BeardedBear Demo

The cyclic nature of fashion goes back forth between trends over the years, mostly when it comes to haircuts and facial hair. Thus, we are currently in the 20s again if we are to judge society based on beard length and the woolen sweatshirts everyone seems to own, or various types of hats. In fact, a few other things seem to be regressing as well, since there are more and more retro video games out there, sporting pixel graphics and simple gameplay mechanics.

BeardedBear is a 2D action game with platformer elements and a roguelike style of gameplay, in which you control a mighty bear trying to eliminate aliens using his godly beard powers and a combination of interesting weapons. The game is designed to be enjoyed in co-op as well, but it’s not a requirement, so you can easily play by yourself too. However, the mechanics are still pretty rough at this point, so more work is needed in this regard.

The whole thing takes place in static arenas with a multitude of platforms, and the goal is to survive the ongoing alien assault while jumping over enemies, shooting them down, and collecting the power-ups that appear randomly around the level. You can actually combine weapons to obtain weird contraptions, like a flamethrower that shoots poisonous darts.

Obviously, your beard plays a crucial role in the grand scheme of things, and there are multiple ones to try out along the way. Each one of them has an impact on the gameplay, just like every power-up provides you with an advantage when you pick it up. However, the most important thing is to keep moving and remember that weapons can only be used for a few seconds before they disappear.

There are a few flaws when it comes to the gameplay mechanics, but most of them are due to the fact that this is merely a prototype at this point, so it’s definitely not as polished as a finished game would be. Hence, the action tends to get a bit tedious after a while, mainly because you are doing the same thing over and over again with barely any variations when it comes to enemies or backgrounds.

The boss fights spice things up, on the other hand, even if they are not very well implemented at this point. It would be nice to have some sort of environmental challenges to overcome as well, because just jumping from one platform to the other gets annoying in a rush. It can sometimes be difficult to notice the enemies, because they tend to blend into the background.

Thankfully, at least the controls are snappy and responsive, since input lag is not something you want in a fast-paced platformer. You can use a gamepad to get the most out of the experience, but even a keyboard works fine if you don’t have a controller handy. Lastly, the pixelated graphics are actually very nice, but as mentioned before, something needs to be done about the colors to avoid eye strain.

BeardedBear is funny, challenging, ridiculous and brilliant in many ways, but it’s not quite there yet. A lot more work is needed in order to make the mechanics easier to handle, and a few visual touch ups should be on the to-do list as well. However, all the right elements for a fun game are here, including a co-op component and great replay value.

You can actually support the developers and help them make the game a reality by participating in their Kickstarter campaign, or by voting for the game on Steam Greenlight.