Where the Bees Make Honey

Where The Bees Make Honey is a frustrating and boredom-inducing puzzle game that suffers from an unthinkable amount of technical issues, poor controls, unclear objectives, and bad level design. Any heart that is put into the narrative is wiped away by these issues and made me want to quit playing, minutes after starting the game up.

31%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, stability

28% User Score Based on 47 reviews

Critic Score 47%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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About

Where the Bees Make Honey is a single player platformer game. It was developed by Brian Wilson and was released on March 26, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and negative reviews from players.

"Where the Bees Make Honey" is a puzzle adventure game that explores nostalgia and childhood memories. Players experience Sunny's reflections of her past from an adult perspective, with gameplay transitioning between first-person and playable vignettes for each season. The game emphasizes a dreamy, ethereal atmosphere, capturing the magic and wonder of childhood dress-up and play.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

28%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features a unique narrative structure that explores themes of nostalgia and personal growth, allowing players to connect with the protagonist's journey.
The voice acting and emotional themes are highlighted as strong points, with some players finding the experience reflective and poignant.
The game showcases a variety of gameplay mechanics and artistic chapters, providing a mix of puzzles and exploration that some players found enjoyable.

The controls are often described as janky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during platforming sections.
The game is criticized for its short playtime and lack of depth in both story and gameplay, leaving many players feeling unsatisfied.
Visual and audio issues, including bugs and poor balance, detract from the overall experience, making it feel unpolished and incomplete.

story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
74%
9%
The story in the game is largely criticized for being shallow, disjointed, and difficult to follow, with many reviewers noting its lack of depth and clarity. While some appreciate the introspective themes of childhood memories and personal change, the narrative's execution often feels muddled and unengaging, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its experimental approach and occasional intriguing moments, the storytelling fails to provide a cohesive or compelling experience for many players.
- “The narrative exploration of change, dreams, and personal choices adds depth to the storytelling.”
- “While the game's disjointed pacing and occasional narrative hiccups might limit its impact, those who appreciate introspective storytelling and the exploration of personal memories will find themselves immersed in the emotional tapestry of 'Where the Bees Make Honey,' where every memory uncovered is a step towards understanding the intersections of life, dreams, and change.”
- “It is the kind of story that makes you really look into the mirror and open your eyes to your life.”
- “The story feels so hollow, the gameplay is disjointed and doesn't allow any room to enjoy the story, which I guess is good, because the story is so surface level, anyway.”
- “The storyline is almost non-existent.”
- “I'm all for non-linear storytelling, but the story just isn't there.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it disjointed, buggy, and frustrating, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the variety of mechanics, including puzzles and exploration, others criticize the execution as clunky and unplayable at times. Overall, the gameplay is seen as the weakest aspect of the game, overshadowing its narrative and artistic elements.
- “The blend of puzzles and exploration mechanics provides variety, encouraging players to engage with the environment and solve challenges to progress.”
- “Overall, the gameplay in 'Where the Bees Make Honey' is exciting and gripping, as you never know how it is going to change next, where no one form of gameplay or perspective outlasts its welcome.”
- “From its relatability and gripping plot to the absolutely gorgeous visuals and delicious atmosphere to the exciting and ever-changing gameplay and perspectives.”
- “I really like the melancholic vibe, the narrative and the music, but the gameplay is, to be honest, garbage, buggy and barely there, so that it just becomes a frustrating experience more than anything else.”
- “The game starts falling apart by the end where the mechanics in certain mini-games and levels absolutely do not work as intended or are half-baked and the controls become incredibly clunky and inaccurate to a frustrating degree.”
- “As a player you are confronted with many different game mechanics which severely interrupts the game flow and, as such, hinders immersion.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The graphics of "Where the Bees Make Honey" receive mixed reviews, with some praising its distinct, handcrafted art style and polished visuals, while others criticize the inconsistent quality and technical flaws. The game features a nostalgic aesthetic that enhances its emotional themes, but the combination of different styles and occasional bugs may detract from the experience for some players. Overall, while the visuals are appealing to many, they may not meet the expectations of those seeking high-end graphics.
- “The visual design of 'Where the Bees Make Honey' showcases a distinct and handcrafted art style that evokes nostalgia.”
- “Visually, the game looks very polished, with some high-quality visuals, good use of shaders, and a good variance of areas.”
- “With powerful writing, beautiful visuals, exciting ever-changing gameplay and perspectives, 'Where the Bees Make Honey' is outstanding.”
- “Obviously a graphics overhaul would take too much money/time, but I do think their next project could definitely learn from this.”
- “I don't even know why they have graphics options up to ultra; they obviously didn't bother to address the graphics.”
- “Maybe it's my computer which lacks enough graphics power, but the 3D graphics in the game had serious flaws when I was trying to play.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, janky controls, and audio issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players noted improvements in performance over time, many still found the gameplay frustrating and unpolished, leading to a consensus that the game feels incomplete and poorly tested.
- “I really like the melancholic vibe, the narrative and the music, but the gameplay is, to be honest, garbage, buggy and barely there, so that it just becomes a frustrating experience more than anything else.”
- “Some serious issues with janky/buggy controls and audio issues as well.”
- “There are many more buggy parts and all in all no part of this game except the office sequences appeared to me to be really finished or properly playtested.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game excels in delivering an emotional experience through its unique narrative structure and relatable themes of personal growth, allowing players to connect deeply with the protagonist's journey. Despite some pacing issues, its nostalgic visuals and introspective storytelling create a reflective atmosphere that resonates with players, evoking genuine emotions during key moments. Overall, it offers a poignant exploration of life, dreams, and change that leaves a lasting impact.
- “With its unique narrative structure, emotional themes, and a blend of puzzles and exploration, the game offers a reflective and occasionally poignant experience that aims to capture the essence of personal growth.”
- “The emotional themes and relatable experiences the game portrays stand out, allowing players to connect with the challenges and growth the protagonist undergoes.”
- “While the game's disjointed pacing and occasional narrative hiccups might limit its impact, those who appreciate introspective storytelling and the exploration of personal memories will find themselves immersed in the emotional tapestry of 'Where the Bees Make Honey,' where every memory uncovered is a step towards understanding the intersections of life, dreams, and change.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its dynamic nature, seamlessly adapting to the ever-changing gameplay and perspectives. Users highlight the combination of powerful writing, stunning visuals, and a relatable plot, all contributing to an engaging and immersive experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as beautiful and captivating, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “With powerful writing, beautiful visuals, exciting ever-changing gameplay and perspectives, and a delicious atmosphere where the bees make honey, it is outstanding.”
- “The atmosphere is very much like the gameplay, where it is constantly changing as does everything else in the game.”
- “No matter the gameplay or the perspective the game is being played from, the atmosphere changes perfectly to fit in.”
- “The atmosphere is very much like the gameplay, where it is constantly changing, just like everything else in the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised, particularly for its melancholic vibe and standout tracks like the "ghouls and ghosts" song, which enhance the overall experience. However, despite the strong soundtrack and impressive voice acting, the gameplay is criticized for being buggy and frustrating, overshadowing the positive aspects of the music.
- “The standout best parts are the voice actresses' incredible performance, and the 'Ghouls and Ghosts' song, which I enjoy a lot.”
- “The only good thing going for this game was the soundtrack.”
- “I really like the melancholic vibe, the narrative, and the music, but the gameplay is, to be honest, garbage, buggy, and barely there, making it a frustrating experience more than anything else.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that while the voice acting, particularly the performances of the actresses, is exceptional, there is no specific mention of optimization issues or improvements, suggesting that this aspect may not be a focal point in the overall experience.