We have seen a lot of simulation games lately however none of them beats the brand new Bee Simulator by Bigben and Varsav Game Studios. The game is essentially made to create awareness about bees and how excess human colonization of their natural habitats is affecting their lives in the real world. However, the game itself is pretty unique and does not fall short when it comes to serving its real purpose which is to be an excellent video game. This review of the Bee Simulator was made on the Xbox One version of the game.
As the name suggests, Bee Simulator is all about living the life of a bee. You play as a worker bee who has just been born and the hive is showing it their ways however due to how the world works in the real life, the life of your bee is not always simple and is full of different challenges and tasks other than gathering pollen and delivering it back to the hive. Set in a world inspired by Central Park in New York, the game will let you experience the daily chores and challenges of a regular bee in our real life.
The game offers an open-world and you are free to explore the world. Your primary hive is set inside a zoo exhibit however you can freely explore different areas both inside and outside the zoo. You can consider the game as a GTA but with bees. You even get a compass that guides you around the world. You have the main campaign that unlocks more features for you to explore and try out later in the game. You have the complete liberty of completing the missions or leaving them aside and going for all the extra bits here and there. As you progress in the main story, you will get to experience more areas as well.
There are a lot of different challenges and side quests for you to complete in the game. As you explore the world of Bee Simulator, you will get to meet many new characters that belong to different species and they will often require your help. You can choose to complete these missions before going back to the main campaign however once you trigger the main mission or a side mission, you will be required to complete them before you can move on to the next one. The same thing applies to the challenges.
The challenges are marked in the world with unique markers depending on what type of challenges these are. You can complete challenges such as Chases, Fights, Dances and more. Each challenge begins with a mini-game that requires specific button inputs. Chases require you to follow another bee through a set of hoops and try to catch it without missing too many checkpoints. These challenges offer a great escape from the main story and there are plenty to choose from in the entire world of Bee Simulator.
The detail of the world is amazing as well. The level design, as well as the character design of both animals and humans in the world, is really good. However, the animations might not be AAA. Some of the animations such as while you are using the stinger of your bee do not really look good however these are just small hiccups of an otherwise brilliant game. The world is amazing to look at and amazing to explore as well. Since you are small, as you explore around, the sensation of being so small in a world which we are used to seeing from a different perspective is really a unique experience.
Apart from the open-world, the Bee Hive itself is extremely detailed and well-made. You can fly inside the Hive when you want to get new tasks from your Hive. You will need to deliver the pollen back to your Hive as well after your meter is full. Collecting pollen is really easy and rare plants’ pollen carries more weight than normal plants. Every plant has a circle at its top and you just fly through it to collect pollen. Keep doing it and pretty sure you will be full of pollen. Once you are full, head back to your Hive and deliver it to convert it into honey. You can also charge your nitro ability called Beetro by collecting pollens from identical plants in a row. This will give you a speed boost to reach your destination quickly.
Apart from Beetro, you can also use Bee Vision which allows you to see the world from the perspective of the bee. During the Bee Vision mode, you will be able to identify the types of different flowers around you. The plants come in different rarities and rarer the plant, the rarer the pollen it has. You will often need to use Bee Vision when you will be required to fire Uncommon, Rare or Legendary plants around the world. During the Bee Vision, the game is played in first-person rather than the normal third-person view.
Another interesting aspect of the game is the Knowledge Points system. You collect Knowledge Points every time you deliver pollen back to your Hive or complete side missions or challenges. Knowledge Points act as the in-game currency and you will use them to purchase different Extras of the game such as the 3D models of fauna. You can view these models in the Glossary or even unlock golden statues of some insects back at the Trophy Room of your Hive.
Coming to gameplay, Bee Simulator is really fun to play as the controls are really easy to understand however controlling your Bee in some tight spots could be sometimes tedious. The turning is not crisp and you will often end up hitting obstacles. This problem is extremely prominent during the Chase sequences where you would want tight and crisp control of the bee however it sometimes just too loose or too fast. You can tweak the sensitivity but the inside sections are still a mess. Flying outside is a breeze because you have more space to maneuver around when compared with inside sections. Other than that, the mini-games such as Dancing, Fighting and general flying around gathering pollen, completing missions and doing random stuff in the game is really fun and easy to play.
The Story of Bee Simulator is not very long however you will get to experience everything that a Bee potentially sees in its average life. From gathering pollen to fighting other insects to finding new hives, the game covers nearly every aspect of how a Bee lives its life hence it does justice to the game’s name ‘Bee Simulator’. The narration for the story is complete with cutscenes and there is even dialogue between bees and other insects. None of the elements have been forgotten when it comes to the development of the video game.
It took me a day to complete nearly 100% of the game with its main story and almost all of the challenges. The main story will not take much of your time so after you are done with it, you have the whole world of the game to explore and complete the different challenges and feats. Feats are much like challenges but they are long-term and you will complete them as you play the game instead of just starting them and winning them. They also serve as Endgame content after you are done with all of the missions and challenges.
You can also spend some Knowledge Points and purchase masks, new skins and hats for your bee. The developers have really not missed out on any element in the game. You can equip different skins for your bee which will completely change how your bee looks or you can go for a fancy hat or a face mask as well which will really show your style off to other bees and also make you look unique. However, these are just visual customizations and they do not affect the gameplay in any way.
Then you also have the secrets to explore, animals to discover, flowers to collect pollen from and much, much more. Bee Simulator might sound like a simple game however it offers plenty of content to keep you busy for a decent amount of time. If you are really up for it, there is a hard more of the game as well which will really test your mettle as a Bee. Bee Simulator is really the GTA of the bee world and we would love to see more in the franchise down the road.
Final Verdict
Bee Simulator delivers a solid message in a very simple yet effective way. The world of Bee Simulator feels extremely alive and full of activity. Despite a few nags in the bee control department, the gameplay overall is extremely convenient and it feels like the game wants you to play more. The story is short yet captivating and the extra challenges and side missions offer plenty of exploration and lore collection opportunities. The game is an excellent insight into the lives of the hardworking bees which are losing their home around the world in real life. For me, Bee Simulator is one of the most unique gaming experiences of 2019.
Final Score: 8.5/10
