Naughty Bear

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Naughty Bear review
Jeff Gates

Review

Have fun terrifying fluffed up teddies

Sandbox fun


Unfortunately once again this is also very repetitive and always looks the same. Naughty’s mouth gapes open like a school boy at the sight of a naked woman and he roars like a crack head running from the evil red penguins in his head. I paint that picture so vividly to you because I have seen and heard it at least 5 times a level. Even though there are a lot of ways to kill the other bears it all feels the same; A dozen or so weapons, a few traps, and a bunch of contextual kills do nothing to sway this game from a repetitive monotony.

That being said, Naughty Bear does deliver strong sandbox fun. While the map is small and outside of murder and fear there isn’t much to do how you go about doing them can be fun. Each weapon delivers a different blow. Surprisingly teddy bears take bullets like something out of a Terminator movie. The best fun players will have is discovering new ways to kill the other bears in contextual manners.

Cartoony horror


It is really the cartoony horror that Naughty Bear delivers that brings me the most joy. Knocking another bear down and slamming an axe into his skull 5 or 6 times is a blast. Shoving a machete handle deep into a bear’s stomach like a samurai warrior makes me smirk. I also love that this game is pretty difficult. Especially when you do the challenges like not getting injured or killing everyone without hitting them it can become quite a battle of tactics. It really isn’t a cake walk through this title; you need to use strategy and wits to conquer the ever escalating difficulty of your foes. The enemies range from regular old bears to ninjas that run faster than a cheetah on heroin.

Drug references aside the AI is the shining star of this game. The bears seem to really have a mind of their own, each with unique decisions that they make. Some will become leaders and direct others to do specific things; while others may cower in a closet hoping all of it will blow over. The AI’s use of team work forces players to use more and more tactics as the game goes on. Do not simply rely on running to each bear and slicing them up because you will quickly find that path only leads to your demise. Set traps and plot out a plan to kill off all the stronger and wiser bears first. Take out the leaders and the followers will be lost for you to swiftly decimate.

Graphics and sounds


I really love the look and feel of this game. The graphics are good and the whole feel reminds me of watching cartoons as a kid with a bowl of some high sugar cereal in my hand. The menus are really well done and do not deter from the gameplay like so many titles do. The music adds a lot to this game and so do the sound effects. My favorite is the narrator; his British voice broadcasting evil plans for Naughty to do makes the game even more demented and fun.

The game does have some graphical issues however. Very often while animations run your view will be obstructed by anything in the vicinity. The camera has no sense of walls or items around it and simply goes right through them. So in those times when you are lucky enough to make a contextual kill for the first time you may just miss it because there’s a bookshelf in the way.

Unique step


I want to make it clear that Naughty Bear is the kind of game you have to try. Do not simply write it off, because it may be just what you are looking for. Even though the animations and gameplay can be repetitive and there isn’t a whole lot to look at in this game the cartoon design and malicious style in which Naughty Bear boasts adds a lot to be enjoyed. You will undoubtedly find yourself searching for all kinds of new ways to brutally murder your enemies.

You can play for a short time and have some real fun. It is truly a great break from the norm of gaming today and a unique step for 505 Games, one that I think is in the right direction. With the help of the wonderful AI that A2M has built future innovative titles can be quite impressive. My hope is that they will make a sequel, or even a similar game, that follows more of a story and delivers a much more varied gameplay experience. For now though I suggest giving Naughty Bear a try and have fun terrifying a fluffed up teddy to the point at which he takes a tree limb and smashes his own head in begging for the sweet release of death.

6.5

fun score

Pros

Hacking teddy bears up into pieces is quite fun.

Cons

Repetitive gameplay and lack of core story make this a short lived.