⏰ In a rush? I gotchu'! ⏰
What Works:
✅ Educational Content: Teaches about bees and their ecosystem in an engaging manner.
✅ Variety of Mini-Games: Offers diverse activities like races and communication challenges.
✅ Family-Friendly: Suitable for kids and adults alike, with enjoyable exploration and activities.
What Doesn't:
❌ Visual Presentation: Some environments appear washed-out, and human character animations are robotic.
❌ Control Issues: Precision and sensitivity problems, especially noticeable in mini-games like races.
❌ Limited Depth: Despite its educational focus, the main story is short, and gameplay can feel repetitive.
🐝 Simulating Fun: The Buzz Begins
Simulators tend to be experiences that focus on realism. After all, they have "simulator" in the title. However, since the release of Goat Simulator, this trend has diminished, and these titles have started to focus more on fun and less on simulation, often with a more sandbox style. Bee Simulator reveals itself to be the best of both worlds: it both simulates and provides factual information about bees, while also knowing how to be a game and entertain. But is this the ultimate Maya the Bee simulator everyone has been waiting for?
🌳 Central Park Chronicles
Unlike many offerings in the genre, Bee Simulator has a story, and it takes place in a near-identical version of Central Park in Manhattan. Inside a tree, there is a hive, and it is there that the player embodies a newborn bee. Shortly after, we understand what its main function is: collect enough pollen at the queen's command for the good of the entire community. This objective, repeated several times during the narrative, is completed by flying close to various flowers. What is taught during the activity is that some have better quality pollen than others, and through a button, we enter a kind of bee vision that allows us to identify the best alternatives. Due to the educational nature of the game, it is also worth noting that, by passing by an unknown flower, an entry in the encyclopaedia is unlocked with detailed information about it.
🎮 Mini-Game Madness
In addition to the main story, which is short in duration, there are various mini-games scattered throughout the central park. There are races to complete, and these are sometimes the hardest barrier to overcome in Bee Simulator due to the sensitivity and lack of precision of the controls. Another mini-game details how bees communicate with each other, done through a dance that mimics the popular children's game Simon Says. The combat mode is also an activity, performed by entering rhythm commands to attack and defend. Outside of this spectrum, exploring the park is a relaxing moment, accompanied by a good soundtrack and sound effects that bring the world around this little bee to life.
🌺 Visuals and Vibrations
But all of Bee Simulator’s good intentions to educate do not save it from its flaws. Despite its smoothness even in portable mode, its presentation suffers significantly from a washed-out look in many scenarios, and human characters appear almost robotic in movement. Controlling the bee in the park is indeed relaxing, but it also proves to be frustrating when restricted to an activity like the racing mini-game, where the smallest mistake requires starting over. However, none of this prevents enjoying the game overall through good performance during various activities, unlocking adorable hats and new skins from different bee species (with information about them too!).
🏆 Family Fun and Flaws
Thus, Bee Simulator presents itself as a great game for kids, grown-ups, and the whole family. It demonstrates that it is possible to be educational and fun at the same time, despite harbouring flaws that prevent its latent potential from fully blooming. Even so, Maya the Bee would surely be proud.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Linktree for all my stuff.
◻️ ⚠️ Review for FNintendo (RIP) from Dec 25, 2019.
◻️ 🙋♂️ More Reviews by yours truly.
◻️ 🎮 Nintendo Switch Games I’ve played.
◻️ 🧵 Follow me on Threads for updates and more.
◻️ 📜 Review #013
✨ F I N ✨
What Works:
✅ Educational Content: Teaches about bees and their ecosystem in an engaging manner.
✅ Variety of Mini-Games: Offers diverse activities like races and communication challenges.
✅ Family-Friendly: Suitable for kids and adults alike, with enjoyable exploration and activities.
What Doesn't:
❌ Visual Presentation: Some environments appear washed-out, and human character animations are robotic.
❌ Control Issues: Precision and sensitivity problems, especially noticeable in mini-games like races.
❌ Limited Depth: Despite its educational focus, the main story is short, and gameplay can feel repetitive.
🐝 Simulating Fun: The Buzz Begins
Simulators tend to be experiences that focus on realism. After all, they have "simulator" in the title. However, since the release of Goat Simulator, this trend has diminished, and these titles have started to focus more on fun and less on simulation, often with a more sandbox style. Bee Simulator reveals itself to be the best of both worlds: it both simulates and provides factual information about bees, while also knowing how to be a game and entertain. But is this the ultimate Maya the Bee simulator everyone has been waiting for?
🌳 Central Park Chronicles
Unlike many offerings in the genre, Bee Simulator has a story, and it takes place in a near-identical version of Central Park in Manhattan. Inside a tree, there is a hive, and it is there that the player embodies a newborn bee. Shortly after, we understand what its main function is: collect enough pollen at the queen's command for the good of the entire community. This objective, repeated several times during the narrative, is completed by flying close to various flowers. What is taught during the activity is that some have better quality pollen than others, and through a button, we enter a kind of bee vision that allows us to identify the best alternatives. Due to the educational nature of the game, it is also worth noting that, by passing by an unknown flower, an entry in the encyclopaedia is unlocked with detailed information about it.
🎮 Mini-Game Madness
In addition to the main story, which is short in duration, there are various mini-games scattered throughout the central park. There are races to complete, and these are sometimes the hardest barrier to overcome in Bee Simulator due to the sensitivity and lack of precision of the controls. Another mini-game details how bees communicate with each other, done through a dance that mimics the popular children's game Simon Says. The combat mode is also an activity, performed by entering rhythm commands to attack and defend. Outside of this spectrum, exploring the park is a relaxing moment, accompanied by a good soundtrack and sound effects that bring the world around this little bee to life.
🌺 Visuals and Vibrations
But all of Bee Simulator’s good intentions to educate do not save it from its flaws. Despite its smoothness even in portable mode, its presentation suffers significantly from a washed-out look in many scenarios, and human characters appear almost robotic in movement. Controlling the bee in the park is indeed relaxing, but it also proves to be frustrating when restricted to an activity like the racing mini-game, where the smallest mistake requires starting over. However, none of this prevents enjoying the game overall through good performance during various activities, unlocking adorable hats and new skins from different bee species (with information about them too!).
🏆 Family Fun and Flaws
Thus, Bee Simulator presents itself as a great game for kids, grown-ups, and the whole family. It demonstrates that it is possible to be educational and fun at the same time, despite harbouring flaws that prevent its latent potential from fully blooming. Even so, Maya the Bee would surely be proud.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Linktree for all my stuff.
◻️ ⚠️ Review for FNintendo (RIP) from Dec 25, 2019.
◻️ 🙋♂️ More Reviews by yours truly.
◻️ 🎮 Nintendo Switch Games I’ve played.
◻️ 🧵 Follow me on Threads for updates and more.
◻️ 📜 Review #013
✨ F I N ✨