Bear With Me

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 504 reviews
  • story
  • humor
  • graphics
Bear With Me Game Cover
It's like Playschool after dark.
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"Bear With Me" is an episodic noir adventure game where Amber, helped by her teddy bear sidekick Ted E. Bear, searches for her missing brother amidst a series of fires and suspects in the illustrated Paper City. The game features a unique 2D art style, clever dialogues full of puns, and various puzzles to solve. Be prepared for a gritty, yet humorous journey with a mysterious arsonist on the loose.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 504 reviews
story141 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautiful noir art style and engaging atmosphere that enhances the storytelling.
  • The humor is clever and self-aware, with witty dialogue and fun character interactions that keep players entertained.
  • The story is intriguing, with a unique premise that combines childhood imagination with darker themes, making it emotionally impactful.
  • The game is quite short, with Episode 1 feeling more like a prologue than a complete experience, leaving players wanting more.
  • Some puzzles can be unintuitive or too simple, leading to moments of frustration rather than challenge.
  • The voice acting, particularly for the main character, can be hit or miss, occasionally detracting from immersion.
  • story373 mentions

    The story of "Bear With Me" is a unique blend of a child's imagination and a noir detective narrative, following a young girl and her teddy bear partner as they search for her missing brother. While the storytelling is praised for its emotional depth, humor, and engaging characters, some reviewers noted that the plot can be predictable and the pacing uneven, with certain episodes feeling rushed or lacking in content. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate a creative and whimsical approach to storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding dialogue length and pacing.

    • “The story and narration are highly developed with a cross between a child’s imagination and your typical detective novel.”
    • “With its beautiful storytelling, well-crafted characters, and a delightful tongue-in-cheek nod to film noir, Bear With Me shines and I can't recommend it enough.”
    • “The story is great and is told with a clever mixture of humor and tragedy.”
    • “The story of [i]bear with me[/i] is fairly predictable all the way through the end.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game seems just to be designed around that story and lacks in some proper game mechanics to tell this story effectively.”
    • “For me, this game has a boring and slow-paced storyline.”
  • humor172 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging dialogue, and effective use of fourth-wall breaks and pop culture references, creating a mix of lightheartedness and darker themes. While many players find the humor to be charming and well-executed, some critiques mention that certain jokes can feel forced or predictable, and the balance between humor and serious moments may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is considered funny and enjoyable, with a unique blend of quirky characters and witty banter that enhances the overall experience.

    • “The dialogue is hilarious.”
    • “I love this game, it's got a great interesting story, amazing art, and funny dialogue!”
    • “Bear with me is an amazing title with slick writing, fun voice acting, and some of the best humor ever in a game.”
    • “The out-of-place humor is not funny in this dreary, tedious story that I've heard too many times.”
    • “The attempts at humor feel forced and fail to land, making the experience more frustrating than entertaining.”
    • “The jokes fall flat and often feel out of context, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
  • graphics87 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, hand-drawn art style that effectively blends noir elements with a whimsical aesthetic, primarily presented in black and white with occasional splashes of color. While not groundbreaking in terms of resolution, the visuals are crisp and well-executed, complementing the game's humor and narrative. Overall, players appreciate the artistic design and animation, which enhance the storytelling experience, despite some critiques regarding the simplicity of certain assets.

    • “The artwork and visuals are effective, crisp, and a fun medium for the point-and-click genre.”
    • “All of the characters are pure gold for various reasons, the humor is on point and in the end the visuals even fit into all of it perfectly, representing the feeling and the underlying darkness of the story.”
    • “The graphics look hand-drawn and it gives an extra sort of feeling to it, not negatively of course.”
    • “Very slow adventure game, grayscale visuals, falling-flat puns and about one or two dozens of irrelevant objects to inspect for each relevant one.”
    • “Although the art style is alright, the assets and animation are just not very good.”
    • “While the graphics are very cute, this game also gets pretty tedious at times.”
  • atmosphere67 mentions

    The atmosphere of *Bear With Me* is widely praised for its unique blend of noir detective elements and a child's imaginative world, creating a moody and engaging experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of black-and-white visuals, clever writing, and strong voice acting, which together enhance the game's charm and intrigue. While some note the minimal use of music, the overall ambiance is described as captivating and well-crafted, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The noir atmosphere is spot on and the combination of noir with child's toys is just genius.”
    • “Blending a noir-like atmosphere and dialogue with the interactions between a child and her anthropomorphic friends leads to some rich slices of a world.”
    • “Having a charming yet grizzly atmosphere that you won’t find too polarizing, I just couldn’t bear to put it down.”
    • “I see no reason to not have music like that playing throughout the game, especially to reinforce the noir atmosphere the developers seemed to want to go for.”
    • “There isn’t much music to speak of, though when it does appear it’s used effectively to build up atmosphere; however, it’s needed (also that title screen music… it’s really creepy and I can’t get it out of my head).”
    • “If you don't mind humor that constantly breaks the fourth wall with plenty of references to things other than the story itself, you will probably enjoy this game - it's a solid game on other respects, gameplay, atmosphere (apart from the absence of music) and the voice acting are all good.”
  • gameplay52 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized as a traditional point-and-click adventure, featuring classic mechanics such as inventory management and puzzle-solving, reminiscent of games like Sam and Max. While it offers a charming atmosphere filled with humor and fourth-wall breaks, some reviewers noted a lack of innovation and a relatively short playtime, with the overall experience being solid yet not groundbreaking. The game successfully combines engaging storytelling with simple mechanics, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre despite its limitations.

    • “This brought back memories of playing classics like Sam and Max. It has a beautiful sense of humor and a chilled gameplay mechanic that you don't get from most games.”
    • “Quite interesting, remarkable among the 'point-and-click' games, with a thought-out plot and good gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is the usual point-and-click style; moving around the environment, picking up clues and objects which can be crafted to produce tools to progress through the area.”
    • “From a gameplay standpoint, [i]bear with me[/i] adds nothing new to the point-and-click genre.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game seems just to be designed around that story and lacks in some proper game mechanics to tell this story effectively.”
    • “There is nothing new or groundbreaking as far as gameplay goes; it's your typical point-and-click adventure game where you collect everything you find and use/combine them to advance the story.”
  • music45 mentions

    The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many praising the soundtrack for its quality and effectiveness in enhancing the atmosphere, particularly in relation to the noir theme. However, some reviewers noted a lack of consistent music throughout the game, suggesting that more frequent use of the soundtrack could have further reinforced the intended ambiance. Overall, the music is described as pleasant and fitting, contributing to the game's engaging experience.

    • “And I'm definitely not a noir/thriller fan - trust me, you'll love this :p there are few point n' click games (and this is completely indie!) that have such high standards when it comes to every single compartment, soundtrack included.”
    • “The original music was excellent as well in solidifying that film-noir aura.”
    • “Music does so much to the atmosphere in any game, and once you make key stylistic choices for your game, you should hold on to them with each element to reinforce the integrity.”
    • “As for what needs work in my opinion, well... let's start with the music.”
    • “In every other area of the game, there is no music at all.”
    • “I see no reason to not have music like that playing throughout the game, especially to reinforce the noir atmosphere the developers seemed to want to go for.”
  • emotional31 mentions

    The game is praised for its emotional depth and storytelling, with many players expressing strong connections to the characters and a range of feelings from laughter to tears. Despite its seemingly childish premise, it tackles serious themes that resonate deeply, leading to a heartfelt experience that some found unexpectedly impactful. However, a few players noted a lack of polish and emotional investment in the protagonist, which affected their overall engagement with the story.

    • “What a beautiful game, so emotional, so real.”
    • “Beautiful story, great characters, and an emotional depth that is rare in gaming.”
    • “I laughed, I cried, and at the end, I felt like the story had been told well.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, characterized by sluggish movement, frustrating backtracking, and lengthy interactions with characters. While the game is designed to be a relaxing point-and-click experience, many reviewers feel that the repetitive tasks and pixel-hunting detract from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more laborious than engaging.

    • “With a blend of sluggish movement, animated scene transitions, and rarely working double-clicks, backtracking is also needlessly tedious.”
    • “Talking to characters is long and tedious.”
    • “While the graphics are very cute, this game also gets pretty tedious at times.”
  • stability4 mentions

    Overall, users report mixed experiences regarding stability, with some experiencing frequent glitches during conversations, such as skipped dialogue, while others note no significant technical issues.

    • “Glitches: second chapter: I only just left the bay, but so far every conversation has been glitching. Once or twice, every character speaks and it will skip the last word(s) as if you've clicked your mouse.”
  • character development4 mentions

    The game features impressive character development, effectively showcasing depth and personality despite the limited playtime and screen presence of some characters. Each character is well-designed with unique quirks that enhance the dialogue and overall narrative experience.

    • “There's some fantastic character development in this game, especially given the short play time and what little screen time some of the characters do get.”
    • “Great character design, with each character having little quirks, which also set a very good dialogue.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers notable replayability due to several choice points that influence character outcomes, although these decisions do not significantly alter the overall ending. Players appreciate the opportunity to explore different narrative paths, enhancing the game's replay value.

    • “This game definitely has replay value, as there are a few points at which you can make choices that affect character outcomes.”
    • “It has replay value <3”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

68% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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