To Bee or Not To Bear HD Review – The Bee Is Your “Bro,” The Bear Is Not

Generally, bears in childhood movies or stories are lovable oafs who find themselves in the middle of a sticky mess that usually involves honey.  It’s only when we get older and watch the nature shows that we see why a grizzly is so, well, grizzly.  So until kids are old enough to appreciate the National Geographic Channel, maybe sticking to Pooh and Yogi is the smart way to go.

To Bee or Not To Bear takes the cute cartoon cub approach in the action-packed app designed specifically for younger players.  There is no violence or scary characters – only busy bees and bratty bears.  Game play involves only tapping and swiping.  While there are points and “lives” and time limits, there are no real levels, which means the more kids play the better they get.

A short video tutorial walks players through the basic concept: Bees swinging from hoses are busy building a hive and bears swinging from hoses want to come in and steal the honey.  Swiping the hoses cuts them, allowing the bears to fall off the screen and out of the danger zone, but be careful not to get the bees’ hoses instead.  Different honeycomb icons help the process of ridding Hiveland of bears – one floods the area with water and slows them down.

Players have three bee lives and 5 minutes to get through the level without using up those lives.  Accidentally cut a bee hose and they splat in a mess of honey against the screen, which hinders the view.  In the interest of full disclosure we haven’t made it through the first round without using up our three lives, so I can’t tell you what happens if you’re successful at stopping the bears.

We’re still trying to get to Round 2, which speaks to the addictive nature of this game.  Both kids can easily play this game for long stretches of time, and even I can’t put it down if I don’t have to.  There are no written directions to get bogged down by, and no in-app purchases or ads, or other distractions.  While $2.99 seems a little steep for this particular game, the fact that it’s as challenging as it is engaging means you’ll get your money’s worth.

Pros:

– Easy action-packed game play for all ages
– No guts or gore; non-violent play perfect for little ones
– Video tutorial means players don’t need to read to proceed

Cons:

– None; we are hooked on this sweet new game

 

Price: $2.99
Age: 2+

This addictive and easy mobile arcade game is sticky fun for all ages!

Please help support iPadKids by downloading the game via the App Store icon below!