Bronana | PC Review
Bronana, the first game from developer Busy Bear, offers a unique twist on the popular auto-shooter survival genre. Instead of controlling a traditional hero, you play as a banana – and there are many bananas to unlock, each with unique skills and traits to optimize your gameplay.
Gameplay
The core gameplay loop of Bronana involves battling hordes of food-based enemies, including killer toast, murderous popcorn, and lollipops of doom. You’ll use a variety of ranged and melee weapons, including some inspired by a galaxy far, far away, to defeat these tasty foes. As you progress, you’ll collect currency to spend on upgrades, gear, and new weapons.
After each round, you’ll have the opportunity to choose an upgrade, a piece of gear, or a dropped weapon. You’ll also encounter a variety of helpful NPCs, including a blacksmith, a beggar, and a table vendor. The blacksmith offers a slot machine mini-game where you can improve or transmogrify your equipment. The beggar will give you an item in exchange for a small donation. The table vendor sells gear and items, allowing you to purchase upgrades, combine items to increase their stats, or sell them to make room for better equipment.
One unique aspect of Bronana is the choice of three doors after each round and vendor visit. These doors offer various rewards, including guaranteed visits from specific vendors, weapons, bonus gold, bonus experience, or equipment drops.
Boss Battles
Boss battles in Bronana are challenging and require careful planning and optimization. The bosses are creatively designed and offer a good dose of humor. However, if you’re not fully prepared, you’ll likely be overwhelmed by the boss and its minions. This can be frustrating, as some players may feel that the boss battles are too difficult and that they haven’t had enough opportunities to upgrade their banana.
Overall Impression
Bronana offers a fun and quirky take on the auto-shooter genre. The game’s unique premise, charming artwork, and humorous boss battles are sure to entertain. However, some aspects of the game feel unpolished, and the weapon balance and stat increases could be improved. Additionally, some players may find the boss battles to be overly difficult.
Recommendation
If you’re a fan of the auto-shooter genre and enjoy offbeat character design, Bronana is worth checking out. However, if you’re new to the genre, there are other, more polished options available.
To hear me talk more about Bronana, be sure to listen the the December 23rd, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:03:07 time stamp.
This review is based on a Steam copy of Bronana provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. As of this writing, it is exclusive to that platform.
Bronana
$4.99
Pros
- Wacky Premise
- Fun Character and Weapon Design
Cons
- Unbalanced Upgrades
- Heavy RNG
- Controls Not Always Responsive Enough to Move Your Banana
