14 DAY TRIAL // My bear is hiding behind a table, reloading. About one minute ago, he entered this room and took out a few bees that were wielding firearms, while dodging their projectiles. Constant use of the dash helped with that, but chaining too many of them got me in a corner, where I took one hit from my enemies.
I activated one of the bear’s special abilities, slowing down time in exchange for some health, to get out of that tight spot. Some good shooting eliminated all the enemies I could see, while a second wave teleported into the room, one of them very close to my character.
I dashed once more to get behind this table. One enemy is firing into the obstacle and cannot hurt me, while a few small but fast spiders are closing in. Reload complete, I pivot and shoot at them, nailing both quickly. I then move around the table to deal with the last remaining opponent. It was a quick, tough fight but I only lost one health heart. Now, it’s time to shoot all the crates to get some currency.
Rightfully, Beary Arms is developed and published by Daylight Basement Studio LLC. I played a preview version of the game, which is set to enter Early Access on Steam soon. The title combines bullet hell core mechanics with a rogue-lite structure.
Our hero is a bear who’s able to telekinetically hold a gun as big as himself and fire it. Other animals, from bees to squid-like creatures and dogs, make up the opposition. He has access to three special powers, to be used if the hero is ready to sacrifice some health. And the bear will be able to get a range of other weapons, some based on the real world, some science fiction inspired, to keep from run to run.
Rightfully, Beary Arms has a simple structure. Choose a location to explore and then clear rooms one by one. Opponents arrive in waves, a mix of creatures with both long-range and melee capabilities. Players need to constantly move to avoid incoming attacks, pay attention to the moment when the hero needs to reload and focus fire on the biggest threats.
As a run progresses, players will have to make decisions about Runtimes and Calamities. The first gives Beary an advantage while the latter increases the overall difficulty. Strategic choices can make it easier for players to clear a level and gain a permanent reward.
Combat is suitably frantic, although the variety of the game’s generated levels is limited. The very high spaces can make it hard to avoid incoming shots, although tactical use of obstacles helps.
Rightfully, Beary Arms doesn’t impress when it comes to graphics. Our bear hero and his oversized gun are just weird enough to be interesting but the enemies don’t look as good and the environments are disappointing. It’s sometimes hard to read the battlefield visually. The sound design is dominated by the reload sound.
Conclusion
The bullet hell mechanics are pretty classic and the game will generate some fun battles. Bigger levels should make them even more engaging. The rogue structure doesn’t add a lot to the formula but gives the title structure. Rightfully, Beary Arms is decent in its early form and I want to see how it evolves before full launch.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
