While Argonaut Games is perhaps best remembered for their pioneering work on the Super FX chip-powered space shooter Star Fox for the Super NES and the charming 3D platformer series Croc—the first of which, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, was recently remastered for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC—the company still holds a special place for one of their lesser-known Nintendo 64 titles that buzzed under the radar: Buck Bumble.
Argonaut, which reformed in 2024 after dissolving in 2007, recently sat down with UK gaming publication MCV/Develop to discuss the newly released Croc remaster, Buck Bumble, and several of their lesser-known classics they’d love to revisit.
One such title—predating even Star Fox—is the 1986 first-person space flight simulator Starglider, originally released on platforms like the Atari ST and Amiga.
A screenshot from Argonaut’s 1986 space flight sim, Starglider
“Starglider was the game that originally put Argonaut on the map, and I definitely want to do something with it in the future as it’s my ‘first-born,’” said Argonaut founder Jez San. “But it’s primitive compared to later games and almost 40 years old. How many people who play games in their 60s (or older) really remember it?”
San continued, “I-Ninja is a really well-regarded and underappreciated game, and we’d love to revisit it. Buck Bumble too—but since it was N64-only, fewer people know about it.”
Released in 2003 by Namco for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, I-Ninja starred a cartoony, acrobatic ninja protagonist who wall-ran, grappled, and fought his way through futuristic levels, lava caverns, and underwater bases—facing off against massive robots and mechs along the way.
By contrast, Buck Bumble, released in 1998 by Ubisoft for the N64, gave players control of a cybernetically enhanced bee tasked with battling mutated insects in a dystopian version of London. Its unique third-person shooter mechanics and distinctive soundtrack made it a cult favorite, even if it didn’t reach the heights of Argonaut’s other releases.
A screenshot from Buck Bumble on the N64
San explained that while Buck Bumble and titles like I-Ninja and Starglider hold a special place in Argonaut’s history, it was Croc that made the most sense as their first remaster upon returning to the industry in 2024.
“Croc sold well over 3 million copies—back when that was a huge number—and was the first major platformer on the original PlayStation,” San said. “It also had broad appeal, to both men and women. Croc really appealed to everyone. It was the obvious choice.”
Croc Remastered for the PS5
Argonaut co-CEO Mike Arkin added, “But we also hope that Buck Bumble will have his day in the sun, eventually.”
As for whether a Buck Bumble remaster might happen, San said it depends heavily on the performance of the Croc remaster.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact that if Croc does well in the market, the obvious next project is a remaster of Croc 2,” San explained. Arkin confirmed that early work on Croc 2 has already begun.
“Croc 2 was built in a different engine from the original, so the remastering approach is also a bit different,” Arkin said. “We’ve done some early R&D to validate our method, and it’s looking promising. If it’s greenlit financially and commercially, we’re confident it’ll be another step forward from what we achieved with Croc.”
What do you think about Argonaut wanting to bring back Buck Bumble and their other lesser-known titles?
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