Game apps can be a bit hit and miss and it’s often difficult to really tell whether or not you’re going to like a game based on the information available until after you’ve bought it, by which time it’s obviously too late. That’s definitely the case for the Battle Bears game app from the Mac app store.
Everything on the page for the game pointed towards it having a lot of potential; cool images, good graphics, lots of ace reviews. However, after playing it for half an hour I felt genuinely sick. The kind of sick I haven’t felt playing a game since Turok Dinosaur Hunter on the Nintendo 64, and in that case the sensation passed once the enjoyment of playing the game kicked in, but in with Battle Bears it was just a slightly bitter, disappointed sickness that stood out like a rock rough hangover.
While the graphics work well and the cut scenes are class, there’s a big problem with the gameplay on the Mac app version. It sort of lacks any real enjoyment and it just felt a bit too much like a hit and hope kind of game. Directing your shooting is wild and overly twitchy, so one second you’re shooting at the ground and the next you’re shooting at the ceiling, by which time you’ve been hug-mulched by alien cuddlies that you want to take a hacksaw to, but can’t because the game doesn’t provide the kind of pseudo-violent relief that is implied in the game concept.
The main reason the gameplay is so difficult to love on the Mac app is the way you use the trackpad or mouse to direct your shooting. Despite the fact that you can slow this down to stop you from flashing wildly all over the place, the trackpad and mouse as a controller in this instance just doesn’t make it easy to get into the game. If you had a Macced version of the PS3 or Xbox controller it would probably make the game much more playable. Hopefully this won’t be too far down the line!
The only really good things that I can say about the Battle Bears Mac app game is that the cut scenes are clever and funny and the concept has a lot of potential. However, it’s so far away from hitting the mark that it would take a lot of development to insert the accuracy, suspense, beautiful melee and gameplay joy that is needed to make it work well.
Battle Bears Mac app review – 1.9/5
