40 advertisement for its movie than in developing a playable game." However, the same site later gave the Nintendo 64 version a score of 6.1 out of 10, stating that "Children looking to relive the fun of the movie should be pleased with the simplicity of the game." IGN gave the Nintendo 64 version 6.8 out of 10, praising the presentation and sound by stating that it had an "Upbeat, cheery look and feel very much like the movie of the same name" with "Cheery, happy tunes and strong sound effects" but criticised the gameplay by saying the controls were sluggish with "stuttering framerate" and "tired gameplay mechanics" while they gave the PlayStation version 4 out of 10, criticizing the gameplay as slow and awkward but praising the presentation as cinematic. The same site later gave the Game Boy Color version a score of three out of ten, calling it "short and repetitive" and "below average". Daniel Erickson reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game for Next Generation, rating it one star out of five, and stated that "Any way you slice it, this stinks."
