Believe it or not, there is more than one ending to the Young Horses–developed title 'Bugsnax.' Here's how to unlock the multiple endings.
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Bugsnax.
The Young Horses–developed adventure game Bugsnax seems like an entirely wholesome game on the surface. You go to Snaktooth Island to investigate the little colony that's started there in response to the discovery of "bugsnax," food-shaped creatures that have surprising effects on those who eat them.
But the further you venture into the game, the clearer it becomes that things are a bit darker than you'd expected.
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Anyone who has managed to get almost all of the group members back to Snaxberg knows that you and your cohorts have to venture on an especially treacherous journey to escape the island — but what many don't know is that there are multiple endings to the game. The choices you make in the final moments of gameplay will determine which ending you get. Unfortunately, they aren't both happily-ever-afters.
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The "bad" ending to 'Bugsnax.'
In the final moments of the game, the player discovers that Snaktooth Island isn't just an island — it's actually made of bugsnax. The critters are also parasites, and if you've eaten too many of them, they'll take over your body (which is what they did to Lizbert Megafig, the original pioneer of the adventure).
By the time you locate Lizbert, she's already been consumed by the parasites, but in an effort to save the group, she and her girlfriend, Eggabell, try to fight them off.
The player then has to fight the bugsnax, using the expedition tools as weapons against the creatures as they advance toward you and the other Snaxberg residents.
Fending off these creatures isn't easy, as they come at you in waves, and the ship you'll use to escape the island isn't entirely ready when they begin advancing. If you lose any of the Grumpuses while you're fighting the bugsnax, you'll unlock the game's "bad ending."
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No matter how many Grumpuses you lose, you'll still manage to make your way back to civilization, though the Grumpuses will be less than pleased about the journey. When you talk to them on the beach in the final moments before you report your findings back to your editor, they'll have negative things to say about the experience.
Things only get worse for the player from here, because your editor will fire you upon filing your report, saying how you disobeyed orders, and leaving you jobless.
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There's a post-credits scene that comes with the "good" ending of 'Bugsnax.'
To unlock the game's "good" ending, you'll have to ensure all of the Grumpuses make it to the end of the game. This means that the bugsnax can't reach them in the game's final moments, or they'll eat them, causing them to transform and ultimately die before the game's end.
If all of the Grumpuses make it to the mainland, then when you speak to them on the beach, they'll all have positive recollections, reminiscing on their personal growth through the journey.
Unfortunately, you will still get fired from your journalist job — but there will be a new scene following the credits.
In this scene, your editor will be talking with a mysterious figure in Latin, saying "tu quid edas" ("you are what you eat") and "omne vivum ex Bugnsax" ("all life from Bugsnax"). This implies that your editor is aware of the existence of bugsnax and may be trying to keep them a secret. In the scene's final moments, a lone Stabby will then venture off the ship.
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