Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters is a 2000 PlayStation and Windows 3D platformer developed by Artificial Mind and Movement and published by Infogrames. It follows the earlier Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time, but this is a separate dual-character adventure built around switching between Bugs and Taz, collecting Time Regulator Gears, clearing era gates, and solving slapstick Looney Tunes platforming puzzles.
This guide is for the original Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters release, not Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time, Taz: Wanted, Taz Express, Wacky Races, or any Crazy Castle-style Bugs Bunny game.
Essential Tips
1. Treat Granwich as a Real Tutorial
Granwich is not just a hub to rush through. It teaches the movement and switching habits that the rest of the game keeps testing: jumping, attacking, character calling, camera control, and using both characters around obstacles.
Before pushing into the Aztec Era, collect the opening gears, practice swapping control, and make sure you understand how to bring the other character back to you. Time Busters often asks you to solve a space by positioning Bugs and Taz separately, then using the correct character at the correct moment.
2. Switch Characters Before Blaming the Jump
Bugs and Taz are not interchangeable skins. Bugs is generally the cleaner platforming character, while Taz brings spin, drill, smashing, and heavy-object utility. If a ledge, block, rabbit hole, or obstacle feels impossible, stop and ask which character the room is really asking for.
Some puzzles become obvious only after you put one character on a switch, call the partner over, or use Taz as a springboard for Bugs. Switching late is one of the fastest ways to waste time in early eras.
3. Prioritize Time Regulator Gears When You Are Stuck
Gears are the main progress currency. Era access, later routes, and completion pressure all revolve around picking up enough of them. When a door or boss area is blocked, check whether you are short on gears before assuming you missed a cutscene trigger.
Do not obsess over every stray gear on your first pass through a large stage. Learn the route, grab the obvious clusters, clear major puzzles, and return later for cleanup once you understand the character tools in that era.
4. Use Boss Tokens as Your Era Checklist
Each era’s boss area depends on boss tokens from the other stages. That makes boss tokens a cleaner short-term goal than every single gear. If you are trying to move forward, make sure each non-boss area has been explored enough to find its token.
Gears still matter, but boss tokens tell you whether you have actually solved the era’s main platforming and puzzle tasks. If you have gear count but no boss access, go back through the era’s main stages and look for the missing token path.
5. Clear Acme Boxes and Lost Characters Deliberately
Acme boxes and characters lost in time are set-based objectives. They are worth paying attention to because full sets award gear progress, but they can pull you into full-cleanup mode if you chase them blindly.
The better habit is to note them as you explore, then finish the set when you are ready to commit. If you see the fifth Acme box or the last lost character in an era, clean it up before leaving so the reward does not become another memory test later.
6. Use the Camera Before Precision Movement
Time Busters is a 3D platformer from the PlayStation era, so camera management is part of the challenge. Rotate the view before long jumps, inspect ledges before using Bugs’ earcopter, and reset your angle before narrow paths or moving targets.
In water, chase, ride, and boss sections, a bad camera can make a simple task look much harder than it is. Pause your movement for a moment, line up the view, then commit.
7. Let Each Era Teach Its Own Rule Set
The four major eras are not just different scenery. They mix platforming, contests, quests, boss encounters, and chase or ride sequences in different proportions. Aztec areas introduce a lot of basic teamwork, while later eras add more specific uses for shooting, spinning, swimming, timing, and two-character positioning.
When an era introduces a new move or challenge type, expect it to matter again soon. Practice it while the game is still giving you a controlled version instead of waiting until a boss or timed route demands it.
8. Keep Single-Player and Co-op Expectations Separate
In single-player, you control both characters by switching and calling the partner. In co-op, two players can divide Bugs and Taz, but the game still expects coordination rather than two independent routes.
The strongest co-op habit is assigning jobs: one player watches switches, moving targets, or enemy pressure while the other handles the character-specific action. Talk through the puzzle before both players run at the same collectible.
Bugs and Taz Roles
| Situation | Better First Choice |
|---|---|
| Clean jumps, ledges, and gliding | Bugs |
| Smashing pillars, huts, or heavy obstacles | Taz |
| Rabbit-hole and underground interactions | Check which character action the room is asking for |
| High ledges | Use Bugs with Taz’s trampoline support |
| Moving or fleeing targets | Use the character who can cut off the escape route |
| Switch puzzles | Position one character, then call or switch to the other |
| Timed minigames | Slow down enough to learn the pattern before rushing |
Bugs is usually easier for careful platforming. His glide-like fall control helps when you need to land precisely, and later aiming-style interactions reward patience. Taz is more forceful: he is the character to test when a puzzle involves spinning, drilling, breaking, charging, or moving tougher objects.
The main trick is to stop treating the active character as your only tool. Many rooms are built around using one character to create the opportunity and the other to claim it.
Gears, Boss Tokens, and Cleanup
Think in three layers. First, get enough gears to keep progression moving. Second, secure boss tokens so each era can actually be completed. Third, return for Acme boxes, lost characters, and leftover gear clusters when you are ready for completion work.
| Goal | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Time Regulator Gears | Main progress and completion currency |
| Boss tokens | Open boss areas after the era’s main stages |
| Acme boxes | Set-based gear rewards |
| Lost characters | Era cleanup rewards and completion progress |
| Carrots | Health support during exploration and fights |
If you only follow visible gears, you can miss the puzzle objective that unlocks the boss. If you only chase boss tokens, you can arrive at later gates under-collected. Balance both: finish the obvious stage objective, sweep the nearby gear clusters, then leave exact 100% routing for a cleanup pass.
Era Habits
Each era is easier if you build a repeatable loop. Enter the main area, read the space from the camera, identify which character has the obvious job, collect the easy gears, then look for the path to the boss token. After that, check for Acme boxes and lost characters before moving to the next stage.
For contests and minigames, play the first attempt for information. Ring routes, memory patterns, chase targets, and vase or monkey challenges reward knowing the layout more than forcing a perfect blind run.
For bosses, expect puzzle logic. The safest answer is often baiting an attack, using the room’s switches or hazards, or coordinating Bugs and Taz rather than attacking nonstop. Keep moving, watch how the arena responds after each successful action, and use character swaps when a new angle or height requirement appears.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not use Lost in Time habits for every puzzle - Time Busters is built around Bugs and Taz together, so solo Bugs logic can miss the intended solution.
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Do not ignore Granwich tutorials - The opening hub teaches actions that become required in later era puzzles.
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Do not chase every gear before finding boss tokens - Gear cleanup helps, but boss tokens are what open the era’s boss route.
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Do not keep one character active for an entire stage - Many obstacles are designed to make you switch, summon, or position both characters.
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Do not rush camera-heavy jumps - Rotate or inspect the view before using narrow platforms, ledges, water routes, and falling sections.
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Do not break Acme boxes randomly and forget the set - Track them as a full cleanup objective so the reward does not get lost.
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Do not let both co-op players chase the same object - Split responsibilities around switches, enemies, moving targets, and character-specific tasks.
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Do not attack bosses blindly - Watch for switches, hazards, and teamwork openings before repeating the same hit attempt.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Scope | Use Time Busters advice, not Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time routes |
| Progression | Gears move the game forward, but boss tokens unlock boss access |
| Characters | Switch between Bugs and Taz whenever an obstacle feels wrong |
| Exploration | Clear obvious gears first, then return for full set cleanup |
| Co-op | Coordinate roles instead of splitting randomly |
| Camera | Line up 3D jumps, water routes, and chase sections before committing |
| Bosses | Look for puzzle logic, not just repeated attacks |
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7 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters.
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