October 15, 2022
Siactro

Beeny

Beeny knows what it is, and the 99-cent price reflects that. While pretty good is probably the most it could hope for with its scant content, it is fun while it lasts. The enjoyable graphics and music certainly help, too.

92%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

97% User Score Based on 624 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

Beeny is a single player arcade platformer game. It was developed by Siactro and was released on October 15, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Beeny" is a single-player platformer game with stunning early 90s prerendered graphics and stunning music. The game features 9 levels with replay value and a few secrets to discover, all while controlling a very round bee. "Beeny" serves as a prelude to the game "Super Kiwi 64."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 624 reviews

music54 positive mentions

Beeny is a charming and nostalgic platformer that captures the essence of classic Donkey Kong Country games with its beautiful pre-rendered graphics and catchy soundtrack.
The gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, allowing players to complete the game in about 30 minutes while still providing replay value through time trials and unlockable characters.
For its low price, Beeny offers a delightful experience that is perfect for casual gaming, making it a great pick for fans of retro-style platformers.

The game is extremely short, with many players completing it in under 30 minutes, leading to concerns about its overall depth and replayability.
The lack of challenge, as players cannot die and the gameplay can feel repetitive, may leave some feeling unsatisfied with the experience.
Technical issues such as the inability to exit the game without force quitting and the absence of sound effects in certain areas detract from the overall polish of the game.

music
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
44%
3%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many reviewers praising its high quality and nostalgic resemblance to the iconic soundtracks of the Donkey Kong Country series. Described as "top tier" and "spectacular," the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, making the game feel like a charming homage to classic 2D platformers. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's appeal despite its simplicity and short playtime.
- “The music is spectacular and the gameplay is weirdly addictive despite its simplicity.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “The art direction and music absolutely nails it.”
- “Seriously, there is absolutely no need for this game to have such a peak soundtrack.”
- “Sound effects are really subdued here, we mostly hear music, not much in the way of sound feedback.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
graphics
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, pre-rendered aesthetic reminiscent of the classic Donkey Kong Country series, effectively capturing the nostalgic 16-bit look and feel of the SNES era. Reviewers highlight the game's beautiful art style and vibrant color schemes, noting that the visuals are a major draw, enhancing the overall experience despite the game's brevity. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, successfully evoking a sense of nostalgia while providing a cute and engaging atmosphere.
- “This is probably the most successful attempt I've seen at recreating the Donkey Kong Country prerendered graphics.”
- “The graphics and music are really, really good and replicate the DKC style perfectly.”
- “It absolutely nails that SNES Rare aesthetic.”
- “The graphics have a crushed, pixellated 16-bit look to them, like something on a real SNES.”
- “I actually quite liked the SNES-like graphics (that seem inspired by the Donkey Kong Country games), and the music is quite nice (although I was constantly hearing a distracting static noise in the background, which was weird).”
- “Prerendered graphics just like grandma's SNES used to make in 1995.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The gameplay is characterized by simple, vertical platforming mechanics that are engaging without being overly challenging, making it accessible for players. While the game is short, lasting around 35 minutes for a complete playthrough, it features charming graphics and nostalgic audio reminiscent of classic titles like Donkey Kong Country. Players appreciate the addictive nature of the gameplay, enhanced by unique level mechanics and the introduction of new challenges upon replaying.
- “All the platforming is vertical and you can't die or lose a level; however, the special level mechanics of each stage make it so the game is in the perfect sweet spot of not hard but not too easy.”
- “The music is spectacular and the gameplay is weirdly addictive despite its simplicity.”
- “Beeny is cute, but the gameplay is very dry.”
- “As far as the gameplay, this is a sidescrolling platformer with unique physics and a very basic concept of jumping from platform to platform while progressing vertically instead of horizontally to reach the top of the level and collect honey pieces.”
- “The best part of this game is towards the end you get to play as the kiwi, which has nothing to do with Beeny the non-flying bee. The main reason for this is because the 2 minutes of gameplay in the last section of the game is far more exciting than the rolling and bouncing up the same reshaded pixels over and over again.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The story in "Beeny" is simple yet charming, revolving around a bee collecting honey to help a friend repair a raft. While some reviewers noted the minimal narrative depth, they appreciated the emotional and inspiring elements, likable characters, and engaging gameplay that complement the straightforward plot. The game's nostalgic graphics and soundtrack enhance the overall experience, making it a delightful prologue to the larger Kiwi story.
- “Such an emotional and inspiring story that had me tearing up at points.”
- “The music is good, the controls are easy, the story is straightforward and the main characters are friendly and likeable.”
- “Also, the story and the SNES-style graphics and soundtrack were all super charming - I was worried they would carry an otherwise boring game, but they were just the icing on the cake.”
- “Story: almost no story, you must get to the end to help your friend.”
- “Beeny, which was released in 2022, is a story of a bee helping collect honey for their friend to repair a raft. The game shows you bouncing up trees to reach a beehive and collect honey; that's pretty much it, but it introduces new mechanics like enemies and windy rain, though none of them overstay their welcome.”
- “Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I had given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game offers moderate replayability through features like a time attack mode and unlockable characters, making it enjoyable for casual play. While it is easy and can be completed in one sitting, some players feel that the lack of challenge diminishes the incentive for repeated playthroughs. Overall, it provides a fun experience with enough elements to keep players engaged for a while.
- “It's a short, easy game that you can't die in, providing a good time with a bit of replayability through the time attack mode and unlockable characters. Would recommend!”
- “It's cheap, like cheaper than a drink, and you can play it forever. This game is easy and fun to finish in one sitting, plus there is a timed mode after you complete it, adding to the replay value.”
- “Beeny (the game) is very fun and replayable, offering both time trials and unlockable options after your first playthrough.”
- “That aside, €1 or not, it's demo content + promotional content (SK 64 extra (mini) stage) + 1 extra level to speedrun; went to speedrun the special level, but concluded there's no incentive for speedrunning/0 challenge either, so replay value?”
- “All in all, the game is not very challenging in that regard although a time challenge opens up upon beating the game, providing a bit more of replay value.”
- “Short and fun game that you play as a very round bee, has charming DKC-esque visuals and some secrets for replayability.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its cute, retro aesthetic, enhanced by pre-rendered graphics reminiscent of classic titles like Donkey Kong Country. Players appreciate how the music complements the overall vibe, with particular praise for the engaging atmosphere in the third-to-last mission. Overall, it offers a charming and nostalgic experience.
- “Even the music hits the atmosphere very nicely.”
- “The 3rd last mission is my favourite, the atmosphere is so cool.”
- “It has pre-rendered graphics like DKC and the atmosphere of the levels is cute!”
- “Just a cheap experience with retro atmosphere.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted and whimsical nature, particularly centered around a funny little bee. Players appreciate the comedic elements, which enhance the overall enjoyment of this short vertical platformer, despite its simplicity.
- “Funny little bee.”
- “Good short vertical platformer with a funny bee.”
- “Not much to it, but still a funny little game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its deeply emotional and inspiring narrative, evoking strong feelings that lead players to tears of joy.
- “Such an emotional and inspiring story that had me tearing up at points.”
- “Made me cry from joy.”