Bee Simulator | Xbox One Review
Recently there has been a multitude of simulator games that have been coming out. From farming and being a car mechanic, to even running a PC-building business. There seems to be a never-ending supply of these types of games and it’s getting a little strange and ridiculous in my opinion. With that being said, I believe one has come along that is worth the buzz it has generated. VARSAV Games has released Bee Simulator, and after playing through it I think this game may be worth taking a deeper look.
Bee All You Can Bee
The premise of Bee Simulator is fairly simple. You play as a drone bee in a fairly large hive located in what seems to be a large city park. However, you are no ordinary drone and aspire to be something greater in the grand scheme of hive life. When your hive is threatened by humans and other external forces, you must aid your queen and fellow bees in doing what must be done to survive. From mundane tasks like collecting pollen to fending off invaders, there are many paths to take in Bee Simulator.
First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way: I love simulator games and was drawn to Bee Simulator almost immediately. For a game about being a bee you would think this game would overstay its welcome fairly quickly, but I disagree. The game presents a fairly interesting story of life as a bee over the course of a year. Granted, there are some boring parts, such as pollen fetch quests. Yet, the developers have found a way to make the game enjoyable and produced an almost zen like experience at times.
Stinging Humans Has Never Felt Better
Bee Simulator has captured elements that seem to go overlooked from our little honey-making friends. There is a simple combat system for when you encounter foreign invaders like wasps, hornets, and spiders. The majority of Bee Simulator is spent just flying around the park. The scale of the game really does make you feel small at times. Flying by giant humans walking through the park, and animals that are in the zoo area do a great job in making you feel very small. One of the more interesting quests is taking on human bullies who terrorize bees and other insects.
There are also a large amount of collectibles that I found to be fun. Going around finding different animals or insects and interacting with them was an interesting experience. The game also drops little factoids about bees on a regular basis, bringing some education into the game. While some people may not appreciate this, I found it to be a fun little addition to the game.
That Stinging Feeling
Bee Simulator, while enjoyable, is not without some faults. The graphics, first and foremost, feel almost last generation. The flight controls for the bees is overly sensitive, and took me some time to get a good handle on. Some of the voice acting in the interaction does come across as childish, and at times annoying. Yet, the biggest problem I had with Bee Simulator is luckily an optional one. Bee vision is a characteristic you can use that simulates what is feels like to see through a bee’s eyes. It’s a cool concept, but while flying with it on it was a little unsettling and hard to focus.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I found Bee Simulator to be an enjoyable experience. So much so that even after finishing the main story, I am still playing around in the open-world that comes afterwards. The game opens up and allows you to continue on your journey of discovery in your own little universe. For fans of simulator games, I would recommend this game as well as parents looking for a title that is family-friendly. For those who have not really dipped into the simulation type of games, I also feel it’s a good game to jump into a take for spin. Don’t expect a gripping story but rather a nice, casual flight around the park.
This review is based on an Xbox One copy of Bee Simulator provide by Homerun PR for coverage purposes. The game is also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.
Bee Simulator
$39.99
Pros
- Fun To Be a Bee
- Educational
- Family-Friendly
Cons
- Bee Vision
- Lacking Production Values
